Illuminating Blight in Upstate New York

Across the Capital Region in upstate New York, thousands of buildings sit vacant and dark. When manufacturing plants began to close around the middle of the last century, jobs disappeared, and with them, people. Between 1970 and 2000, the three Capital Region cities—Albany, Schenectady, and Troy—lost 16 percent of their populations. Since then, growth has been slow.

The blighted buildings stand in reminder of the region’s difficult times. But an art installation taking shape this fall recasts the abandoned properties. “Breathing Lights” will illuminate hundreds of buildings across Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, drawing attention to the widespread issue of blight and calling for a tangible path to revitalization.