The Blog

Designing to Live Sustainably (D2LS)

You may have heard about the exciting and innovative design competition that is coming to Buffalo.  The organizers are seeking sponsors and other partners at a variety of levels, to help accomplish the goal of bringing the competition to the City of Buffalo in the coming months.

Calling students, educators, planners, architects, landscape architects, developers, builders, business people, elected officials, people from the neighborhood, from community centers and block clubs: How would you design a space that promotes a Sustainable Buffalo?

Many older cities suffer population loss as people choose to live what appears to be a more desirable suburban lifestyle.  Buffalo is one of those cities.  That trend does not have to be the future for Buffalo.  To truly define a “smart city”, Designing to Live Sustainably, otherwise known as “D2LS”, is a competition that compels a call for “smart shrinkage” of no longer needed infrastructure, and “smart growth” of urban density.  Buffalo does not need to commit to a continuing loss of population.

Designing to Live Sustainably 2012: City of Buffalo is the first in a series of upcoming competitions that will inspire the public and private sectors to start a dialogue on how developing sustainability in the Buffalo-Niagara Region will create long term environmental and economic benefits. This architectural and site design competition builds on initiatives that are already taking place, such as the Buffalo Green Code.

The competition asks participants to answer the question:

“How would you design a space in one of Buffalo’s nine designated Green Code areas to promote living sustainably in a neighborhood there and for the City of Buffalo as a whole?”

The following letter and comments were submitted to the Mayor of Buffalo, the City of Buffalo Planning Department, and the Buffalo Green Code consultants in response to the City of Buffalo's Draft Land Use Plan.  The Board of Directors of the Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA) and several WNYEA Working Groups provided input into this document.

• CLICK HERE to download the City of Buffalo's Draft Land Use Plan
• CLICK HERE to read the WNYEA's comments on the Draft Land Use Plan

To learn more about the Buffalo Green Code or to give input into the City's planning process, visit http://www.buffalogreencode.com/.

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The Letter

Your Honor:

The Western New York Environmental Alliance submits the attached comments in response to the City’s proposed Green Code document.

It has been refreshing to work with the City on this open process. We appreciate the outreach efforts of Brendan R. Mehaffy, Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and his staff. We hope that our comments will add to the value of the document.

We know that the policy that this document represents will be most reflected in the wording of any new or amended zoning code. The WNY Environmental Alliance looks forward to staying involved in this process and providing our expertise, comments and insight.

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Once again, thank you for your efforts in bringing the City of Buffalo into the age of sustainability.

Respectfully Yours,

WNYEA Board of Directors

WNYEA Comments

*Photo credit (for homepage rotating feature): Anthony Armstrong