Smart Growth Plan for Porter Wins Top Award for UB Students

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Work done by University at Buffalo planning students to help the Town of Porter develop the initial phase of a master plan for future development has earned the students and their instructor the 2003 Award for Outstanding Student Project from the American Planning Association, Western New York Section (APAWNY).

The planning studio was taught by Ute Lehrer, assistant professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the UB School of Architecture and Planning.

The 13 graduate students who participated in the project are Amy Kacala of Williamsville, Mark Territo of Buffalo, Katherine Wagner of Hamburg, Joel Kleinberg of Pittsford, Brian Slack of Medina, Nnabuihe Maduakolam of New York City, Karen Palmer of Elbridge, Robert Wisener of Erie, Brian Gatewood of St. Louis, Hui-En (Grace) Lee of Taiwan, Seokhoon Shim of The Republic of Korea, Fredy Rodríguez Gutiérrez of The Republic of Panama, Fida' Abdel Latif of Palestine and Ji Zhang of The People's Republic of China.

The planning studio, which took place in the Fall 2002 semester, was designed to teach students how to apply the principles of "smart growth" to real economic and growth issues raised by the Town of Porter, a Niagara County town of 6,900. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Porter is facing a dwindling tax base, loss of businesses and residents' suspicions that the local arms of one or more multinational corporations will impede their interest in maintaining small-town life.

"The smart-growth paradigm was selected because it aims to accommodate a community's growth, while preserving its character and open spaces," says Lehrer. "By addressing issues such as housing, public services, the environment and economic vitality, the

smart-growth principles are intended to promote stability and progress without sacrificing the quality of life within a community."

Among the studio participants were several international students who demonstrated how the anti-sprawl philosophy of smart growth is being seeded in countries around the world.

In selecting the UB studio for the award, the APAWNY Awards Committee noted that the students combined detailed data analysis with high-quality presentation of text and graphics. The students' "high work ethic and their desire to put special emphasis on maximizing public participation in the planning process" were cited as well.

The plan they came up with, the committee said, is original, comprehensive, transferable and "implementable," and likely to be effective because the students fostered wide citizen engagement in its development. Moreover, "current public debate about the development of a new master plan for the town is based on the results of the report and recommendations put forward by the UB students," the committee added.

Lehrer said the students brought many different talents to the job and the integration of those talents into their collaborative effort is one reason the project was so successful.

The first step was an analysis of a broad range of community characteristics and concerns, followed by the formulation of progressive strategies that would maintain the town's essential character.

Lehrer explained that the residents were united in their desire to keep Porter's rural character. They understood, however, that economic development is necessary to maintain the social and fiscal vitality of the area. Conflict and anxiety were expressed over expansion plans for a chemical waste site located on land previously contaminated by detritus from the Manhattan Project. Citizens also were disturbed by a multinational corporation's purchase of several large properties along the town's waterfront and in its agricultural district.

The students' findings and recommendations were presented in a report, "Toward a Smart Growth Master Plan: Assessment and Recommendations for the Town of Porter," which encourages developing existing aspects of the local economy, including agriculture and tourism, and expanding community services, infrastructure and rural public transit.

The report recommended that future development be directed at the town's existing population centers and, in particular, toward the empty lots within those centers. It also encouraged preservation of open space and farmlands.