Cannon Design: Creating A Vision For Our Urban Core
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We know what you're thinking -- another plan? This city has been planning for decades. Let's do something!
Well it seems this plan will do something to benefit our Queen City. It will create a system of information on buildings ripe for development, work to connect the districts through public space, and knit the city together to attract development drivers. The study was funded by both public and private entities, including the city, the Empire State Development Corporation, and international developer Bashar Issa.
"We are all working together to paint a picture of the future and help attract private funds," said Harry Warren, design principal at Cannon. "We're trying to get people to land here and live here."
The study will build on the celebrated Queen City Hub Plan, published in 2003 by the Office of Strategic Planning. Much of that plan has since developed into policy and guidelines for development in our downtown region.
"We want to take those guidelines to the future and ask, where will they lead? Our analysis may show some things of the original plan that should be enhanced or expanded upon," Warren explained. "We want to come to a conclusion, to draw a vision, stimulate discussion, and think of the physical entity that will develop at the end of it all."
"We're retreading," added David Johnson, associate vice president and project designer at Cannon. "We're standing on the shoulders, building on the ideas, of the past. The key is to build excitement. We all know what we need, it's just figuring out how to get there."
The idea is that Cannon's design concept will set the wheels in motion and attract private developers to our city. When developers are looking for a space, the initial assessments will have already be made and possible building sites identified. They're developing a basis of information off of which private developers, like Issa, can build.
Issa backed this project because he sincerely wants others to see in Buffalo what he sees, to realize the potential that drew him here in the first place. By attracting other developers with physical plans and possibilities, and encouraging investment, Buffalo will move closer toward realizing its full potential. And then we all win.
Video filmed and produced by Newell Nussbaumer
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Comment Options
al-alo
isnt promoting buffalo from grand island like directing the upstate economy from saratoga?
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Prodigal-Son
I'm not sure its quite the same. Grand Island is 5 miles from the heart of downtown, and you can see the skyline from the island. And anyway, can you only promote the city if you live on a certain block, or in a certain neighborhood? A strong urban environment is good for people all over the area - you can love downtown and still live in Grand Island, Clarence or Amherst. There is too much work to be done in Buffalo to exclude anyone's time, effort or money based purely on their address.
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impressingagent
i would like to watch the video and have already tried the faq. can any real people help me out? thanks
same old tan-olive green screen.
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impressingagent
i would like to watch the video and have already tried the faq. can any real people help me out? thanks
same old tan-olive green screen.
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chris69
Wow, gotta give some credit to Issa Basshar.....
-Paladino just wants to demolish and build parking lots
-Wannamaker has his head so far up his ass that Im not sure he knows where his desk is (what has he accomplished)
-NFTA refuses to extend light rail even though studies show the added riders would be sufficient to operate it
-Brown is only concerned about spending on unions....NOT investing in the city or increasing its tax base
-NYS High Speed Task Force wont spend any money in Buffalo until 2015 at the earliest, thats roughly after 10 years of investment between NYC and Albany!
-Ive often said that ECC downtown campus should connect to the Larkin District and both should connect to the Cobblestone District....nothing
ITS NICE BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT BUFFALO ISNT A CITY FOR RESIDENTS OR EMPLOYERS...ITS A CITY OF PARASITIC LEACHES. THE UNIONS, THE POLITICIANS AND THE PARKING LOT DEVELOPERS LIKE PALLADINO DONT CARE ABOUT THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER....OR THE AVERAGE FAMILY....OR CIVIC PRIDE. CIVIC PRIDE FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE CITY AMOUNTS TO LITTLE MORE THAN A ME FIRST, LINE MY POCKET, KING OF THE MOUNTAIN...SCHOOL YARD GAME.....THEY DONT CARE THAT THE CITY AND REGION ROT...THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES
BROWNS PAY RAISES JUST CONFIRM...THAT BROWN ISNT FOR THE AVERAGE RESIDENT....BUT HIS ONLY CONCERN IS FOR HIS FELLOW INSIDERS!
