Healthy Infrastructure for Queen City Livability is an infrastructure analysis, evaluation and improvement plan. The project will build upon the national American Planning Association award-winning plan, The Queen City Hub, A Regional Action Plan for Downtown Buffalo. One of the priority issues stated in the Queen City Hub plan is improving access for downtown.

The goal of this plan is to improve accessibility and convenience for people traveling via bicycle, pedestrian and transit modes, so that Downtown Buffalo can realize a greater quality of life for its citizens.

Specific benefits include:

reduced congestion and parking needs,
better air quality,
improved economic conditions,
social integration, and
increased active living

The project will focus on the five strategic investment areas identified in the Queen City Hub plan. The process will include an assessment of existing infrastructure, visioning of potential improvements, and a prioritized implementation strategy that supports livability through pedestrian, bicycle and transit access.

The Healthy Infrastructure for Queen City Livability project is a collaborative project involving the following partner organizations:

The Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and Western New York (Wellness Institute),
Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC),
Buffalo Place Inc,
Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC),
West Village Renaissance Group, and
City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning (OSP).

Funding for this project is through a New York State Department of State Quality Communities Grant.

Opportunities for Public Input

Access Survey
We want to know what your impressions are regarding accessing downtown Buffalo by transit, as a bicyclist or as a pedestrian. Please take five-minutes to complete this brief survey. (Click Here)

Community Workshops
Five (5) community workshops will be conducted with the purpose of engaging an audience in dialogue on the value of livable communities through quality-of-life enhancements such as bicycle, pedestrian and transit access; and how together we can best improve the livability of downtown.

Participants will be presented an overview of the types of changes that can be put into place to improve livability and foster a greater quality of life. Through new “eyes,” workshop participants will be taken on a walking tour in the adjacent neighborhood. Broken up into groups, they will record what they “see,” positive and negative, and report their findings back to the larger group. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.

Workshop Dates/Times/Locations

7/24/07, 5-8PM, Buffalo Rising (26 Mississippi Street)
7/26/07, 5-8PM, Prospect Avenue Baptist Church (67 Prospect Avenue)
7/28/07, 10AM-1PM, Market Arcade (617 Main Street)
7/31/07, 5-8PM, ECC City Campus (121 Ellicott Street, Rm. 304)
8/2/07, 4:30-7:30PM, Central Library (1 Lafayette Square)