David Sloan Wilson, a biology professor here at Binghamton University, has applied his knowledge of evolutionary science to, of all places, Binghamton. His new book, “The Neighborhood Project,” an ambitious use of evolutionary theory and eccentric data collection — for instance, using Christmas lights in a neighborhood as a measure of social strength — is a descriptive and prescriptive account of Binghamton as it is and should be.
Now, we don’t know much about biology. And for that matter, we don’t know much about building family neighborhoods. Nor do we know what professor Sloan meant when he wrote that “Binghamton is on its way to being the first city with a nervous system,” though that sounds exceedingly positive.
The city of Binghamton — nervous system or no — is not a college town in the typical sense of the term. We’d like to see that aspect of Binghamton evolve as much as possible.
Unlike nearby locales of Syracuse or Ithaca, where off-campus neighborhoods are densely populated with students and are short walks from campus, our hub of Downtown living is three miles from the University and students often find themselves neighbors to families and community members.
Students often find themselves in a bind when it comes time to decide whether to live on or off campus. The privacy, comfort and independence makes the off-campus lifestyle desirable but anecdotes of muggings, burglaries and the recent need for increased police presence are cautionary tales. Binghamton will struggle to be a true “college town” if these legitimate concerns aren’t ameliorated.
First, the city of Binghamton needs to simply be more student-friendly, more livable for us college types.
In terms of private sector investment, Downtown Binghamton needs more restaurants and — for the love of all that’s holy — a grocery store other than Family Dollar. More students living Downtown will facilitate this. Twin River Commons, possible new apartments above The Rathskeller, and 20 Hawley St. (if it’s ever completed) are a solid start.
The city of Binghamton should also work hard to make areas as densely populated with students as possible, without zoning students into areas where no one else wants to live. Making certain neighborhoods student-oriented would serve to foster a sense of community between students, reminding them that they are still indeed in college even if they’re living away from campus.
Then of course, there is the case of improving relations between students and community members. Wilson points out that many of our preconceived notions of “townies” are grossly incorrect and that “most people from the city of Binghamton are friendly, cooperative and want to communicate with people.” As students, we should open our minds to the idea that community members don’t exist just to rob our houses and slash our tires.
By attending community events such as First Friday and the upcoming “Blues on the Bridge,” or by frequenting and supporting local businesses, we could go a long way toward showing community members that we don’t just exist to get mind-numblingy drunk and vomit on their sidewalks.
Binghamton University can also make strides in terms of painting the city of Binghamton as a reasonable, if not enjoyable place for students to live. Of course, it isn’t in BU’s best interest for students to move off campus and stop paying the University for room and board; its expansive housing projects reflect that. But it’s an accepted reality that students are going to move off campus and there is only so much the University can do to get students to stay put.
Aside from the University Downtown Center, BU’s presence in Downtown Binghamton is widely absent. For some students, going to campus only to attend class inspires a feeling of detachment from the University, taking away from their college experience. The University and groups affiliated with it should sponsor more off-campus events for students to attend, which will give off-campus residents a greater sense of camaraderie and community with each other, while increasing BU’s off-campus presence.
Binghamton is a rust belt city. Once IBM departed, we went from being a bustling city of industry to another depressed, upstate town, but BU is the backbone of the triple cities, and its students are the heart. If Binghamton is ever going to repair its image, it must establish itself as, at least in part, a “college town.” Making Downtown Binghamton an attractive place for students to live is the first step.