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Unburying Buffalo: Making the Case for Sidewalk Snow Removal

Keelan Erhard, Buffalo Democratic Socialists of America — Apr 12, 2023

This report is two-fold. Firstly, it aims to frame the problem of lack of sidewalk snow removal as relevant and requiring remedy. Secondly, it also offers solutions as to how such a plan may be implemented.

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Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Forms

Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic, University at Buffalo School of Law — Jan 26, 2023

This is the set of forms that accompanies the Self Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request Without a Lawyer.

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Self Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request (FOIL) Without a Lawyer

Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic, University at Buffalo School of Law — Jan 26, 2023

The ‘Self-Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request in New York without a Lawyer’ (the “Guide”) is for anyone who has requested information under the New York State Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). This Guide also assists users who have been improperly ignored, denied, or charged an unreasonable fee for their request for information. The Guide also provides the information you need when determining whether to pursue a pro se lawsuit and illustrates …

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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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Why Buffalo Needs Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): Reducing Arrests and Providing Alternatives to Incarceration

Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, Tanvier Peart — Jun 25, 2020

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is a pre-arrest diversion program that improves public safety and public health through partnership between police and community service providers.

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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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Western New York Census Toolkit

Anna Blatto — Jan 14, 2020

This toolkit provides information and actionable steps for getting involved with education, outreach, and support for Census 2020. It also offers specific information about local challenges and solutions .

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Assessment Challenge 1 NYS Tax Form rp524

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION & FINANCE — Dec 11, 2019

This is one of three resources that are available for people to formally challenge their assessment.  This is the official NYS form. Homeowners have the month of December to file.    

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Assessment Challenge 2 NYS Tax Form Pub 1114

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION & FINANCE — Dec 11, 2019

This is one of three resources that are available for people to formally challenge their assessment.  This is the official NYS form. Homeowners have the month of December to file.    

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Assessment Challenge 3 Formal Challenge Form Guide

UB Law School Community Justice Clinic — Dec 11, 2019

This is one of three resources that are available for people to formally challenge their assessment.  This is the official NYS form. Homeowners have the month of December to file.    

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Erasing Red Lines: Part 2 - Systems Thinking for Social and Community Change

Russell Weaver — Oct 29, 2019

What, if anything, can be done to push back against persistently uneven geographies of opportunity in Buffalo and other post-industrial, shrinking cities? And why the focus on systems science and its technical jargon? A response to both of these questions is that vicious cycles and ways out of them cannot be fully apprehended without thinking about the systems in which they are produced—and systems thinking is rarely the default toolbox that policymakers and community change organizations …

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Buffalo Niagara's Union Members: Good Neighbors and Active Citizens

Russell Weaver — Aug 30, 2019

In honor of the 125th anniversary of Buffalo’s own, President Grover Cleveland, signing the law establishing the federal Labor Day holiday in the U.S., this report creates a current profile of labor union members in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

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Erasing Red Lines: Part 1 - Geographies of Discrimination

Russell Weaver — Aug 28, 2019

Since at least the 1930s, the City of Buffalo, New York has been spatially and socially divided. While certain mixed use and residential communities across the map have shown remarkable resilience—and thrived—during the City’s history of deindustrialization and population loss, many communities of color on Buffalo’s East and West Sides have experienced persistent and increasing levels of distress. This series of brief reports examines those patterns and engages with …

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Are We Still Going Through the Empty Ritual of Participation? Inner-City Residents’ and Other Grassroots Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Public Input and Neighborhood Revitalization

Li Yin, Camden Miller, Pascal Buggs, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Robert Silverman — Jul 19, 2019

This article revisits Arnstein’s “ladder of citizen participation” focusing on inner-city residents’ perceptions of public input in neighborhood revitalization projects. It draws from data collected in Buffalo, New York for a larger project that aimed to address negative externalities caused by neighborhood change. Data were collected using focus groups in neighborhoods in the early stages of revitalization. Nine focus groups took place across three neighborhoods …

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Perceptions of Residential Displacement and Grassroots Resistance to Anchor Driven Encroachment in Buffalo, NY

Li Yin, Camden Miller, Pascal Buggs, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Robert Silverman — Jul 19, 2019

This article examines perceptions of institutional encroachment and community responses to it in Buffalo, NY. Specifically, we focus on residents’ perceived effects of anchor institution (e.g. hospital and university) expansion on core city neighbourhoods. Through this analysis we offer insights into the processes driving neighbourhood displacement in the contemporary period. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with residents and other stakeholders in working class, …

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There Goes Our Family Friendly Neighborhood: Residents’ Perceptions of Institutionally Driven Inner-City Revitalization in Buffalo, NY

Li Yin, Camden Miller, Pascal Buggs, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Robert Silverman — Jul 19, 2019

This article examines residents’ perceptions of inner-city revitalization in legacy cities. The analysis focuses on neighborhoods undergoing revitalization in a legacy city, Buffalo, NY. The article draws from data for a larger research project called Turning the Corner which was sponsored by the Urban Institute. The focus of that project was to identify planning strategies to address negative externalities caused by neighborhood change and heightened risks of displacement due to …

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Land Use and Zoning Law: A Citizen's Guide

Arthur Giacalone — Dec 20, 2018

This handbook was written by Arthur Giacalone, an attorney with many years’ experience in land use law. It is a basic overview to help the public understand the zoning and land use development process. It should not be considered legal advice and is not meant as a substitute for a thorough review of relevant New laws, or consultation with a lawyer. Zoning and land use decisions have major impacts on the wellbeing of a community. The purpose of this handbook is to help individuals and …

