An op-ed column for The Buffalo News explains the thinking behind Buffalo's new Green Code—especially its benefits for walking, bicycling, and public transit.
Daniel Baldwin Hess writes the special column for the The Buffalo News. After explaining some of the local context and national precedents that have informed Buffalo's new Green Code, Hess provides this final flourish to describe the potential impact of the plan:
"After years of stagnant growth and languishing development, Buffalo is now at the cusp of leading American cities in reinventing how citizens and residents interact with urban space and the relationship between economic development and urban vibrancy. These potential changes are significant and analogous to the decisions made in Portland, Ore., in the 1970s that ushered in a new model of regional governance, setting the stage for urban growth and envied by urbanists from around the world."
"When the Green Code is adopted, Buffalo could topple Portland from its long-seated throne as the 'best' planned city, and may help Buffalo regain its glory days as a hotbed for civic engagement, walkable and connected neighborhoods, and urban vibrancy."
FULL STORY: Going green: Pedestrian accessibility enhances urban vitality in Buffalo

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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research