This is now the second time since I arrived to Buffalo that a major corporation spends about 1 million dollars in trying to develop a plan and implement it jointly with our authorities. The first was Opus East, America’s largest commercial developer, who up till they arrived to Buffalo, lured by a NFTA RFP, had never failed. The second is the this large retailer, who in other areas develops a mix of entertainment and retail, in some cases wildly successful, in some cases less so, apparently.

Why do these companies succeed in other areas and not in Buffalo?

How much is 1 million dollars for you? If it is OPM= Other Peoples Monies- the value of such an amount is probably not so much, I hear our elected officials talk about that amount all the time, but for a private company, it can sometimes mean the difference between being in existence or not. To face the reactions from Board members and their own banks, may create some strong internal fall outs, it may change the life’s of the people involved.

Does the failure have anything with our own Team Set Up?
Is there predictability? If I do A, will then B follow?
How does anyone make an inclusive development, making sure that all parties/ stakeholders are represented?

One thing that needs to be changed for sure is the policy to reject piecemeal development. Another is the notion that only one entity must be the Master Developer.

In my view, what is needed is a general plan, a consensus, guidelines, and an invitation to all qualified developers who each has something to bring to the table, joined by community groups, and then implementation.

To talk about a project for nine (9!) years just to see it disappear is pathetic. What kind of rules is creating this kind of monster bureaucracy?

This requires people skills, leadership, and of course funding. Other areas have done it, so why not Buffalo? Once again, my strongest recommendation is for a group of people from this area to visit Malmo. They did go through the whole process, during almost identical terms of demographics and environment.

I just read Buffalo News, and someone suggested we need to add more space for the Naval Museum towards the Outer Harbor. Why?

We need space for programs, programs that are water-dependent, we need to define how we want to live by the waterfront.

There is nothing wrong with the concept of an anchor tenant, if the design is appealing. Me personally strongly dislikes the suburban mall design, especially if its a historic theme desired. I suppose its practical and inexpensive, but that’s not what Canalside is about.

I feel disappointed, mostly over the fact that the energy of a project could not be sustained and made into something beneficial for all of us. Now at least, I hope our “Leadership” makes sure our monies stay here until we as a community decide what we want.

The cold reality is that we are facing a declining population, if it wasn’t for the fact that we have approx 1400 new refugees every years, our numbers would be even higher.

Having said that, we have many thousands of people who works downtown, and who complains about the lack of retail. Why is it so hard for decision makers to understand that small is beautiful, and you don’t have to plan for car parking in a City where you already have ~50% vacant land devoted for parking. When I saw that study it totally blow my mind. Use what you have better, they did a wonderful sustainable parking ramp in Santa Monica CA, where retail and commercial space was on the first floor.

Come on Buffalo, I expect you to come together, show us leadership, show us the way, and if you don’t know the way, get out of it and let others do it. There is a way, we know other areas have succeeded, so there is no reason for us not to do it. Build for recreation, history and heritage, focus on kids, the new economy, quality of life is not about the car. Its about people, about being close to your family, about being able to have traditions and feel safe.

In the outside world, the key words are green sustainability, less car dependence, fight poverty with education, living and creating short distance between schools and houses.

Mix ages, income, forget black and white, its all green!

Together we rise, together we sink, the choice is ours.

Capt Pierre Wallinder

A very interesting image on how it may have looked at 1 Naval Cove 1827, come on down and see how it looks these days for yourself.

We do need more buildings, no question about it, but which ones to prioritize, and where to start?

What do you think?

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Above you may study some cool renderings on how it could look like on the current vacant SeaWay Pier. If it looked like this, would it be considered a Community Benefit?

Must confess it took me a few moments to think over a reply. We are all guests on this lovely planet, and must strive to act politely at all times, in summary, here is a try to a reply:

Learning must be fun, otherwise it fails. To sit inside a class-room which is overcrowded and noisy is not a good learning environment. If you could bring the school children out to the nature, and let them learn their reading and their math while they are outside, or exposed to nature, in smaller groups, under supervision, the results will be great, I promise.

