Welcome to the new layout of the Regional Report section. As you turn the pages, you will notice that this section focuses on a geographic region, and three particular areas: people, projects and policies. Our goal is to provide you with a brief overview of the green developments that are taking place on brownfield sites, the innovative polices and legislative changes that are being implemented in the states and provinces, and to highlight the market-makers that are making sustainable development happen. We hope you find the information useful and informative.

In this issue, we take a closer look at the Buffalo-Niagara region. The history of this region is rich with innovation, extending back to the early nineteenth century. The region’s origins as a thriving transportation and industrial center exemplify what Buffalo has become today: a longstanding home to creativity, culture and design.

The largest undertaking of its time in American civil engineering, the Erie Canal opened in 1825. Stretching from Albany to Buffalo, the inland canal made it possible to travel to New York City by water, expediting both freight shipments and passenger travel at dramatically lower costs. Generating prosperity and expansion in the various ports along its waterway, the canal had a colossal impact on the socio-economic development of the city of Buffalo, which was chartered in 1832.¹

Not only did the Erie Canal open up transportation to this region, but so too did the St. Lawrence Seaway, which was completed in 1959 and connects North America to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Construction of the Seaway included several dams which lent themselves to the creation of hydro-electricity. The hydro-electricity created by these dams served as the main source of electricity for the area’s residents. In fact, the Niagara River is one of the world’s greatest sources of hydro-electricity. ² The St. Lawrence Seaway region produces one third of the continent’s gross national product, two thirds of Canada’s industrial output, and 40% of US manufacturing.¹

With travel made possible both with the waterways and the railroad, the Buffalo-Niagara region experienced exponential industrial growth. In its early years, Buffalo became the gateway to the West and due primarily to the navigable Lake Erie, the city grew to be the largest grain handling port in the world.³ Industrial life in this region boomed and it soon became home to a number of businesses, including banks, insurance companies, and even breweries.

Today, this region is experiencing a resurgence in growth due to the cleanup and development of a number of brownfield sites, both on the US and Canadian side of the border. Some of these developments grew from the abandoned buildings and sites that were once occupied by booming businesses. On the following pages, you will learn about some of the players, projects and policies that are having a great impact in their respective areas. So, turn the page and discover what’s happening in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

¹ Buffalo Niagara (www.visitbuffaloniagara.com)

²Info Niagara (www.infoniagara.com)

³Buffalonet (www.buffalonet.org)