UB Regional Institute's RKN Adds Transportation & Land Use Data and Maps

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Regional Institute has expanded its Regional Knowledge Network (RKN), an online information resource on the binational region of Buffalo Niagara, by adding data and mapping features to its section on Transportation & Land Use.

Visitors to the network, which is available at http://rkn.buffalo.edu, now have access to 66 data and mapping variables on key transportation and planning issues, including municipal planning and zoning, land classification, travel behavior and housing characteristics.

Transportation & Land Use is the seventh of RKN's 10 topic areas to feature interactive data and mapping tools, part of the site's second-phase development funded by The John R. Oishei Foundation. RKN launched its first phase in April 2006 to inform regional decision making by providing access to key information, including data, maps, lists and resources, on 10 topics for the region spanning Western New York and Southern Ontario.

"This is a critical advance for RKN, as access to data on land-use and transportation issues is fundamental to smart and strategic development in the region," said Kathryn A. Foster, director of the institute.

Users may download the Transportation & Land Use data directly or map it with RKN's custom mapping tool. RKN "Knowledge Maps" highlight data, including the presence of industrial development agencies across Western New York, the top-10 destinations for the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and agricultural districts in the region.

Among the findings revealed by the latest RKN data are patterns of residential development in the region. The Town of Wheatfield in Niagara County, the Town of French Creek in Chautauqua County and the Village of Alfred in Allegany County saw the sharpest rates of growth, with housing stock increasing by 25 percent between 2000 and 2006, as measured by total housing permits issued in the six-year span.

Also, according to a 2007 Regional Institute survey of county and municipal planning departments in Western New York, Niagara County is the only county in the region where every municipality has a master plan.

"This is a powerful addition for RKN," added Subbiah Mantharam, RKN project director. "Users are connected to data on municipal planning that are not available anywhere else, as well as centralized access to some of the most recent regional data on land use, vacancy rates and home sales and pricing, to name a few."

Funding from the Oishei Foundation will enable the institute to fully develop RKN by May 2008 with data and maps for all 10 topic areas and new information tools for pin-mapping, enhanced searches, and advanced data charting and analysis. Up next for the addition of data and maps is the Environment topic area.

A major research and public policy unit of the University at Buffalo, the Regional Institute plays a vital role in addressing key policy and governance issues for regions, with focused analysis of the Buffalo Niagara region. A unit of the UB Law School, the institute leverages the resources of the university and binational community to pursue a wide range of scholarship, projects and initiatives that frame issues, inform decisions and guide change.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB's more than 27,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.