Buffalo, NY
Most of the clients we have worked with and most of our projects give communities valuable information about how to invest their future growth. Compact urban development is presented as the optimal alternative. Our work in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area demonstrated that constraint and compactness are all the more important in a community with stagnant population growth and a struggling economy.
Despite a falling population count the region has continued to expand infrastructure and break ground on new development. As a result it suffers from overstretched resources and widespread vacant or abandoned property. The region also, however, has a rich legacy of historic architecture. The buildings which survived urban renewal and economic turmoil continue to shine through as powerful tax engines.
Urban3 conducted a region-wide tax analysis that focused on both the value of historic preservation and importance of regional cooperation. This entailed focusing on different scales of downtown development beyond the historic core in Buffalo. We investigated the importance of “main street” downtowns in suburban satellite communities. Part of the motivation for this project was identifying the most successful applications of value capture policies, such as payment in lieu of taxes.
Other Projects
Laura Smith
Vice President, Regional Development
Buffalo Niagara Partnership
