Contact Tullis Johnson or Kathy Shiroki for information about this event by calling 716-878-6011.
Creating Space and Place through Community Reconnection
A Panel Discussion on Parkway Revival and Urban Highway Removal Initiatives throughout the Region
Communities across the state and nation are recognizing the potential for reclaiming space and reconnecting communities through parkway revival and urban highway removal.
In New York State, Syracuse, Rochester and Niagara Falls have successfully planned and/or completed urban highway removal projects. Regional neighbors, including Detroit, Montreal and Toronto, are in the process of removing portions of their urban highways. Projects completed have touted early success—for example, the City of Montreal removed half a mile of an elevated urban highway last year to create two at-grade boulevards, reconnect neighborhoods, and create play-spaces with two monumental works of art. As a result, real estate prices have increased rapidly in the area, with developers rushing in to build high-demand condos.
The Scajaquada Corridor Coalition (SCC) invites the community to hear local experts and community leaders spearheading neighborhood projects to share benefits, stories and lessons-learned through a panel discussion. We hope to encourage attendees to imagine how replacing urban highways with complete streets, green-space, and play-space in Buffalo could reconnect and revitalize our city.
Featuring speakers from:
• Niagara Falls discussing the expansion of green-space of Niagara Falls State Park resulting from 2 miles of highway removal;
• Rochester discussing community benefits resulting from the inter-loop east transformation project;
• Syracuse outlining the efforts of ReThink 81, an initiative seeking to tear down the elevated section of I-81 and replace it with a street-level boulevard through downtown;
• Black Rock in Buffalo discussing the potential positive economic impacts of a reconnected corridor; and
• Buffalo’s Restore Our Community Coalition, discussing the legacy impact of the Kensington Expressway on neighboring communities.