Am I proposing an experiment with Buffalo’s City Kids?  No, I am saying that every other City with a Lakeshore location has these kind of programs. Buffalo is an exception to the rule that a waterfront is used by its residents for learning purposes.

Ever heard of Experiential Learning?  How many people in Buffalo have heard of Outward Bound? Ever thought of why they don;t have a presence here?

Ever heard of New York Harbor School? Its actually a public high school, and their results are so convincing and so encouraging that the powers to be gave them land on the Governor Island, and urged them to build their school out there. How amazing is that?

Down in Erie PA, the nearest location to Buffalo, the Bayfront Center of Maritime Studies was given a building by their Port Authority. Result? Check it out, you will be amazed.

On the other hand, there are people in Buffalo who never will be amazed, never surprised of anything new, because they are all set. They live in a fixed world, where outside influence is bad. I have news for these soldiers, “protecting” and guarding  Buffalo from the outside world. You did it! You won, there is nothing here anymore! People are leaving ‘en-masse’, so  I suppose your attitude won.

One problem is that the people who left, most want to come back to their hometown, but now they have the knowledge, the outlook of a traveler, someone who has seen other places and can compare.

Our Outer Harbor is empty, we are probably years from seeing anything permanently alive in the Inner Harbor.

While all the discussion and wasted negotiations happened about developing our Outer Harbor, guess what? Other Coastal Cities overseas decided to bring in all stakeholders, convene massive meetings with the public, decided on policies and guidelines, and HAD IT BUILT! Result? Thousands of new economy jobs, old people live close to young people, cars are not the priority. Their quality of live has increased tenfold. Sustainability is the key word in the outside world.

What do you think we should do, since its a matter of fact that we do live in a City by the Lakeshore. Nobody can change that, no matter how hard you try. The whole reason for Buffalo’s existence is the location by the water.  Why is it being ignored?

How come its not the most pressing and urging priority to get kids educated, and at the same time utilize our ‘largest asset’  (cool buzz word-meaning exactly what?) The wind-turbines is just a start, one of my suggestions is for brave urban planners to visit Malmo/Copenhagen and learn from what that region have done and continue to do.

Capt. Pierre Wallinder

Outer Harbor Nautical Center

Outer Harbor Maritime Center-sitelayout

This is a 50,000 SF building, large enough to host a number of programs and in a perfect spot near the City. The lighthouse is an artistic addition, the artist loves lighthouses. (so do we, of course)

I have followed recent discussions about Community Benefits with the Canalside. From what I understand, its usually something negotiated between a land owning City (municipal entity) and a large commercial developer, to create something beneficial for the community which isn’t necessarily steered by market rates. It could be a building hosting not for profit programs, a park, and anything that the Citizens really wants.

My opinion is that Canalside is a Waterfront Project. This community has an un-developed waterfront , and severely under-served population of “Wanna Be Coastal Dwellers”. What can you do on waterfront if you don;t have buildings? Any program must have access to buildings, for weather and scheduling purposes.  To have buildings would be the biggest benefit for the waterfront.

The rendering shows the former Cargill Saltdepot, now owned by ECHDC transformed into a Nautical Center, allowing any and all programs with participants who are water-dependent to participate. With a focus point like this, and where  programs shared space,  the whole Community with its many visitors would greatly benefit.

Capt Pierre Wallinder

I am in awe on what they did in Malmo, Sweden’s 3rd largest City. A massive conversion of an entire area; former industrial, vacant brownfield, is now a new and sustainable home for many thousands of people, while it has created new economy jobs, high quality recreation, and became a destination for other World-Wide Cities, seeking knowledge and inspiration on how it was done.

Can Buffalo learn something from this project?

Should someone from this City travel there, or should we perhaps invite someone from the leadership team to us?

How would Buffalo look and feel if we had a waterfront like this?

Check this presentation: Western Harbour – sustainable urban development in Malmö

Capt Pierre Wallinder