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Using Publicly-Owned Vacant Land to Advance Sustainability and Equity in Buffalo, New York

Sam Magavern — Feb 24, 2023

The City of Buffalo owns roughly 8,000 vacant lots. Over 3,000 acres of land, these vacant parcels are largely the result of historic discriminatory land policies, which encouraged white flight and left thousands of empty homes vulnerable to demolition. When the dust settled, the City found itself with thousands of vacant lots, many of which it has not sufficiently maintained ever since. Examples from Buffalo and around the nation prove, however, that vacant urban land can be repurposed for …

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Just Transitions in School Food

Jessica Gilbert, Alexandra Schindel, Sarah A. Robert — Oct 18, 2018

This article examines the public school food system in Buffalo, New York, for a just transition (Movement Generation, n. d.). School food programs built on just transition characteristics democratize engagement, decentralize decisionmaking, diversify the economy, decrease consumption, and redistribute resources and power.

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Good Food Purchasing for the Buffalo Public Schools

Jessica Gilbert — Apr 24, 2018

This policy report was drafted by Jessica Gilbert, research associate at PPG and PhD Candidate in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Geography.It provides an initial overview of the current status of school food at Buffalo Public Schools and many of the ongoing school food improvement initiatives. Framed within the Good Food Purchasing Program’s core values (local economies, nutrition, labor, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare), this report documents the …

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Planning the City of Good (and New) Neighbours: Refugees' Experiences of the Food Environment in Buffalo, New York

Alexandra Judelsohn, Aye Bay Na Sa, Hijab Khan, Rosie Devito, Roberto O. Diaz Del Carpio, Isok Kim, Heather Orom, Samina Raja — Feb 8, 2018

The United States has resettled an average of 62,000 refugees per year over the pastdecade, one-quarter of whom originate from Burma. Although refugees from Burmasometimes migrate from places lacking food-related resources, their resettlement in theUnited States, where processed foods are abundant, may have unanticipated negativedietary and health consequences. Studies suggest that refugees decrease their intake offruit and vegetables after living in the United States for a certain length of …

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Food Environment, Built Environment, and Women's BMI: Evidence from Erie County, New York

Changxing Ma, Pavan Yadav, Li Yin, James Roemmich, Leonard Epstein, Alex Ticoalu, Samina Raja — Apr 20, 2010

The authors present the results of a neighborhood-scaled exploratory study that tests the association of the food environment and the built environment with women’s body mass index (BMI) in Erie County, New York.  The proximity of women’s homes to a supermarket relative to a convenience store is associated with lower BMI.  A diverse land use mix in a neighborhood is positively associated with women’s BMI, especially when restaurants dominate nonresidential land …

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A Growing City: Hydroponic Farming in Buffalo

Cristen Manning — Jan 1, 2007

The City of Buffalo is need of revitalization. Vacant lots, a declining economy, widespread poverty, and a lack of employment opportunities are just a few of the issues that the City needs to address.  The City should consider implementing innovative policies, such as investing in and operating a hydroponic urban farm.  Hydroponic farming is highly productive and requires a fraction of the resources of traditional farming.  Although hydroponic farms are expensive to get started, …

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