Most Syracuse residents have a daily routine of going to work or school in their cars. They speed by the Near Westside neighborhood without the knowledge of having to walk home through the community every day and night.

Now, they can experience the paths for themselves in the first Syracuse Pedestrian Routes: A Mile in Their Shoes walk, on Saturday, May 31, at 5 p.m. The event will start at 12 different locations in the Near Westside. Group leaders stationed at each location will take patrons on an approximately 2-mile walk in an effort to illustrate the everyday routines of those who walk to and from work.

John Cardone, creator of the event and 2012 Syracuse University alumnus, works as an artist-in-residence with SALTQuarters. Founded in 2006, this not-for-profit organization aims to create an artistic hub for public artwork in Syracuse’s Near Westside community.

“I find that a lot of people who care about the city often lack perspective of what it’s like to live in parts of the city,” Cardone said. “My primary goal with this project is to help people acquire a new perspective and understand something as simple as walking home, even if it’s to a neighborhood other than their own.”

The city of Syracuse has the ninth highest percentage of daily workers who commute by foot in the nation, lending it a higher commuter volume than other cities in Upstate New York, Cardone said.

To prepare for the project, Cardone began doing his own research by conducting surveys and interviewing local pedestrians who commute in the Near Westside. In order to find out walkers’ routes, Cardone commuted with groups of people during rush hour.

Because Cardone’s residency mandates that he create a public art project, Cardone said he saw this as an excellent opportunity to design a program with the potential to educate residents about their own pedestrian culture.

“For this project, I wanted to capture a sense of things that were going on right now – something that is living and breathing right now in the neighborhood,” Cardone said.

Prior to his residency position at SALTQuarters, Cardone was a project assistant at 601 Tully, an organization that provides local, national and international artists space to create work and gives the Near Westside equal access to arts and education. According to 601 Tully, the Near Westside is the ninth poorest neighborhood in the country.

SALTQuarters Coordinator Stacey Lindbloom acts as an assistant to the artists-in-residence.Because Cardone has been working in the city for five years and was already familiar with the area, Lindbloom served as an extra hand by helping him with logistical tasks such as event coordination, providing feedback and online promotion.

Lindbloom said watching the project come together has been an exciting process.

“I’m looking forward to hearing about people’s experiences walking through these routes – what may have surprised, amused or concerned them – and seeing what kinds of conversations are generated regarding our city,” she said.

Cardone’s website, the official website for the walk, said every route for A Mile in Their Shoes ends at the SALTQuarters building on 115 Otisco St., where a closing reception will be held. Participants can enjoy food, drinks and a live poetry performance by members of the Underground Poetry Spot.

Cardone said he has high hopes for this project and feels that participants will benefit from it by perceiving the city in a new light.

Said Cardone: “I think that if more people commuted these routes, it would help them in the way they think about the city and how we can solve problems here.”

Published on May 29, 2014 at 2:04 pm

ztgipson@syr.edu