Achievements

Jason Knight, associate professor of government, planning, and philosophy, is leading a research team with Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah, chair of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo (UB), which is conducting an inventory and evaluation of current plans and strategies within the City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning (OSP). The project also includes meeting with OSP staff and leadership to evaluate current staff capacity and expertise. The project team includes Buffalo State urban and regional planning student Melanie Sage and UB graduate student Nini Pandit. A report to be submitted in May will support new Mayor Sean Ryan’s administration by making informed recommendations for updating existing plans; developing new plans that currently do not exist; and leveraging and increasing the technical capacity that exists in OSP. The team will identify local, state, and federal grant opportunities to support the report’s recommendations for future planning initiatives. A long-term formal partnership is being explored to provide planning support to the City of Buffalo and a formal internship program for Buffalo State and UB students.