A high quality shared space and service facility for non-profit and community groups and like-minded entrepreneurial activity in Buffalo

A number of efforts were coalesced around the idea of a high quality shared space and service facility for non-profit and community groups and like-minded entrepreneurial activity in Buffalo. PUSH Buffalo, Grassroots Gardens, Green Options Buffalo, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) joined forces to investigate this possibility in the City of Buffalo.

The Urban Design Project was engaged to conduct research to assess the feasibility of the concept, market demand within the community, the specific needs of the market, and the ideal scenarios for implementing such a center.

Models such as the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, have proven that high quality shared facilities, support, and services can be a viable, cost effective, and flexible means to achieve these ends. As important, if not more important, are the daily cross-collaborative interactions that these centers make possible.