tow ards a m ore sustainable Buffalo Niagara Community Congress Open House: Comparing Alternative Scenarios for the Future of Buffalo Niagara
Where are We in the Process? A Good Place Community Mapping Our Weighs In Future to Start 2013 2014 2012 160+ 10 115 plans from across Erie Regional Vision & Citizen-created maps and Niagara Counties Values developed that put our Regional are reviewed and from our 160 plans Vision & Values into analyzed and community action feedback
Moving One Region Forward Together ? What do we want What are the moves our region to look we need to make to like in 40 years? get us there?
What if the region were to grow, but we kept doing what we’ve been doing… Projecting out trends Business as Usual Scenario from the past 25 years 2 out of 3 1 out of 3 ABANDONMENT would intensify in new homes would new jobs would go in new central cities and go on previously offices on undeveloped, open spread even further undeveloped land land across the region. outward 1,553 LIMITED ACCESS lane miles of new to transit will make it roads to build and tougher for people to maintain get around
What if we keep doing what we’ve been doing… Projecting out trends from the past 25 years Business as Usual Scenario Existing Urbanized Area New homes built New jobs Homes left abandoned
What if we What if our reinvested What if our What if we region was more in our protected region better existing more of our stopped communities? farmland? connected? sprawling? Scenario Planning
4 Months 27 Workshops 115 Maps 770 Participants Citizens attended Community Congress Workshops and Workshops On The Road to share their vision.
Turning Maps into Data Collection Transcription Analysis 4 Common values across the maps 1,000+ 115 Citizen-created Alternative Hours spent 3 Maps Scenarios turn digitizing + analyzing values into action each map
What Are Our Common Values?
Grow Where We’ve Already Grown
Build Walkable, Livable Communities
Connect Our Region by Expanding Transportation Options
Protect Farmland, Parks, and Natural Areas
Alternative Scenarios for the Future 31 44 40 maps maps maps Sprawling Smarter A Region of Villages Back to the City
The four scenarios aren’t either-or choices …our economy? What do these …our alternative scenarios communities? mean for... …our environment? …our citizens?
Moving Beyond “Business-As-Usual” The three citizen-created scenarios are very different from “Business as Usual” They each: • Focus housing in the already urbanized area • Concentrate jobs in the already urbanized area • Envision downtowns as denser and more lively • Protect more farmland from development • Propose greater investment in transit
What if we slowed down sprawl and concentrated new development in compact, walkable communities… Sprawling Smarter 1 out of 3 ABANDONMENT 79% of new jobs would go in new homes would would slow, but still areas that are go on previously affect urban and already built up undeveloped land inner ring suburban neighborhoods. 7 out of 10 60% of all jobs new homes would be would be built in mixed-use, inaccessible walkable communities via transit
What if we slowed down sprawl and concentrated new development in compact, walkable communities… Sprawling Smarter Existing Urbanized Area New homes built New jobs Homes left abandoned
What if we began to invest heavily into our city, town, and village centers… A Region of Villages WALKABILITY 92% of new jobs 86% of new homes would go in would go in would become the areas that are areas that are new norm across already built up already built up the region Over half 84% of open space would be of all jobs would be preserved accessible by transit from development
What if we began to invest heavily into our city, town, and village centers… A Region of Villages Existing Urbanized Area New homes built New jobs Homes left abandoned
What if our cities became the primary driver of our region’s growth and development… Back to the City 1 out of 10 75% DECREASE IN 96% of new jobs would go in ABANDONMENT new homes would areas that are compared to go on previously already built up business-as-usual undeveloped land 8 out of 10 jobs would be 21,700 new homes would be brought back built in mixed-use, to former industrial sites walkable communities
What if our cities became the primary driver of our region’s growth and development… Back to the City Existing Urbanized Area New homes built New jobs Homes left abandoned
What do we want our region to look like in 40 years? New homes built New jobs Homes left abandoned
Measuring the Impacts of Each Scenario Envision Tomorrow Open source software It doesn’t tell the Calculates impacts future, but it helps of development us imagine it. scenarios Uses local data
Indicators to let us know we’re on the right path: Development outside urbanized area • Impervious surfaces • Jobs on former industrial sites • Number of abandoned homes • Jobs accessible via transit • Type of homes built • Miles of new roads built • Local gov’t debt to income ratio • New connections via transit • Number of miles driven per day • Homes built on sensitive areas • Acres of farmland protected • Acres of open space protected •
Measuring Our Values Growth on Undeveloped vs. Developed Land I think ALL new growth I think ALL new growth I think new growth should be on should be on land we’ve should be on undeveloped, BOTH undeveloped land and land already developed greenfield land we’ve already developed
Measuring Our Values New Development as Single-Use and Dispersed vs. Mixed-use and Compact I think new development should be a I think ALL new development I think ALL new development should be single-use and mix of BOTH single-use and spread out should be walkable and spread out in form and mixed use and more compact mixed-use in form
Measuring Our Values A land use pattern that is automobile oriented vs. transit oriented I think transit access should I think transit access should be I think ALL NEW investments not be considered when citing considered in development decisions, should be transit-oriented. new development but not the only consideration.
Measuring Our Values Development of farmland/ open space vs. preservation and enhancement of farmland/open space I think we should preserve and enhance I think we should preserve I think we should open up all our farmland and open space SOME of our farmland and open space and enhance ALL the for future development while opening up SOME for development farmland and open space in our region
What are the moves we need to make to get us there? More compact, walkable traditional neighborhoods A region that’s better connected via transit
Moves to Make it Happen: Rehab Development Remington Lofts, North Tonawanda Winter Street, Buffalo NY Large Scale Adaptive Reuse Residential Rehab Arts Café, Springville “Main Street” Commercial Rehab
What Moves Do We Value? I think we should I think we should I think we should renovate NONE of our… renovate SOME of our… renovate ALL of our… large underutilized and vacant buildings underutilized and vacant neighborhood homes village and town Main St. commercial buildings
Moves to Make it Happen: Infill Development Hudson Street, Buffalo HarborCenter, Downtown Buffalo Downtown Infill Neighborhood Infill Delaware Avenue, Kenmore “Main Street” Infill
What Moves Do We Value? I think we should I think we should build build on ALL of our… I think we should build on NONE of our… on SOME of our… Downtown vacant parcels and surface parking lots vacant neighborhood parcels village and town Main St. vacant parcels and surface parking lots
Moves to Make it Happen: Transit-Oriented Development Neighborhood UB Medical School, Buffalo Bus Rapid Transit, Indianapolis TOD Village Large-scale Main Street Urban TOD TOD Transit Center, Manteca, CA
What Moves Do We Value? I think “transit oriented I think “transit oriented development” should be I think “transit oriented development” should NOT THE #1 priority for how we development” should be a priority for how we develop… be a lower priority… develop… around the existing METRO line neighborhoods village centers and suburban strips
What Moves Do We Value? I think we should I think we should retrofit I think we should retrofit SOME of our… ALL of our… retrofit NONE of our… Big box suburban strip areas Smaller scale suburban plazas Suburban homes and neighborhoods
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