A family funeral took me to Syracuse earlier this week -- and into the Armory Square section of downtown Syracuse.

When I was a college student, the Armory Square area was a disaster. It was littered with empty buildings -- a dingy area that symbolized a decaying upstate New York city.

Today's Armory Square district is something completely different.

Trendy bars and restaurants. Retail operations. Coffee shops. Summer festivals.

It's the kind of place you can't miss if you are young and active -- a population that is huge in a city that contains Syracuse University and my alma mater, LeMoyne College.

Its a wonderful place -- the kind of place I would have loved to have spent time in, had it been more developed during my college years.

But here's the thing: It hasn't done a thing to reverse Syracuse's economic decline or stem the losses of young people from Syracuse to other cities.

Syracuse's city population totaled more than 163,000 in 1990.

It to about 147,000 in 2000 -- and estimates show the number is likely to go down.

Why do I bring this up?

Because as Erie begins thinking about sinking money into redeveloping its downtown, local thinkers cannot adopt an "if you build it they will come" attitude.

Yes, downtown redevelopment makes sense.

But it has to fit into a broader economic picture.

Syracuse is losing people even though it has an attractive downtown because it is not offering a good enough menu of professional opportunities.

The same thing is happening in places like Rochester, N.Y. (my hometown) and Buffalo, N.Y.

Erie clearly needs to add more to its downtown to become a more attractive destination. But new condos, retail shops and restaurants are not a panacea. They are, instead, a part of a larger change that needs to happen if Erie is to begin growing again.