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al-alo
ive been painting and thinking about my earlier comment. it probably was a little harsh. they are doing some interesting things citywise.
but Sun, it is a little symbolic. its a messege you cant get away from. how do you say "stop by our corp office on grand island and we'll tell you why you should invest in buffalo"? it seems like a case of do as i say, not as i do.
after all, saratoga isnt all that far from utica, right?
and chris, thanks for bringing it back to transit!
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chris69
what your going to slam me for 2 lines involving transit?
Hey you know what was a really interesting district that district that included the entire wharf. It was the STATE STREET DISTRICT: (New) Hampshire, Massachusettes, Vermont, Connecticut, (New) York, (New) Jersey, Pensylvania, Maryland, Virgina, Carolina, Georgia, Carolina, Washington, Illinois, Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
These streets named after states cover our entire wharf district from the Niagara River to the Buffalo River!
Today....Im not sure of many of these streets even touch the water....as they once did....but is it proper to come up with a plan....and not reconnect our street grid to the water!
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sbrof
It is often very important to give images to words. As long as they are not going to try and reinvent the wheel I say go for it guys. The Queen City Hub Plan is a nationally recognized plan with awards to boot but it was done to drive policy and decisions, this could be a very powerful tool is done properly to bring the plan out of office and into the public world.
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Andrew
I hope something fruitful comes out of this. I also hope developers from outside the region see this and see the potential of the city. I personally love Bashar Issa because he is a rich man and must have had some business sense to become rich. With him seeing so much potential in the city that only re affirms my beliefs that the city does have a lot of economic potential thats just waiting to be exploited. If the city did not have that potential then he would not be here. There is so much money to be made (sigh) I was born ten years to late.
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buffcitygirl
I know Andrew- Isn't it a shame that everything we waited our whole lives for in this city is beginning to happen and all we can do now is watch as the youngsters reap the benefits...It's all good...don't get me wrong! I, too, just wish I was a little bit younger to be able to share in the fun of being 'in the middle of it'. Just please don't go tearing down historical treasures if they can be rehabilitated. While I'm here, a warm-hearted Thank You to Basher Issa. Thank you for your commitment to Buffalo and your sincere hopes for it's future. I'm behind you 100%.
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dude
Let's see.....a big study to identify all the prime development spots downtown??
Are you guys for real? It'd take me about 5 mins in front of google maps to pick out all the sites downtown that need to be developed. It's quite simple....put building on parking lot and voila!
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chris69
Queen City Plan....they just tore down the Vernor/Schmidt Buildings...and we just had a discussion about the AM&As building being demolished....and instead of bringing jobs to Buffalo....Brown wants to use taxpayer money to give civil servants raises.....and things are improving....LOL!
By the way, thats St Vincents Orphanage and its a building crying to be redeveloped along with the German Roman Catholic Orphanage.
I would love to see that international facade removed from AM&As and see the 1890s facade retuned to Main Street, Id like to see the Hengerers facade restored to Main Street too!
Id also like to see the Liberty, Greystone and Lafayette Hotel converted to apartments and offices, as well as the old Bethlehem Management Company Building.
and my top 12 buildings that I wish could be rebuilt: 1) the art nuveau Buffalo Hotel 2) the Larkin Administration 3) German Insurance Building 4) Bank of Buffalo 5) Iraquois Hotel 6) DL&W Concourse 7) The Temple of Music from the Pan Am 8) The Fountain and the Entrance Gates from the Pan Am 9) Tucker & Andrews Building demolished for the Convention Center 10) St. Joseph's Roman Catholic New Cathedral 11) Erie County Savings Bank 12) Haven Iron Building 13) The Great Lakes Paramount Theater which was supposed to be more beautiful than the Sheas and the most beautiful of all the Great Lakes. 14) 15) Well the last two I am reserving.
Whats my point of dreaming and bringing back these buildings? These buildings are really a part of our urban soul and if they were brought back...then I can only imagine how they would magnify the simplicity of comtemporary and modern architecture that will be built in the future.
I just see Buffalo as having a very European flavor to it....like Boston, Providence or Montreal. We have really great streets that other cities only wish they had....and I wish Buffalo could really build on our past....as well as build into our future.
