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.