RECONSTRUCTING THE IMAGE OF AN INDUSTRIAL-CITY

There is increasing competition between cities to attract investment. Older industrial cities have a particularly difficult time. It is in t his context that there is an attempt to rewrite the meaning of the ind ustrial city. Constructing a new, more positive picture includes the m arketing of a new image, constructing a new environment, and reorienti ng a city's relationship with its physical environment. The process in volves many actors, from business leaders eager to stimulate investmen t to local citizens' groups seeking to reclaim community space. This p aper examines these issues in Syracuse, New York, and documents the im portant changes in civic boosterism, the construction of a new iconogr aphy of the downtown, and the evolving discourse on environmental poll ution.