http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/05/25/people-and-places/ The source on how we live, work and play Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:10:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/05/25/people-and-places/comment-page-1/#comment-12700 Andy Nash Tue, 26 May 2009 06:27:26 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=11223#comment-12700 As a native of Buffalo NY I have seen first hand what happens when a city struggles over decades to survive. The problem seems to be that the "city fathers" failed to take the risk to innovate after the 1920s (people in Buffalo talk about a whole list of these missed opportunities, e.g. locating the major new university conference in the suburbs rather than in the downtown). Over time these missed opportunities have created an increasingly desperate situation, and now city leaders grasp at anything that might possibly create economic development, while the city continues to shrink and become less viable. What's interesting is Buffalo's proximity to the highly successful Toronto mega region. How do you think Buffalo could benefit from the strength of Toronto's economy? As a native of Buffalo NY I have seen first hand what happens when a city struggles over decades to survive. The problem seems to be that the “city fathers” failed to take the risk to innovate after the 1920s (people in Buffalo talk about a whole list of these missed opportunities, e.g. locating the major new university conference in the suburbs rather than in the downtown). Over time these missed opportunities have created an increasingly desperate situation, and now city leaders grasp at anything that might possibly create economic development, while the city continues to shrink and become less viable. What’s interesting is Buffalo’s proximity to the highly successful Toronto mega region. How do you think Buffalo could benefit from the strength of Toronto’s economy?

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