Binghamton professor to discuss Johnson City revitalization at Dec. 6 event

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Binghamton University SUNY Business Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier (SUNY BEST) will host a discussion about the revitalization of Johnson City.

The event is set for Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator at 120 Hawley St. in Binghamton, the university announced. The presentation is free and open to the public. Those planning to attend can register here.

 SUNY BEST is a networking/volunteer group that says it “works to forge alliances, support the workforce needs of businesses, and provide outreach and information for companies.”

Binghamton University Professor John Frazier will discuss the Johnson City Revitalization Project, “a story mapping project that organizes project information in a manner that tells the story of the revitalization process,” per a university news release.

With assistance from undergraduate and graduate students and geography-department faculty and staff, Frazier is documenting the current status of the Johnson City neighborhood where the school’s Health Sciences campus is “taking shape,” with plans to continue the documentation “well into the future.”

“We’re looking at the business side and people who are redeveloping buildings in the area, as well as how the redevelopment will spill into other areas,” Frazier said. “Most studies like this take place 20 years out, but we’re starting on the ground floor with this community and how it has degraded since the 1960s. Now we’re beginning with the contemporary picture to see the impact of state dollars and University assistance in growing the economy. It’s a good initial picture.”

Developing the preliminary picture has required looking at a number of factors beyond the history of the site and construction progress, per Frazier. The process has examined age, race, and housing tenure of residents; median rent; unemployment and poverty rates; land use; zoning; property ownership including local or non-local ownership, assessed value of buildings, housing conditions and violations; and crime incidents by type and location.

Attendees can expect to learn more about the impact of the social and physical modifications that occur as Binghamton University, state and private investors work together to “revitalize the area, while protecting residents,” the university said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com