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Raising the Minimum Wage: The Impact on Women, People of Color, and Immigrants in Western New York
Sam Magavern, Russell Weaver, Haley Smith — Jan 26, 2023
The New York State Legislature is weighing legislation to raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation and worker productivity. In this brief, we examine the impact of such legislation in terms of bringing workers in Western New York closer to a living wage, which is the hourly wage sufficient to meet basic needs such as housing, food, childcare, transportation, and medical expenses.
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The True Cost of Child Care: Erie County NY (Final Report)
Lou Jean Fleron, Russell Weaver, Catherine Creighton — Oct 26, 2022
Funded by Erie County and supplemented with New York state funds allocated to the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, the study builds on the Phase One report issued earlier this year and analyzes data on the child care industry and workforce for both Erie County and the state.
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The MRTA: What You Need to Know About Marijuana Legalization in New York
Miles Gresham — May 31, 2021
In March 2021, New York State adopted the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), a historic law that legalizes the use of recreational marijuana. In doing so, the MRTA centers racial and economic justice to repair the harms caused by decades of biased marijuana enforcement. It will bring revenue from marijuana legalization to communities most impacted by criminalization. It also removes or expunges past marijuana convictions.
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Combatting Inequality in Workplace Structures: Worker Cooperatives and Employee Stock Ownership Programs in Buffalo-Niagara
Kristin (Szczepaniec) Ksiazek, Annabel Bacon — Dec 7, 2020
This report engages with present forms of ownership and power in the workplace, using Buffalo-Niagara as a case study. Its broader thrust is that current crises have placed our society at a critical juncture where we must question “business as usual” and begin charting a course to a new, more democratic economy. In short, we need business structures and policies designed to pull us out of crisis, drive us away from inequality, and carry us toward shared prosperity for all. The …
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Pathways to reparations: land and healing through food justice
Jessica Gilbert, Rebekah A. Williams — Oct 22, 2020
While mainstream efforts for reparations center financial compensation via legislation and litigation, social movements expand this conceptualization in order to address critical and yet often overlooked components of reparations. Equitable access to land and opportunities to heal from intergenerational trauma are two of these reparations demands that social movements prioritize. However, there is a dearth of scholarly literature exploring the role and impact of social movements on reparations. …
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Community Development Financial Institutions vs. Predatory Lending in Buffalo, NY
Milena Saakyan — Aug 24, 2020
This fact sheet offers data on CDFIs and Predatory Lenders in Buffalo, NY. Maps demonstrating racist practices of one local bank are also included.
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Manufactured Housing: An Affordable Housing Opportunity for Post Industrial Cities
Grace Celik, Erin Engle, Libertad Figuerero, Samuel Gallivan, Nicole Hill, David Kelly, Melanie Monroy, Rakshanda Nagaraj, Brennon Thompson, Angelina White, Joshua Wilcox, Ernest Sternberg, Sydney Alford — May 19, 2020
"This report was prepared by graduate students in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo, as the assignment in "practicum" (sometimes called studio) course required for the Master of Urban Planning degree. Professor Ernest Sternberg was our instructor. "
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Photobank: Arts and Culture Youth Artists at BCAT - Pt I
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publically available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Arts and Culture Youth Artists at BCAT - Pt II
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publically available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Arts and Culture Youth Artists at BCAT - Pt III
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publically available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Arts and Culture Youth Artists at BCAT - Pt IV
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Education Cooperation Buffalo Academy - Pt I
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Education Cooperation Buffalo Academy - Pt II
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Education Cooperation Buffalo Academy - Pt III
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Environment Food Interns at MAP - Pt I
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Environment Food Interns at MAP - Pt II
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Environment Food Interns at MAP - Pt III
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Environment Food Interns at MAP - Pt IV
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Photobank: Environment Food Interns at MAP - Pt V
Buffalo Commons Photobank — Jan 14, 2020
Guidelines for using photos from the Buffalo Commons Photobank The Buffalo Commons Photobank is an issue-based Photobank for use by our partners and the general public. The purpose of making these photos publicly available is to enhance the work of the social sector in Buffalo-Niagara. We believe that our partners’ work will be more effective when it features high-quality and artistic images for any number of occasions: an event, a fundraiser, a report, etc.
