Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Green Code Connections

Who says that being a responsible citizen is boring?  We had a great time last night at the Buffalo Green Code meeting (Central) at Hutch Tech High School.  What's a Green Code, you ask?  Well, it's an initiative that the City of Buffalo is implementing to revamp, indeed completely restructure, our city's zoning codes and land-use plan.  The idea is that we should be the ones to direct how and where development will happen in our city, as well as ensuring that the type of development fits the character of the neighborhood and the space.  For example, the Green Code, once it becomes law, will have the ability to prevent an intrusive, say, gas station, on a corner of your block if you have told the Green Code team that it doesn't fit with the historic character, or pedestrian-centered feel of your neighborhood.  It is being created through an ambitious series of public meetings (the first of which happened last fall), intended to get the input of ALL residents. 

While the first part of the meeting that was held in the auditorium was an introduction, we got to the heart of the matter in the cafeteria after a short break.  There was such a high level of energy in the room that it was practically humming.  We were broken out into small groups at the tables, each around a map of the neighborhood in question (which included downtown/West Village/outer harbor).  Each group had a moderator, an experienced urban planner, etc who helped interpret and write our views about each neighborhood and block's particular strengths and weaknesses.  Bit by bit, we decided what we liked (historic character, walkability, diversity), what we disliked (blight, lost potential, lack of access to the waterfront), and what we want to see more of (pocket parks, bike lanes, mixed-use and small corner specialty shops).  It was an empowering process that I hope the city will truly listen to when they finalize the Code.

Chris Hawley, an urban planner working with the City of Buffalo (and author of the Hydraulics Press blog), was our break-out group's guide through the exercise.  He was skilled in understanding and translating our comments into useful notes on the board, which they will later compile once all the meetings are complete.  While there was a lot of excitement and energy at the meeting, we would have liked to have seen a greater diversity of racial and ethnic backgrounds; perhaps this will be different at other locations.  Maybe the organizers need to do a better job of getting the word out to those who do not have access to the internet (billboards, posters, inserts in mailings from the city).  There was a fairly good mix of age groups represented, and we met several neighbors.  We look forward to following along with the process, and encourage you to participate, and invite your neighbors or block club!  You can click on the link above to check out the Green Code website, which gives details of the process, and the meeting locations.  Take an active role in shaping the future of YOUR city!

Here is a link to local coverage of the first meeting:
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article354739.ece

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