fixBuffalo

Periodically a number of articles and books cross my desk that fixBuffalo readers may find valuable. The most recent issue of New York Magazine contains an article by Adam Sternbergh - Where the Urban Dream Life is Going Cheap - the sort of article that you'll want to read. It's an amazingly candid look at this City.

I've heard a number of people describe Buffalo today as if it were New York City in the '70's - a place that's raw, sexy and a place that remains open to the imagination. I know something about this as the barrier to entry here in Buffalo is remarkably low. After a few short months of consistent blogging, I was sitting at the table and participating in policy debates that I'd been commenting on here. This experience of direct involvement and participation in helping to shape the City's future is shared by so many people that I meet.

I'm fond of saying for every bus load of people that leave - fifty people/week - a car load of new arrivals appear on the scene. If we continue to capture the right people - as we have - the City's future will remain bright. In addition, some of the best and brightest, people who left twenty years ago, are returning and joining a growing list of new arrivals.

I've added this article to my archive - Writing the City - that also contains writings by Nicholas Howe and Craig Reynolds. In the months and years ahead, as we dig ourselves out of this current malaise - as other rustbelt cities are beginning to do - we will be look back at this article as a critical moment, one that contributed to the long slow revitalization of this City on the lake, finally.

I've had numerous emails from fixBuffalo readers over the last few weeks asking me if I had stopped blogging. I'll be back to regular - almost daily blogging - in a few weeks. There's so much happening here in Buffalo now and most of my blogging will still have an East Side orientation and continue to focus on various aspects of this 'shrinking city' and long term demographic and economic trends.

In a few weeks I'll be introducing a new feature - problem property of the week - and ask fixBuffalo readers to call and write elected officials to help 'fix' Buffalo. I will also be re-starting my Saturday morning Neighborhood Tours beginning September 6th. I'll post a tour schedule over the weekend. I plan to split the tours between the Queen City Farm neighborhood and Artspace on a weekly basis. There have been a number of amazing developments taking shape here in the past few months and each tour will highlight a number of housing opportunities - both private and city owned. You'll have an opportunity to meet some of the people who are changing the shape of Buffalo.

Meanwhile, while I'm been on hiatus the last few weeks, I've been carrying my camera everywhere. Make sure to check out my flickr to see where I've been.