Post Industrial City

Buffalo’s convergence of economic malaise, environmental degradation, urban decline, social fragmentation and shrinking population has established a downward cycle that has proven difficult to break.  The resulting outside perception of Buffalo discourages new investment, dampens economic opportunity and prevents the emergence of a new attracting outlook. Like other post industrial cities, Buffalo would benefit from a transformation; a new image that redirects difficult legacies to signal a new relevance among the cities that matter today. A handful of places in Europe with similar situations have successfully transformed their economies, purposes and perceptions by using a well established process of redevelopment.  These living examples demonstrate how a difficult heritage can be redirected towards making a place uniquely attractive and relevant to future generations.