It seems that everyone has an opinion about what to do with the land at the Outer Harbor. From stadiums to public parks, and everything in-between, the Outer Harbor is another game changer for Buffalo, and at this point its future is still up in the air.
On May 1, 2014 proponents of the 21st Century Park on the Outer Harbor will be hosting a forum designed around the recent success of the new Brooklyn Bridge Park, and how a similar park could impact the region of Greater Buffalo. If you’re not familiar with the movement to create an Outer Harbor park, then here’s some background.
All waterfront planners, public officials, and interested citizens are invited to attend ‘Lessons from Brooklyn Bridge Park: Creating a Vibrant Waterfront’ on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 2 pm at The Saturn Club, 977 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York. The program is free and open to the public.
Participants are expected to talk about the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge Park (85 acres on the edge of the East River across from Manhattan) – the planning efforts, the design benefits, the impact it has had on surrounding neighborhoods, and exactly what the potential is for Buffalo.
Panel participants:
Joanne Witty is currently a director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. She has served in New York City and state government. Ms. Witty practiced law at Debevoise & Plimpton and was a Resident Counsel at The Ford Foundation. Ms. Witty has been a long-time environmental activist, serving for many years on the Board of the national League of Conservation Voters (where she was Vice Chairman) and now on the Board of the Environmental Defense Action Fund. She is a central figure in the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, as President of the local development corporation that created the Master Plan, as a Director of the New York State agency that began construction of the Park, and now as a Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation that will complete construction and operate the Park.
Matthew Urbanski is a principal of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates where he has worked for over two decades. He has planned and designed landscapes in the United States, Canada, and France, including waterfronts, parks, college campuses, sculpture gardens, and private gardens. Collaborating with Michael Van Valkenburgh, he was a lead designer of Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, Segment 5 of Hudson River Park in New York City, Alumnae Valley at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Allegheny Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh, and Teardrop Park in New York City. Lessons from Brooklyn Bridge Park: Creating a Vibrant Waterfront is supported by The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo.
Sam Magavern is the forum moderator. He is a writer and public interest lawyer currently serving as co-director of the Partnership for Public Good and as a professor at University at Buffalo Law School.
Visit 21stCenturyPark.org for more info. Seating is limited so pre-registration by email to 21stCenturyPark@gmail.com or via Facebook is suggested.