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Distinguishing the Social Sector: A Buffalo-Niagara Labor Market Study
Sam Magavern, Kristin (Szczepaniec) Ksiazek, Russell Weaver — Sep 19, 2019
The study focuses on the two largest parts of Buffalo-Niagara’s social sector: nonprofit and government employers.
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The Eastside-Airport Metro Rail Extension
Citizens for Regional Transit — Aug 23, 2019
This policy brief provides information regarding the expansion of NFTA metro-rail services in east-side Buffalo to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
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Low-Wage Work in Buffalo-Niagara
Sam Magavern, John Sullivan Baker — Nov 20, 2018
This policy brief presents data on Buffalo-Niagara workers with a median wage of less than $15 per hour. It includes a list of all the occupations that fall into that low-wage category, along with the number of workers in each occupation and the hourly wage. Setting the data in the context of de-unionization and the shift from manufacturing to service jobs, it analyzes the loss in job quality and offers recommendations for reversing it. The brief was researched by Cornell University High Road …
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Electric Buses for the NFTA
Zachary Persichini — Aug 1, 2018
This brief discusses many reasons that the NFTA should invest in using electric buses. After explaining the differences in bus technologies, it details numerous environmental, public health, and economic benefits of electric buses. The brief closes with case studies to show how other cities and counties across the world are beginning to use electric buses.
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Farm Fresh Foods: What to Know About Growing and Selling Produce in Buffalo
Colleen Roberts — Aug 1, 2018
It details local regulations on market and community gardens as well as rules for selling produce. It includes tips to find the right locations to plant food gardens and opportunities for education on growing and selling. It addresses topics such as plant selection and soil safety.
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Employment Data for Buffalo-Niagara
Partnership for the Public Good — Jul 11, 2018
Unemployment in Buffalo and the surrounding region shot upward in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, but declined in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2017, unemployment rose in the city and region while falling in the state and nation.
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Renewing America’s economic promise through older industrial cities Buffalo NY
Kathryn Franco Apr 19, 2018
This is an image of Buffalo's economic indicators from the report, Renewing America’s economic promise through older industrial cities, which identifies, analyzes, and categorizes the considerable assets and distinct challenges of 70 older industrial cities that collectively account for one-eighth of the U.S. population and economy. With increasing interest in local, state, and national policies to revive the fortunes of struggling communities, older industrial cities represent …
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The Consequences of Being Unbanked in Buffalo
Jessica Gilbert — Feb 28, 2018
This policy brief was drafted by Jessica Gilbert, a research associate at the Partnership for the Public Good and a Ph.D. student in geography at the University at Buffalo. It offers national and local information about people who lack bank accounts and describes some of the impacts of being “unbanked,” including reliance on exploitative services such as check cashing, rent to own stores, and pawn shops. This research supports the work of the Buffalo Niagara Community Reinvestment …
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Taking the High Road to Canalside: How Community Activism Has Shaped Buffalo’s Waterfront
Michelle Zhao — Oct 27, 2017
This policy brief documents the efforts of local advocates to bring “High Road” economic development to Canalside, to advance community benefits over corporate control. It was drafted by Michelle Zhao, the 2017 Cornell High Road Fellow at Partnership for the Public Good. After setting out the historical context of Canalside and the fight that won its preservation, the brief focuses on the period of 2004 to 2015. It details the proposal to bring a Bass Pro Shop to the Inner Harbor, …
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Buffalo's Agricultural Economic since the Great Recession, BSTGR 4 of 12
Diane Held — Oct 26, 2017
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Buffalo's Economic Development Compared Buffalo as Part of the Rust Belt, BSTGR 5 of 12
Evern Dincer — Oct 26, 2017
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Canadian Auto Industry since the Great Recession A Look at Buffalo from the other side of the Border, BSTGR 6 of 12
Mathieu Dupuis — Oct 26, 2017
