Challenges and Opportunities Facing Infrastructure Projects

Location: The Auditorium, School of Architecture, 214 Slocum Hall, Syracuse University
Date: October 24, 2025, Friday, 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Panel discussion with Betsy Parmley, Director of the I-81 Viaduct Project; Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and President of the New York State Building Construction Trades Council; Matthew Driscoll, Former Executive Director of the New York State Thruway Authority, former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation, and former Mayor of the City of Syracuse; and Shari Hyman, Vice President of Public Affairs at Turner Construction Company.


Presentations of the four research projects funded by SUII and School of Architecture:

Integrating GIS and Green Design Studio to Analyze the Impact of the I-81 Viaduct on Local Communities: Environmental Exposure and Socio-Economic Relationships

Author: Peng Gao, Jianshun ‘ Jensen ’ Zhang, Nina Wilson, Bess Krietemeyer, and Bing Dong
Department of Geography and the Environment (GATE),
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE),
School of Architecture (SOA), and
Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE)
2024-2025
View Project Report


Preliminary Work to Assess Potential Shifts in Transportation Modes and GHG Emissions During and After the I-81 Project

Author: Baris Salman and Sevgi Erdogan
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and
School of Information Studies
2024-2025
View Project Report


Visualizing Care and Resisting Gentrification along the proposed Community Grid

Author: Hannibal Newsom, Lauren Scott, Yilei Shi, Christina Chi Zhang, Jakob Keller, Dionesa Krueziu, Mingrui Xie, Hyun Lee, Allison Bronson, Jillian Fournier, and Corinn Brewer
Syracuse University School of Architecture,
Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, and
Lehigh University
2024-2025
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FREEWAY FUTURES: Proposal for the Future of I-81 Highway in Syracuse, NY

Author: Omar Ali, Nimet Anwar, R.A., Jess Myers, C. Thomas Hogge, Yuting Fang, Aung Thet Khant Paing, Sabrina Kunigenas, Hannah Puerta-Carlson, Gianna Rullo, and Ian Tahmin
Syracuse University, School of Architecture,
SUNY ESF, Department of Landscape Architecture
2024-2025
View Project Report