Adapt CNY is organizing a flag re-design initiative to propose a new flag to the City of Syracuse. Our current flag is the City seal on a banner. The City seal is meant to be viewed on paper, up close, and flat. A flag is meant to be seen at a distance, waving or hanging in the wind. We also think the flag and the seal should be separate. The seal represents the government of the City of Syracuse. We want a flag that represents the people.

This is where you come in! We are asking YOU to submit new flag designs. We are working with a committee of Syracuse volunteers to develop the flag submission process and ultimately review and decide, with public input, on the final flag design.

There has been a growing movement to improve city flags. The North American Vexillological Association released "Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag as a resource to those wishing to design or redesign a flag. A 2015 TED Talk by radio host Roman Mars highlighted some poor flag designs all over the country, and his list included Syracuse’s as an example on how not to make a flag. Other cities that have recently engaged in a redesign process are Tulsa, Milwaukee, and Pocatello, Idaho.

We hope for a future where the Syracuse flag is a beacon of pride for the City. We want to see the new flag displayed not only on poles but on t-shirts, coffee mugs, murals, and more.

The current flag, designed (by a contest!) in 1915, places the City seal on a background of blue and white. While the seal incorporates important parts of our City’s history, like the Erie Canal, the railroads, and salt sheds - good flag designs tend to be more subtle.

Instead of overt imagery, a new, redesigned flag can incorporate symbols and colors which show where Syracuse has been, where it is, and where it will be. Check out our Instagram below for some inspiration!

Some things we’ve heard so far:

Syracuse, New York is a city of 26 neighborhoods in Central New York.

Perhaps best known for its snowy winters, Syracuse boasts of a hardworking, diverse, and resilient history.

Syracuse was incorporated as a Village in 1825 and a City in 1848 on the homeland of the Onondaga people, one of the five nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

While sharing a name with the local University, Syracuse is more than one organization and is home to a wide collection of employers, cultures, and traditions.

Like the Erie Canal that once moved through the heart of the city, Syracuse has a history that flows with the exchange of ideas, cultures, and innovation.

While the history of Syracuse includes a legacy of division, conflict, and racism, the city is working towards an equitable future for all peoples.

Syracuse will be a growing city that embraces diversity and creates opportunity for all.