Today, Mayor Byron W. Brown and the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and Stantec Urban Places, kickstarted the Congress for the New Urbanism’s weeklong conference on The Future of Mobility: Remaking Buffalo for the 21st Century.
“My Administration remains focused on maintaining our positive economic momentum,” said Mayor Brown. “In Buffalo’s Race for Place, the City must build public infrastructure recognizing emerging modes of mobility, using the latest in Smart City technology that is inclusive of all residents throughout our community. Creative placemaking is essential for retaining and attracting the workers that will drive Buffalo’s emerging knowledge economy."
The conference partners City Officials with leading experts in the field to create designs for Buffalo’s existing streets and public spaces that incorporate new transportation technologies, such as Autonomous Vehicles, ride sharing, micro-mobility such as e-scooters, and other modes of transportation to serve the Buffalo community.
“The introduction of new transportation technology is coming and through partnerships like this, Buffalo is preparing for its arrival now and ensuring that transportation equity benefits residents from all walks of life, in every section of the City,” Mayor Brown concluded.
“The widespread introduction of new transportation technology will change the design of our City. We will explore how mobility solutions of the future will require us to adapt our existing streets, public spaces, buildings, and land-uses, to accommodate these technologies in an equitable way,” remarked Brendan Mehaffy, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Buffalo for this effort,” says Lynn Richards, President and CEO of the Center for New Urbanism. “Many cities are still using 20th century approaches to address mobility. Buffalo is leading in defining approaches for the 21st century.”
"This is about understanding how new transportation technologies can help unlock the potential in our communities," said David Dixon, Vice President of Planning, Urban Design, and Urban Places, Stantec. "If we proactively guide these technologies to be in the public interest, we can drive economic opportunity, make our cities more vibrant places to live, and share the benefits equitably."
Following the conference, the Congress for the New Urbanism and Stantec will deliver an actionable plan to City Officials outlining Buffalo’s transportation and infrastructure future.
