Buffalo is engaged in an evolutionary process. Visionaries are finding ways to activate formally dormant districts, and centers of activity are emerging around the city, in a variety of neighborhoods. The city is in the process of retooling and inventing it's future. A linked situation is evolving, informed by the lessons of the past, fueling innovation, moving forward. At this crucial time it is essential to analyze and assess the city's re-emergence, the Situation is Now.
The debate on the status of the city is an ongoing project, for sure. Avoiding rigid perceptions, let's for a moment explore a dynamic vision of what the city might be if only we stretched our imagination. To envision strategies of performative urbanism that could contain a hybrid of inventive design, and shared public flexibility.
Ohio Street is a fantastic and exceptional performative catalyst. At the very least it is a historical armature that linked the grain silos and river to outside markets. Arguably, what the Highline is to New York City, Ohio Street holds similar if not greater potential for Buffalo. In essence the transformation of an infrastructural artifact into a seemingly unexpected, spontaneous, and economically sustainable urban conduit.
Ohio Street is a core urban artery linking Canalside to the potential of the First Ward, to the Buffalo River, Cobblestone District, Downtown, Silo City, Ship Canal, the Outer Harbor and Lake Erie: an expansive and distinguished catalog of neighborhoods best explored traveling via Ohio Street. The mile long ride is book ended by Rigidized Metals Corporation and Silo City, an ideal, welcoming environment of creativity and culture, and to the north the historic Swannie House, and Fire Boat Cotter.
Ohio street is currently made up of a string of disconnected but well used green spaces, interspersed with industrial buildings currently emerging as residential and commercial development sites. In short the future of Ohio Street and the First Ward has begun. There is boundless potential for Ohio Street as participating in the new linkages between community, history, culture, and the waterfront.
At this exciting time we at designcircuit.org have joined forces with Buffalo Rising to organize a design forum that we hope will help reveal new possibilities for Ohio Street. We have asked a panel of speakers and are inviting the public to bring their expertise to the conversation to explore the relevance and importance of Canalside, Ohio Street, and the Outer Harbor; to better understand the situation in the context of the current state of Buffalo's evolution, from the point of view a city planner, theorist, journalist, community leader, historian, designer, and the everyday user. Each panelist examines the city, and the themes (conditions) embedded within a typology of urbanism, from a specific point of view. There is boundless potential for Ohio Street as an agent in linking community, history, culture, and the waterfront. Our goal is to facilitate discussion amongst the panelist and audience, to share ideas, and promote activity that enables growth to build up Buffalo.
The format for this discussion is a round table panel presentation and discussion, and panelists are:
Robert Shibley, Dean UB School of Architecture - Moderator
Sam Hoyt, ECHDC - Panelist
Mark Goldman, Community Leader - Panelist
Mike Puma, Buffalo Rising - Panelist
Chris Hawley, Historian - Panelist
William Haskas, HD Systems Design - Panelist
Location:
First Ward Community Center
62 Republic Street
Buffalo, NY 14204
Date and Time:
Thursday, October 18, 2012
7-8:30pm
Free and Open to the Public
All interested in the city are invited to attend
For additional information on the panelists, and the topics of their presentations please visit: www.designcircuit.org
yes. yes. yes.
Yeah, I loves me some word salad too. Gods, what a bunch of high-minded crapulence. Any time you read the phrase "boundless potential" you should turn around and go get a beer instead, it'll be more productive.
"In essence the transformation of an infrastructural artifact into a seemingly unexpected, spontaneous, and economically sustainable urban conduit."
In essence, that ain't even a complete sentence.
yeah, you're right. how about this gem?
"To envision strategies of performative urbanism that could contain a hybrid of inventive design, and shared public flexibility."
clearly, we have a buzzword bingo champion here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzword_bingo