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Human Capital, Local Economic Development, and the Importance of Colleges and Universities, Abel 3 of 3, BSTGR 3 of 12
Jaison Abel — Oct 26, 2017
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Labor Market and Challenges for Workforce Development in Buffalo, BSTGR 8 of 12
Heather Gresham — Oct 26, 2017
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Labor Market Trends in the Buffalo Region, Abel 2 of 3, BSTGR 2 of 12
Heather Gresham Oct 26, 2017
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Selected Labor Market Trends Buffalo Niagara Falls and Challenges for Workforce Development, BSTGR 9 of 12
Cesar Cabrera — Oct 26, 2017
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The Finance Sector in Buffalo Since the Great Recession, BSTGR 10 of 12
Gary Keith — Oct 26, 2017
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The Performance of the Buffalo Economy Since the Great Recession 2017 Abel 1 of 3, BSTGR 1 of 12
Jaison Abel — Oct 26, 2017
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The Reindustrialization of the U.S. Tonawanda Powertrain since the Great Recession, BSTGR 11 of 12
Evern Dincer — Oct 26, 2017
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THE REINDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE U.S.: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF AUTO WORKERS IN THE INDUSTRIAL RUST BELT, BSTGR 7 of 12
Evern Dincer — Oct 26, 2017
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The Role of New York City in the Economy of New York State, BSTGR 12 of 12
James Parrott — Oct 26, 2017
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Equity Preservation Final Report
Akanksha Chauhan, Melanie Colter, Mengbing Du, Luis Graveley, Jr, Mengyu Guo, Sena Kayasu, Jonathan Ladley, Cole Norgaarden, Claire Meyer, Thomas Pera, Ashley Pryce, Lucas Raley, Zach Small, Jessica Stevenson, Michelle Van Meter, Andrew Varuzzo, Olivia White, Vivian Zou, Joey Jiayun Zou, Jennifer Minner — Oct 25, 2017
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A Strategy for Prosperity: 2017 Progress Report Western NY
Western New York Regional Economic Development Council — Sep 30, 2017
This report on the progress of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council (WNY REDC) Strategic Plan highlights what the organization is doing to create job opportunities and build a quality of life. They describe how by working hand-and-hand with New York State (NYS), our regionhas been successful in moving the needle on economic indicators and investment confidenceby advancing local strategies that directly align with NYS’s core strategies for …
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Initiatives for a Smart Economy 2.0
Mark Poloncarz — Jun 30, 2017
Just like its predecessor, I4SE 2.0 is organized in a manner that focuses on those sectors of the local economy identified by WNYREDC as growth sectors. It identifies initiatives within those sectors where ErieCounty can make a meaningful contribution. These sectors include: advanced manufacturing, smart growth implementation, workforce development, agriculture, bi-national logistics, energy, and tourism.The report also identifies specific initiatives that Erie County will undertake in other …
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Buffalo Transit Riders United: Community Agenda Plank Video
UB Media Studies — Jun 27, 2017
In the spring of 2017, students from Professor Dorothea Braemer's class in the UB Media Studies department collaborated with community organizers to create videos on 4 of the PPG Agenda plank issues.
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"Locked in Buffalo's Socioeconomic Basement": An examination of Political and Institutional Racial Discrimination and its Effects on the local African American Community
Shanleigh Corrallo — Feb 14, 2017
This paper addresses the African American community in Buffalo, New York, and critically examines how local politics, interest groups and financial institutions negatively impacted the socioeconomic development of the city’s East Side.
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Buffalo Niagara's Strategic Plan for Prosperity, Buffalo Billion
Western New York Regional Economic Development Council — Jan 31, 2017
The Buffalo Billion Phase II plan looks back at the extraordinary strides Buffalo Niagara has made since2011. It describes the progress and impacts of Buffalo Billion Phase I investments; and using economicindicators, points to areas where we’ve seen progress and where there are still opportunities for growth.It gives a compelling account of why we need to continue to invest in the economic enablers and coresector strategies that we as a community developed. And, based on this momentum …
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Credit Unions and Banks Near Downtown Buffalo
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. Jul 6, 2016
Fact Sheet outlining credit unions and banks near Downtown Buffalo.