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Sal
chris 69 -
how about
14) Electric Tower from the Pan Am 15) Gratwick House (Delaware and Summer)
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mjman4
chris, i like what you are saying...but lets build new architectural icons. Lets get Tom Mayne, and Steven Holl , and Zaha Hadid, and Frank Gehry, and Santiago Calatrava, and Renzo Piano, and OMA, and all of those others that are the architectural icons of our time to give us a new "of the time" infastructure! (btw Calatrava does kick ass rail terminals...
My point is, when ever i hear someone talking longingly about the past, the present and future become too cloudy to comprehend. We have been stuck in that reinforcing cycle for too long, and it has finally taken someone from the outside for us to even think of our potential on a broader terms. He mentioned DENSITY like five times, and that is the key, people spend money, money generates jobs, jobs attract people.
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WilliamZabkaAllStars
Yawn.
Another study, more plans, more useless yap. Until the city/county/state clean up their act and make said areas attractive for new/expanding businesses, there won't be much incentive for serious development/creating a dense business core downtown, or anywhere in WNY for that matter.
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SLEEPL8
Al-alo...No, "promoting buffalo from grand island" is not "like directing the upstate economy from saratoga" Are you so irrational that you think in order to sucessfully develop a plan for the city that all the brainstorming must be done in a building that is actually in the city?? Cannon's office is literally 10 or 12 minutes from down town. Your first comment is rediculous.
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priezcykniewski
Not sure why they spend the million dollars on this study and they cant use this million dollars tio help buy a baseball or baskeyball team.
And you 69chris why you talking about all these states huh? what we got to do with kentucky or tenesse. you trying to start the civil war again?
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zen
Chris, totally with you on that list of buildings. If only the German Insur., Old Public Library, & Buffalo Savings Bank could have been spared what an amazing core of eclectic architecture that would have been. You've got to wonder if city planners had had a brain in the 50's & 60's and the elms didn't die....
On Cannon, to me they represent the institutionalized bureaucratic arch firm that has no soul. So for them to dictate a vision of the urban core is very uninspiring.
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motorrader
Just as a point of clarification, I am a long time resident of Buffalo. All of the design team for this effort are also residents of Buffalo. The city and the suburbs are linked to each other's success (or lack of success) and form a mutually supportive, Western New York Community. Only by working together as a Region will everyone benefit. Harry L Warren AIA Design Principal Cannon Design
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al-alo
listen, im not trying to suggest that the work of cannon is unwelcome. im not suggesting for a wall to go up around the city. im not implying that everyones hard work is not wanted, or trying to diminish it in any way. i know where grand island is. i know how long it takes to get there, and how much the tolls are. im sure there are many solid creative employees that work at cannon (or anywhere else) who live and play in Buffalo.
all im saying, is not having at least a satilite office in the city of buffalo can send a conflicting message. do out of towners know WNY geography? do they know how communities here are networked (or not, in many cases)? how do no-local types know who lives or works where? all they see is an address.
symbolism is everything. its marketing 101. what did ford chairman allan mulally do when came to the company? he cancelled his order for a new lexus.
----
and on a completely differnt note, i vote for the concourse building of the dl&w terminal. the rest of the building is still there, and downtown needs a real station!
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davvid
When we look beyond Buffalo and look at innovative or successful public and private efforts around the world (that require careful planning or clever strategies) they are almost always looking beyond themselves for new ideas and methods through collaboration.
If I were Issa or one of the other investors in this study I would have looked even farther to find a firm like OMA (www.oma.nl) that is more innovative and has demonstrated an ability to connect with global cultures and economies. Perhaps a foreign firm could team up with a local firm like Cannon to develop a strategy that is both local and global.
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allthingsbuffalo
the amount of people in buffalo familiar with OMA could prolly be counted on one hand. but i agree...i think OMA has some of the best urbanist theories of our time, id be so happy for buffalo to be blessed with a Koolhaas/OMA building someday.
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carlmalone
Yawn to all your comments...
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sayvanderlay
Does anyone else have a problem with a developer paying for half of a study like this?
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