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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.

The Plan Cover Image

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 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

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

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

Resilient Buffalo Niagara is a research-driven strategy document that offers guidance on how the region can better prepare for climate change.

Complete Communities

Complete Communities

This planning/policy document provides details on housing-related recommendations and outlines best practices to consider in our region.

Fair Housing Equity

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

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

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

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.

Filters

1905

The Grouping of Public Buildings and Gardens

1922

Report on the City Plan and Public Building Sites

1946

The Thruways and Buffalo’s Future

1966

Town and Village of Wilson Master Plan

1966

Downtown Renewal Study

1971

Buffalo Master Plan

1971

Reflections

1972

Town of Niagara Comprehensive Plan

1972

Village of Youngstown Master Plan

1977

Buffalo City Plan

1987

Town of Hamburg LWRP

1988

City of North Tonawanda LWRP

1989

City of Lackawanna LWRP

1989

Village of Youngstown LWRP

1993

Town of Tonawanda LWRP

1993

Town of Lockport Southwest Sector Plan

1994

Town of Holland Master Plan

1994

Town of Holland Park Master Plan

1996

Town of North Colllins Comprehensive Plan

1997

Town of Cambria Comprehensive Plan

1997

Town of Newfane LWRP

1998

Town of Marilla Comprehensive Plan

1998

City of Lockport Comprehensive Plan

1998

Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hartland

1998

Town of Newfane 2015 Master Plan

1999

Town of Collins – Village of Gowanda Master Plan

1999

Town of Evans Comprehensive Plan

1999

Town of Concord – Village of Springville Comprehensive Plan

1999

Niagara County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

2000

Town of Eden 2015 Comprehensive Plan

2000

Lancaster – Depew Comprehensive Plan

2000

Village of Alden Comprehensive Plan

2000

Town of Lewiston Comprehensive Plan

2001

Town of Newstead – Village of Akron Comprehensive Plan

2001

City of Lackawanna Comprehensive Plan 2020

2001

Town of Clarence Master Plan 2015

2001

Rethinking the Niagara Frontier

2002

Town of Colden Master Plan

2002

Tonawanda Waterfront Rezoning Study and Land Use Plan

2002

City of Tonawanda Comprehensive Plan

2002

The Orchard Park Plan

2002

Town of Boston Comprehensive Plan

2002

Village of Hamburg Strategic Plan

2002

Draft Regional Comprehensive Plan for Auora, Elma, Holland, Wales, and East Aurora

