Regional and International Awards Recognize UB's Effort to Create a Model 21st Century Campus

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo's comprehensive physical plan has received regional and international awards for excellence in three distinct areas: planning, landscape architecture and economic development.

"Building UB: The Comprehensive Physical Plan," has received the 2010 Planning Excellence Award for Comprehensive Planning from the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). The plan, by UB, along with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners and other subconsultants, previously received an award for comprehensive planning from the APA's Western New York section.

"Building UB" has also received a 2010 Merit Award of Achievement from the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The award recognizes the work of UB, along with that of Beyer Blinder Belle, Andropogon Associates and other subconsultants.

In addition to the two regional awards, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has recognized "Building UB" and the university's UB 2020 long-range plan with an honorable mention for Excellence in Economic Development in the category of Partnerships with Educational Institutions for communities with populations of great than 500,000.

"These awards in planning, landscape architecture and economic development, and the range of organizations presenting them, speaks to comprehensiveness of the 'Building UB' plan," said Robert G. Shibley, the professor of architecture and urban and regional planning who directed the project. Shibley has been named dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning, a position he will assume in January.

"Building UB" supports UB 2020, which envisions UB as a world-class university with vibrant campuses, strong connections with the local community and a commitment to environmental stewardship. Both the comprehensive physical plan and strategic plan aim to strengthen UB as an academic and research institution that drives the development of a knowledge-based economy in Buffalo Niagara.

Under the leadership of President John B. Simpson, UB has already begun to implement many parts of UB 2020 and "Building UB."

A state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory building rising on UB's North Campus in Amherst, N.Y., will serve as the new home for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Hayes Hall and Crosby Hall, which house the School of Architecture and Planning, are among historic buildings set to undergo renovations on the university's South Campus in Buffalo. A $118 million Clinical and Translational Research Center -- part of a new UB-Kaleida Health clinical care and research building -- is under construction downtown.

In a formal announcement of the honors UB received from the IEDC, William Best, IEDC chair, said his organization was recognizing UB for "providing successful strategies to promote new paradigms in economic development in this period of global recovery.

"Our awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in communities," Best said. "The University at Buffalo is showing that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession and are using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities."

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 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.