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One Region Forward A New Way To Plan For Buffalo Niagara
University at Buffalo Regional Institute — Jul 20, 2015
This document represents the culmination of three years of research, community engagement, partnership building and planning under the banner of One Region Forward. Within the pages of this plan, you will find the major research findings of what the data tells us about where the region is today and expressions of thousands of citizen voices on the direction people in the region want to see Buffalo Niagara go. Proposed strategies and actions, built by a team of 100+ subject matter experts, are …
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Municipal property acquisition patterns in a shrinking city, Evidence for the persistence of an urban growth paradigm in Buffalo, NY
Li Yin, Kelly Patterson, Robert Silverman — Jan 27, 2015
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Talking Proud: Telling Buffalo's Stories
Sam Magavern — Nov 1, 2014
In 1978, the directors of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce met in a workshop to create a five year action plan to improve the region’s economic climate – in particular, to increase the number of private sector jobs. The Chamber decided that their prime strategy would be to upgrade Buffalo’s image, both among its own residents and nationally. Eventually, they created a “Buffalo Image Campaign,” valued at three to five million dollars, with radio, …
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William Worthy’s Concept of "Institutional Rape" Revisited: Anchor Institutions and Residential Displacement in Buffalo, NY
Jade Lewis, Kelly Patterson, Robert Silverman — Mar 27, 2014
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Initiatives for a Smart Economy
Mark Poloncarz — Mar 14, 2013
"The concept of sustainability has gained a foothold in Western New York and previous brownfield sites. These efforts continue as New York State (“NYS”) Energy Research and Development Authority (“NYSERDA”) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) offer communities the opportunity to compete for tens of millions of redevelopment dollars for the presentation of a thorough, innovative, and collaborative sustainability plan for their …
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The Great Recession in Buffalo-Niagara
Ramon Garcia — Jan 17, 2013
At the end of the last decade, the U.S. experienced its most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. The so-called “Great Recession” shocked the economies of virtually every metropolitan area in the nation. Officially, the recession began in December of 2007 and ended in June 2009. But for much of the country, recovery has been very slow; over three years since the expansion began the nation had gained back less than half of the jobs it had lost during …
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Business Development in the Perry Choice Neighborhood
Center for Urban Studies, UB — Jul 26, 2012
This study provides an analysis of the number, composition, and types of businesses found in the Perry Choice Neighborhood. Understanding the dynamics and nature of the businesses the Perry Choice Neighborhood (PCN) is essential to building a vibrant community and forging a transformative plan (Map 1). Understanding the PCN business landscape is critical to formulating an neighborhood economic development strategy that will generate jobs and opportunities for the residents and that will provide …
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Establishment of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority Section 3 Business Development and Employee Training Center: A Concept Paper
Center for Urban Studies, UB — Jul 26, 2012
Project Name: Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority - Perry Choice Neighborhood Transformation Project This concept paper outlines a strategy to use the HUD Section 3 Act to “capture” business development and employment opportunities to empower and produce economic self-sufficiency among public housing residents and other very low- and very-low income groups and to use these resources to transform their neighborhoods into great places to live, work and raise a family.
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State Funding for the NFTA Reduces Pollution, Fights Poverty, and Promotes Economic Development
Robert Grimaldi Feb 7, 2012
New York State should support public transit in Buffalo-Niagara by increasing Transit Operating Assistance and increasing the NFTA’s allocation of low-cost electric power. There is no more effective tool for reducing pollution, cutting poverty, and promoting economic development than affordable and comprehensive mass transit. In recent years, New York State has been cutting its funding to the NFTA, even as the NFTA’s costs have been rising. State funding has been …
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Looking for Trickledown Under the Peace Bridge: A Critique of the Public Bridge Authority's Economic Impact Claims
Donna Budniewski Apr 19, 2011
The Public Bridge Authority’s economic impact analysis, presented in its environmental impact statement for the Peace Bridge Expansion Project, offers a grossly exaggerated impression of the project’s benefits. The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority has proposed a significant expansion to the operations of the international crossing between Buffalo and Fort Erie known as the Peace Bridge. The plans presented to the public in 2007 would radically alter a five …
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Empire State's Cultural Capital at Risk?
