14 replies to this topic

[Doohickie]

We talk about this a lot on the forums with regards to Fort Worth. 

 

One difference between Buffalo and Fort Worth is that Fort Worth has a massive amount of land area that spans land uses from high density urban to rural agricultural.  The Buffalo area, on the other hand, is laid out with finite boarders- the central city is Buffalo, surrounded by a few rings of suburbs that are different municipalities.  There is no rural in the City of Buffalo; think of it in terms of Fort Worth if its western border was University, eastern border was Beach, and if it ran from 28th Street to Berry north to South.
 

The changes in zoning and land use will affect the city in numerous ways, from promoting walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use developments and historic character to environmental sustainability and mass transit. The range of zoning regulations addressed includes density, building height, street design, land that can be developed on the Outer Harbor and use of solar panels.

"Buffalo is about to step into its own with this code," Pridgen said. "The last code was made to make Buffalo look like the suburbs. Now it will be made to look like Buffalo."

 

[Jeriat]

Buffalo is also older and its bones are more centralized. 

I've been there and Orchard Park... the suburbs there seem like small, independent towns. 
Here, on the other hand, if you're in Haltom City, you know it... but it still feels like you're in Ft. Worth. 


As far as this city "moving away from the suburbs", I'd think that because of the mass of land we have here, it'd be better to do something a little different. Like, have an invisible dividing line between the "Core Hoods" and the rest of Ft. Worth. The focus on Core Hoods would be trying to rebuild density and focus on urbanism while the rest of the city continues to be what it is today. 

[JBB]

So, in other words, you wouldn't change anything?  Because you've kind of described what's happening now in Fort Worth.  

[Jeriat]

Well yeah, but I guess what I mean is... not being subtle about it.

Because it seems like about 100 people in this town know that's what's happening. 

[rriojas71]

We talk about this a lot on the forums with regards to Fort Worth. 
 
There is no rural in the City of Buffalo; think of it in terms of Fort Worth if its western border was University, eastern border was Beach, and if it ran from 28th Street to Berry north to South.
 

Funny that you used those streets as the boundaries because when I think of Fort Worth and try to define what I think is the outermost boundary of the core of the city I usually use all those streets as well to determine that. With the lone exception being Hulen as the westernmost boundary instead of University.

Although Hulen Mall and Cityview are in Fort Worth proper I always feel like they are really suburbs in look and feel. Same goes with the Ridgmar area as well as the Far East and Far North sides of the city

[Doohickie]

I might have gone out as far as Montgomery, but for anyone familiar with both Ft Worth and Buffalo, to me Arlington Heights is very clearly Cheektowaga (i.e., not part of Buffalo proper).

[Dylan]

The Dollar General in that picture could be considered "urban" here in Texas.

 

Notice how the building approches the sidewalk of the street on the right. Not many suburban buildings here in Texas do that.

[JBB]

Well yeah, but I guess what I mean is... not being subtle about it.

Because it seems like about 100 people in this town know that's what's happening.

I gotcha and I completely agree. Awareness of urban design is something I would say this area lacks, but I don't know that FW is particularly unique in that regard. I know someone disagreed with me when I said it, but I bet a lot of us would be surprised at the number of people that live in what we consider the "urban core" and would tell you they don't live in an urban area. I believe there is still a negative attitude toward the term "urban" where people associate it with extreme population density, public housing and transportation, crime, noise, etc.

[rriojas71]

I might have gone out as far as Montgomery, but for anyone familiar with both Ft Worth and Buffalo, to me Arlington Heights is very clearly Cheektowaga (i.e., not part of Buffalo proper).

Gotcha. I wasn't really comparing those boundaries to Buffalo. I was just mentioning what I feel is the real Fort Worth before it started to expand.

[Jeriat]

 

Well yeah, but I guess what I mean is... not being subtle about it.

Because it seems like about 100 people in this town know that's what's happening.

I gotcha and I completely agree. Awareness of urban design is something I would say this area lacks, but I don't know that FW is particularly unique in that regard. I know someone disagreed with me when I said it, but I bet a lot of us would be surprised at the number of people that live in what we consider the "urban core" and would tell you they don't live in an urban area. I believe there is still a negative attitude toward the term "urban" where people associate it with extreme population density, public housing and transportation, crime, noise, etc.

 

 

Wouldn't surprise me... 

[Doohickie]

 

I might have gone out as far as Montgomery, but for anyone familiar with both Ft Worth and Buffalo, to me Arlington Heights is very clearly Cheektowaga (i.e., not part of Buffalo proper).

Gotcha. I wasn't really comparing those boundaries to Buffalo. I was just mentioning what I feel is the real Fort Worth before it started to expand.

 

and "the real Fort Worth before it started to expand" is roughly equivalent to the city limits of Buffalo, in terms of level of development.  That was the whole point I had in trying to put boundaries on Fort Worth to compare it to Buffalo.

[renamerusk]

.... think of it in terms of Fort Worth if its western border was University, eastern border was Beach, and if it ran from 28th Street to Berry north to South.

 

 

Buffalo is also older and its bones are more centralized. .....As far as this city "moving away from the suburbs", I'd think that because of the mass of land we have here, it'd be better to do something a little different. Like, have an invisible dividing line between the "Core Hoods" and the rest of Ft. Worth. The focus on Core Hoods would be trying to rebuild density and focus on urbanism while the rest of the city continues to be what it is today.

 

That's a practical way to delineate the "cord" hoods of Fort Worth; and in comparison to Buffalo, these cord hoods are the older and more centralized bones of the City.  Focusing on build density within this area is, IMO, the way to go over the next 3-4 decades. Actually, the process may already be invisibly underway.

 

Idealistically, I think it will take the seating of a new generation of city elected officials, perhaps redistricting, whereupon the core hood neighborhoods hold the majority of seats.  Ideally, there would be a northern district (beyond North 820); an eastern district (beyond East 820); a western district (beyond West 820) and a southern district (beyond I20) representing the suburban areas; the rest of the districts, say seven in total, would represent the core hoods.

 

A 7:4 ratio would go a very long way in speeding up density and urbanism.

[Doohickie]

A 7:4 ratio would go a very long way in speeding up density and urbanism.

Does it seem as though that's the correct ratio though, based on the growth of the city outside of the loop? What is the total population of each of your proposed districts?  Are they relatively equivalent, population-wise?  What about 5-10-20 years from now?

 

I just got back from a bike trip to Waterside and I have to sat that I like the density of developments like that and Edwards Ranch.  It's kind of a suburban urbanism.

[Stadtplan]

The amount of snow in Buffalo, NY is incredible! I grew up around a lot of snow but back then, we just resigned to the fact of being snowed-in for a few days. We really didnt have anywhere to go if we wanted to and many of our neighbors had snowmobiles if needed that could go as fast as a car. A long long time ago, we lived in the mountains of northern Idaho and eastern Washington State, my dad drove an International Harvester Scout II it had four wheel drive with manual locking hubs and snow chains were also required at times. Im a little surprised to see so many truckers got caught in this. There must be a lot of new truckers in the industry that may not know what to do in this situation but your best bet is to find a good place to park and wait it out. It hit so quickly they probably didnt have time to react.

[Doohickie]

It didn't hit so quickly they didn't have time to react.  The warnings were out early in the week.  My mom did her shopping on Monday based on the predictions of what would hit Thursday.