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The Buffalo, New York Outer Harbor as a Cultural Landscape

Kerry Traynor, Annie Shentag, Camden Miller — Oct 31, 2018

"This cultural landscape report primarily focuses on the Buffalo Outer Harbor (Outer Harbor) located in Buffalo, New York, with an understanding that it is part of a much larger context including the Buffalo Inner Harbor (Inner Harbor) and Buffalo Middle Harbor (Middle Harbor) in order to provide context and a holistic understanding of the surrounding landscape. This cultural landscape report investigates and documents the landscape history and the existing conditions within the study area of …

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Policies to Reduce Lead Exposure: Lessons from Buffalo and Rochester

Sam Magavern — Oct 11, 2018

Lead exposure remains a major issue in cities, such as Buffalo and Rochester, with concentrated, segregated poverty and old, deteriorated housing stock. Exploring and comparing local policies and programs in these two cities, the author suggests that increasing the number of proactive housing inspections in high-risk areas and forming a single-purpose non-profit group dedicated to lead education and advocacy are two valuable interventions. He recommends additional policy steps, such as more …

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Local Government Authority in Erie and Niagara County Website Report Card 2018

Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government — Mar 13, 2018

In February of 2018, the Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government evaluated the websites of fourteen local government Authorities in Erie and Niagara County The Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government is a nonpartisan charitable organization comprised of journalists, activists, attorneys, educators, news media organizations, and other concerned citizens who value open government and freedom of information. Mission Statement:Through education and civic engagement, the Buffalo Niagara …

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Local Government Municipality Website Report Card 2018

Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government — Mar 13, 2018

In 2017, the Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government evaluated the websites of sixteen municipalities in Erie and Niagara County.   The Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government is a nonpartisan charitable organization comprised of journalists, activists, attorneys, educators, news media organizations, and other concerned citizens who value open government and freedom of information. Mission Statement:Through education and civic engagement, the Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open …

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Community through the eyes of children: blending child-centered research and qualitative geovisulization

Jin-Kyu Jung — Jul 26, 2014

Community is an ambiguous concept, and the meanings of community as a subject of study have received a great deal of attention across various disciplines. This paper discusses how children’s diverse meanings of community shape and are shaped by the social, cultural, and physical environments of their everyday lives. To explore these meanings I combine principles of child-centered research and qualitative geovisualization into a research methodology. I demonstrate that …

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Liberty Workforce Curriculum

Tonya Russell, Lauren Undercoffer — Jul 16, 2014

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Chasing a Paper Tiger: Evaluating Buffalo’s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice

Jade Lewis, Kelly Patterson, Robert Silverman — Jul 26, 2013

This article focuses on a specific component of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) strategy to implement fair housing policy, its requirement for local jurisdictions that receive community development block grant (CDBG) dollars to prepare an analysis of impediments to fair housing choice (AI) report. The article’s analysis is based on an evaluation of the City of Buffalo’s 2004 AI report. The evaluation was conducted by a local fair housing …

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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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Making Waves or Treading Water? An Analysis of Charter Schools in New York State

Robert Silverman — Jul 26, 2012

Description: This article compares charter schools and other public schools in New York State. This article compares charter schools and other public schools in New York State. School Report Card (SRC) data measuring student, teacher, and school characteristics from the state’s 16 urban school districts with charter schools were examined. Descriptive and multivariate analysis was used. The findings suggest that there are more similarities in student outcomes between charter schools and …

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Walking Tours: Narratives About the Commodore Perry Housing Development

Perry Choice Neighborhood Planning Team — Jul 23, 2012

Project Name: Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority - Perry Choice Neighborhood Transformation Project This report describes the results of the Perry Choice Neighborhood Walking Tours. The walking tours were designed to create person-to-person conversations with neighborhood residents and members of the planning team.

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Geovisualizing Childrens transport exclusion: Childrens Afterschool Activity Opportunities in the Buffalo Metropolitan Area

Jin-Kyu Jung — Jul 26, 2011

This research investigates current and potentially desired opportunities available for children’s afterschool activities in the U.S. Buffalo metropolitan area. By analyzing and geographically visualizing travel paths, excluded children’s activity space, and existing activity opportunities in the 3D view using GIS, the study looks at how children’s activity opportunities are limited by any socio-spatial factors such as racial distribution,median income, current …

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Municipal Water Management, Private Contracting, and Public Response: A Case Study of Water Privatization in Buffalo, New York

Beth Herz — Apr 1, 2011

Herz analyzes Buffalo residents' responses to the city's private water management contract between 1996 and 2008 through several frames. She concludes that the concerns and arguments used in Buffalo aligned explicitly with a homeowners’/renters’ rights frame and implicitly with elements of both the right-to-water and the environmental justice movements’ frames.

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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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Building a Better Neighborhood Housing Partnership

Kelly Patterson, Robert Silverman — Jul 26, 2007

Project Name: Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority - Perry Choice Neighborhood Transformation Project Prior research has examined the role of intermediary organizations in affordable housing development and community-based housing organization (CBHO) capacity building. This article built on this work by examining an applied research project aimed at assessing the feasibility of creating a neighborhood housing partnership (NHP) organization in Buffalo, New York. NHPs are nonprofit umbrella …

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Black in Buffalo: A late-century progress report

Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. — Jul 26, 1996

In this essay commissioned by The Buffalo News, Henry Louis Taylor takes a look at the struggles of community building and neighborhood development within Buffalo’s East Side.

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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.

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