2002

An Assessment of Niagara Falls’ Waterfront Planning

2002

Village of Middleport LWRP

2002

Lower West Side Housing Design Guidelines

2002

Revealing Niagara

2003

Erie County Parks System Master Plan

2003

Sheridan Parkside Village Courts Development Plan

2003

Town of Sardinia Comprehensive Plan

2003

Comprehensive Plan for the Village of Kenmore Business District

2003

Town of Brant – Village of Farnham Master Plan

2003

Village of Angola Comprehensive Plan

2003

Master Plan and Final EIS for Amherst State Park

2003

Town of Somerset Comprehensive Plan

2003

Queen City Hub

2004

Town of Amherst Recreation & Parks Master Plan

2004

Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Porter

2004

Town of Wheatfield Comprehensive Plan

2004

Village of Lewiston Master Plan

2005

Comprehensive Three Year Local Plan 2005-2008

2005

Town of Tonawanda Comprehensive Plan

2005

Town of Clarence Parks & Recreation Master Plan

2005

Niagara County Business Development and Commercial Revitalization Study

2005

Niagara National Heritage Area Study Act

2005

Town of Somerset LWRP

2005

The Buffalo Niagara Cultural Tourism Initiative

2006

Blueprint Buffalo

2006

Town of West Seneca Comprehensive Plan

2006

Town of Grand Island LWRP

2006

City of Niagara Falls USA Niagara River Greenway Vision and Project Proposals

2006

Niagara Falls International Airport Bi-National Air Cargo Gateway Study

2006

Larkin District Plan

2006

Queen City in the 21st Century

2006

Building UB: The Comprehensive Physical Plan

2006

The Framework for Regional Growth

2007

Town of Orchard Park Comprehensive Plan

2007

Town of Evans Stormwater Management Plan

2007

Supplemental Draft Generic EIS for Clarence Hollow Pollution Abatement Project

2007

Town of Amherst Bicentennial Comprehensive Plan

2007

Town of Hamburg 2007 Comprehensive Plan Update

2007

Tourism Toolkit for the Southtowns

2007

Town of Royalton Comprehensive Plan

2007

Preserving Our Heritage and Planning Our Future

2007

Building a Neighborhood of Choice

2007

Queen City Waterfront

2007

The Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway

2007

The Niagara River Greenway Plan and Final EIS

2007

Revisioning Brownfields: A Regional Strategic Approach

2008

Town of Tonawanda LWRP Amendment

2008

Village of Williamsville Community Plan

2008

Orchard Park Economic Development Committee Strategic Plan

2008

Proposed Remedial Action Plan for Depew Village Landfill

2008

Buffalo Avenue Industrial Corridor Proposed BOA

2008

City of Lockport BOA Draft Pre-Nomination Study

2008

City of North Tonawanda Comprehensive Plan

2008

Town of Pendleton Comprehensive Plan for 2025

2008

Transit North Historic Canalway Corridor Plan

2008

Historic Black Rock: War of 1812 Bicentennial Community Plan

2008

The Olmsted City

2008

2008 Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan

2009

Erie County’s Road to a Bright Future

2009

Village of Williamsville Water Mill Final Re-Use Report

2009

Town of Tonawanda Old Town Neighborhood Plan

2009

Town of Alden Water District Number 5 Plan

2009

Town of Alden Comprehensive Plan

2009

Sowing the Seeds for Southtowns Agribusiness

2009

Highland Avenue BOA Community Participation Plan

2009

Buffalo Avenue Heritage District Revitalization Strategy

2009

Comprehensive Plan for City of Niagara Falls

2009

Niagara County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan

2009

Niagara Communities Comprehensive Plan 2030

2009

Canalside Wine Emporium Project

2009

Management Action Plan for the Former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works

2009

Town of Lockport Design Guidelines for Commercial Site Plans

2009

Master Plan for the Richardson Olmsted Complex

2009

South Buffalo BOA – Nomination Document

2009

Proposed Remedial Action Plan for Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park

2009

The WNY Environmental Alliance – Our Shared Agenda for Action

2009

Buffalo Niagara: Where Industry Creates Energy

2009

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan

2009

The 14th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality

2009

Impact of Urban Areas on Great Lakes Water Quality

2009

The International Watersheds Initiative

2009

2009 New York State Rail Plan

2009

The NYS Park System: An Economic Asset to the Empire State

2010

Town of Lancaster Stormwater Management Plan

2010

RESTORE III – Lackawanna Redevelopment Plan

2010

Village of Hamburg Comprehensive Plan Update

2010

Town of Hamburg Five Year Consolidated Plan

2010

Lake Erie Beach Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy

2010

Town of Cheektowaga Comprehensive Plan and Generic EIS

2010

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for Niagara County

2010

Niagara County Stormwater Management Program Plan

2010

Proposed Remedial Action Plan for Eighteenmile Creek Corridor Site

2010

Buffalo Harbor Bridge Final Scoping Report

2010

Black Rock Canal Park Feasibility Analysis

2010

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Master Plan Update

2010

Greater Buffalo Niagara 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan

2010

2011-2015 Transportation Improvement Program

2011

Tonawanda BOA Pre-Nomination Study

2011

Town of Hamburg LWRP Amendment

2011

Town of Evans LWRP

2011

Town of Tonawanda’s Proposed Third Program Year Action Plan 

2011

Proposed Remedial Action Plan for Frontier Chemical – Royal Avenue

2011

Highland Community Area BOA – Nomination Document

2011

Eighteenmile Creek Restoration Project Plan

2011

Town of Lewiston Comprehensive Plan Update

2011

Village of Barker Capital Improvement Plan

2011

Village of Lewiston LWRP

2011

Green Infrastructure Solutions to Buffalo’s Sewer Overflow Challenge

2011

A Vision for the Michigan Street Heritage Corridor

2011

Updated Addendum to Stage 2 Remedial Action Plan Report Buffalo River AOC

2011

Buffalo River Restoration Feasibility Study

2011

Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Needs Assessment Study

2011

Buffalo Harbor Bridge Placemaking Report

2011

Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan

2011

The WNY Regional Economic Development Strategic Plan

2011

Niagara Region Transportation Strategy Update

2011

Strategic Plan for State Forest Management

2012

Erie County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

2012

Town of Clarence Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

2012

Community Development Block Grant Final 2012 Action Plan

2012

Town and Village of Wilson Comprehensive Plan

2012

Facilities Master Plan for Buffalo State College

2012

PUSH-BNSC Development Plan

2012

Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Draft Management Plan

2012

Buffalo Green Code Draft Land Use Plan

2012

Buffalo Building Reuse Project Report

2013

Picture Main Street

2013

WNY Sustainability Plan

2014

A Vision for Elmwood Village

2014

Buffalo River Corridor BOA – Nomination Document

2014

Buffalo Harbor BOA – Nomination Document

2014

City of Buffalo LWRP

2014

Niagara River Habitat Conservation Strategy

2016

City of Buffalo Bicycle Master Plan

2016

Niagara Street Now

2016

Racial Equity Dividend

2017

Tonawanda Tomorrow

2018

Town of Grand Island 2018 Comprehensive Plan

2018

Lancaster – Depew Joint Comprehensive Plan

2018

Rain Check 1.0

2018

Moving Forward 2050

2019

Rain Check 2.0 Opportunity Report

2019

East Side Corrirdor Economic Development Fund

2020

Bike Buffalo Niagara Regional Bicycle Master Plan

Please choose a year and/or a geographic region to see all associated plans.

There are no plans available for that selection.

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.

April 2023

Lessons from Climate Smart Communities

> Register Today

Learning 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.

View All Learning Series Events

May 2023

Lessons from Climate Smart Communities

June 2022

How can you make local policy food system friendly?

March 2022

Municipal Clean Energy Academy

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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>>