Cornell University ILR School — Jun 1, 2009
New York State is a world center for the arts and entertainment industry and its vast and uniquely diversified workforce is its main competitive advantage. Commissioned by the New York Empire State Development Corporation, this report examines the strengths and the challenges facing this industry and its workforce in the state, providing an assessment of the education and training infrastructure that supports this vital industry, and identifying issues that offer a potential role for …
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The Difference a University Makes: An Updated Impact Analysis of the University at Buffalo
Kathryn Foster — Jan 6, 2009
The following presents findings of an economic impact assessment of the University at Buffalo conducted by the UB Regional Institute at the request of the UB Office of External Affairs. This analysis updates and expands upon a 2007 economic impact study of the university (see The Difference a University Makes: An Impact Analysis of the University at Buffalo, August 2007, available at http://www.buffalo.edu/community/pdfs/UB_Impact_Analysis.pdf.) The assessment captures the economic …
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Professional Sports Subsidies
Irene Pijuan — Oct 24, 2008
The subsidies to franchise owners take two forms—tax breaks and the availability of arenas at a very low cost. Public subsidies take the form of new stadiums and arenas provided by local authorities and financed by taxpayers or by issuing state bonds. The subsidy starts with the federal government, which allows state and local governments to issue tax-exempt bonds to help finance sports facilities. Tax exemption lowers the interest on debt and so reduces the amount that …
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Mortgage Lending Disparities in Metropolitan Buffalo: Implications for Community Reinvestment Policy
Robert Silverman — Jul 26, 2008
This article examines patterns of mortgage lending in metropolitan Buffalo, New York. The analysis is based on 1999-2002 HMDA data and 2000 Census data for metropolitan Buffalo. Mortgage lending patterns in census tracts are compared using descriptive statistics, GIS mapping, and multiple regression. The results from this analysis indicate that disparities in mortgage lending between census tracts are attributable to differences in: educational attainment, neighborhood socioeconomic distress, …
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The Role of Citizen Participation and action research Principles in Main Street Revitalization
Christopher Crawford, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Robert Silverman — Jul 26, 2008
This article examines the use of citizen participation techniques during the planning process for neighborhood revitalization in the Village of Depew which is an industrial suburb of Buffalo, New York. The article focuses on how research principles can inform and enhance traditional approaches to citizen participation.
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Buffalo's Tourism
Robert Goodwin — Dec 31, 2007
Erie County created the Office of Arts, Culture and Tourism (ACT) in 2001, which operates within the Erie County Planning division. The purpose of this group is to oversee the distribution of an approximate $9 million annual investment among Erie County’s cultural tourist attractions. This money is dispersed under two grants. One of these grants, the Public Benefit funding, awards money to not-for-profits that focus on the region’s economic development and engage …
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Brown to Green: Building a 21st Century Sustainable Community, A Strategic Plan for Regeneration of the Highland Avenue Community
Center for Urban Studies, UB — Jul 26, 2007
This proposal outlines a regeneration strategy for Niagara Falls’ Highland Avenue Community. The goal is to develop a strategic plan that identifies five priority projects that will function as catalysts that will spawn the community’s rebirth.
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Achieving a Greater Buffalo
Niagara River Greenway Commission Apr 1, 2007
This policy report argues that improving the quality of life for residents of all backgrounds living in Buffalo’s urban neighborhoods should be a central objective of any economic revitalization plan for the region. In the process of strengthening housing and employment opportunities in the urban core, Buffalo should strive to become a premiere destination for innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs seeking a low-cost, culturally vibrant place in which to live and work. The …
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Arts & Economic Prosperity III
Americans for the Arts — Jan 1, 2007
The findings from Arts & Economic Prosperity III send a clear and welcome message: leaders who care about community and economic development can feel good about choosing to invest in the arts. An input-output analysis model was customized for each of the participating communities and regions to determine the local economic impact their nonprofit arts and culture organizations and arts audiences. Because of the variety of communities studied and the rigor with which the Arts …
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Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?
