Bring the “Buffalo Niagara’s Climate Challenge” game to your meeting or community.
This winter and spring, the UB Regional Institute team will bring the community engagement game to group settings across the region. The game helps to build understanding about actions we can take to reduce emissions and is a key means by which we'll incorporate feedback from the community into the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. If you have a committee, community organization, classroom, or any other group you think would like to engage with this activity, please let us know by following the link below.
One Region Forward Towards a Sustainable Future.
One Region Forward is a broad-based, collaborative effort to promote more regional thinking in how we plan and develop the Buffalo Niagara Region (Erie and Niagara counties). It seeks to promote sustainable forms of development in land use, transportation, housing, energy and climate, access to food, and more.
One Region Forward was launched in 2012 by a group of local organizations from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Over a three year period, they worked together with more than 700 local organizations and thousands of residents to develop a vision and plan for the region. This inclusive process was acknowledged with the 2016 National Planning Achievement Award for public outreach by the American Planning Association.
Implementation of One Region Forward relies on the efforts of many – local governments, the private sector, state agencies, regional nonprofits, community-based organizations, and even local residents. Supporting that effort is an Implementation Council co-chaired by the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council and the UB School of Architecture and Planning that meets quarterly to discuss progress/regress and develop and identify opportunities for collaborative and local action.
A New Way to Plan for Buffalo Niagara
One Region Forward’s Regional Plan for Sustainable Development entitled “A New Way to Plan for Buffalo Niagara” weaves together nearly three years of research, community engagement, partnership building and planning by over 5,000 citizens and more than 700 local organizations.
The plan explores ideas and potential strategies to align our actions to our values, providing a basic framework for moving the region towards a more sustainable, resilient, prosperous and opportunity-rich future.
The plan is designed to be a decision-making tool. It offers insights on the future impacts of various approaches to regional development and provides guidance on how our region can work together to create a sustainable, livable Buffalo Niagara for the 21st Century.
Read the full document online in booklet form. Or click below for a single page PDF.
A Plan Summary
A New Way to Plan for Buffalo Niagara summarizes and describes three years of research, community engagement, partnership building and planning and offers a framework for moving the region forward.
Report Card 2018
This report card measures Buffalo Niagara’s progress on the indicators included in One Region Forward’s Regional Plan for Sustainable Development A New Way to Plan for Buffalo Niagara.
Growing Together
Growing Together offers details on recommended strategies and information regarding food access and justice for Buffalo Niagara echoing community concerns over weaknesses in the region’s food system.
Resilient Buffalo Niagara
Resilient Buffalo Niagara is a research-driven strategy document that offers guidance on how the region can better prepare for climate change.
Complete Communities
This planning/policy document provides details on housing-related recommendations and outlines best practices to consider in our region.
Fair Housing Equity
The Fair Housing Equity Assessment (FHEA) is intended to advise on issues of equity and opportunity in regional decision-making.
The Dollars & $ense of Development Patterns
This study takes a look at tax production and value per acre of various geographies in relation to local tax base and revenue stream.
Imagining the Future of Niagara Street
Scenario planning to create a vision and to understand the impacts for the future of a stretch of Niagara Street in the city’s “Upper Rock” neighborhood.
Imagining the Future of Niagara Falls Neighborhood
How could removal of the Robert Moses Parkway and construction of the Niagara Falls Intermodal Railway Station help revitalize the surrounding neighborhood?
Plan Library
Below, you can navigate our library of plans. They are organized by date and geography. If you know of a plan pertaining to the Buffalo Niagara region and cannot locate it here, please contact us at info@oneregionforward.org.
Citizen Planning School
The Citizen Planning School is designed to empower Buffalo Niagara residents to be agents for change in their local communities. The program was launched in 2014 as part of the One Region Forward planning process and offers participants tools to increase the sustainability of their communities and ultimately, the region at large. Read more.
The Citizen Planning School Champions for Change program is returning this Spring 2022. Please read more for application guidelines and apply before January 27th, 2023.
Lessons from Climate Smart Communities
> Register TodayLearning Series Workshops
Introduced in 2020, the One Region Forward Learning Series is part of ongoing efforts to support local action around the plan’s vision. Each session focuses on a topic related to One Region Forward’s implementation agenda and includes information, resources, and case studies on how ideas can move into implementation at the local level.
Recent Learning Series Events
In case you missed them, recordings and other materials from past events in the Learning Series are available below.
Lessons from Climate Smart Communities
How can you make local policy food system friendly?
Sign up for One Region Forward eNews
Technical Assistance and Resources
Throughout the One Region Forward planning process, the need for hands-on technical assistance and planning guidance was continually expressed by communities from across the region. As the plan gets implemented, the cross-sectional partnership of public, private, and nonprofit organizations guiding One Region Forward continue to seek opportunities to secure funding and develop programming that can assist local communities as they take on local sustainability actions. Below are some of the partner-led technical assistance offerings that can support local implementation of One Region Forward along with our scenario planning guidebook.
Clean Energy Communities
Supports Buffalo Niagara communities to help develop clean energy programs, policies, and projects.
To learn more and seek assistance >>Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
Offers programming to help communities protect the undeveloped headwater forests and wetlands in our watersheds.
To learn more and seek assistance >>Scenario Planning
Scenario planning allows communities to imagine potential alternative futures and test their impact.
View guidebook>>