Edward Glaeser — Jan 1, 2007
At the onset of the Great Depression, Buffalo had 573,000 inhabitants, making it the 13th-largest city in America. In the 75 years that followed, this once-mighty metropolis lost 55 percent of its population, a decline most dramatic in its blighted inner city but also apparent in its broader metropolitan area, one of the 20 most quickly deteriorating such regions in the nation. Twenty-seven percent of Buffalo’s residents are poor, more than twice the national average. …
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Sustaining Arts and Culture in Buffalo Niagara
Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth — Dec 19, 2006
Like all nonprofits, arts and culture organizations are not immune to the inevitable shifts in fiscal health due to trends in the region’s economy and in charitable giving. In recent years, however, the shifts have turned sharply downward due to budget crises for one of the industry’s most important supporters – local government. With cherished arts and cultural assets in Erie and Niagara Counties struggling to make ends meet, the region is suddenly forced to …
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Framework for Regional Growth
The League of Women Voters of Buffalo/Niagara Oct 1, 2006
The absence of a region-wide vision for conservation, development, and public investment has become an increasingly central concern of the Region’s leaders. For the past two to three decades—the last regional plan was completed in 1974—local and regional actions have occurred without the benefit of reference to a larger policy or planning framework. Important decisions regarding the location and pace of development, investments in economic development, the …
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Buffalo Child Care Means Business: Full Study Report
Lou Jean Fleron, Lauren Breen, Regina Grogan, Danielle Dimitrov — Jan 1, 2006
Buffalo Child Care Means Business presents the economic and business case for making Buffalo's children the focus of economic development. The 2006 survey of 117 businesses located in downtown Buffalo, New York, documents the business sector's present and projected reliance upon high quality child care services as a necessary component to optimum workplace recruitment, productivity and stability. This promising study highlights research specific to the Buffalo region measuring the …
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From Theory to Practice: The Quest to Radically Reconstruct Buffalo's Inner City Neighborhoods
Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. — Jul 26, 2004
Project Name: The Inner City Transformation Project The Inner City Transformation Project (ICTP) was launched in 2001 to develop a model of community development that can be applied to the radical reconstruction of distressed neighborhoods in metropolitan Buffalo and similar size cities in the United States. The project is based on the assumption that distressed urban neighborhoods now represent the epicenter of racism and social class inequality in the United States and that the quest to …
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Fruit Belt/Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Tax Increment Financing District
Center for Urban Studies, UB, Sam Cole, Richard Milgrom, Samina Raja, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. — Jul 26, 2004
The Municipal Redevelopment Law entitles municipalities (individually or as joint undertakings) to issue tax increment bonds that are payable from and secured by real property taxes. This proposal seeks to establish a TIF (Tax Increment Finance) district for this the Fruit Belt and the adjacent Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
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The Fillmore Avenue Commercial Redevelopment Plan
Center for Urban Studies, UB, Antoine Thompson, Sam Cole, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. — Jul 26, 2004
Project Name: The Fillmore Avenue Commercial Redevelopment Project The Fillmore Avenue Commercial Redevelopment Plan provides a vision for the Fillmore Avenue commercial corridor that is one of a vibrant, thriving passageway that serves as the cultural commons for the Martin Luther King, Jr. neighborhood and a Gateway to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The Fillmore commercial corridor will be a symbol of the vibrancy of King’s Dream and a place that brings people together from …
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Transition and Renewal: The Emergence of a Diverse Upstate Economy
Rolf Pendall, Matthew Drennan, Susan Christopherson — Jan 1, 2004
During the 1900s, the U.S. transitioned from an economy based largely on manufacturing to one in which almost all jobs are in services. This transition has rearranged the economic fortunes of regions throughout the nation: Locations in the Sunbelt and on both coasts prospered in the 1970s as traditional manufacturing centers in the Midwest declined. But such “rust belt” states as Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan rebounded in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the hemorrhage of …
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Fruit Belt Redevelopment Plan Preliminary Study
Center for Urban Studies, UB — Jul 26, 2002
This study follows two earlier works published by the Center for Urban Studies, The Turning Point: A Strategic Plan of Action for the Fruitbelt/Medical Corridor (March 27, 2001) and Fruit Belt/Medical Corridor Tax Increment Financing District (February 12, 2002). The original report argued that better social, economic and physical connections could be established between the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), a wealth generating district within the city, and the adjacent Fruit Belt …
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Small Business: Big Challenge
Ramon Garcia — Jan 1, 2002
In recent years, the contributions of small business to the American economy have become increasingly apparent. Small firms are a significant source of new jobs, and play crucial roles in the development of new technologies and provision of economic opportunities. Small businesses may be especially critical to the regional economies of upstate New York, where a number of large employers have either moved their operations or scaled back their workforces. As a result, it is …
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The Martin Luther King, Jr. Cultural District & Cultural Corridor: A Strategic Plan and Action Agenda For the Masten District
Center for Urban Studies, UB — Jul 26, 2001
The purpose of this report is to develop a strategic plan and action agenda for Buffalo’s Masten District, which is based on the turning point threshold concept. Every neighborhood has a turning point threshold, which is that point where a snowballing effect takes place that transform the neighborhood when investments rise above it. The ultimate goal of this project is to outline a plan, which if successfully implemented, will push the Masten District beyond the …
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Reflections on Progress at Work
Lou Jean Fleron, Lois Gray — Jan 1, 1996
[Excerpt] Today, we enter our second half century, facing a new millennium of opportunity. We pause to celebrate with pride our ILR Extension heritage, from its roots in Buffalo. We pay tribute to colleagues before us and partners with us who have made this fifty years of progress at work.