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I think they might have been talking about the northtowns. Buffalo has a very high density of buildings, but too many are vacant. Buffalo really isn't a bustling city for the most part. If you go downtown from about 10-2 you will see lots of people out at lunch, especially during the summer.
Downtown is actually a really nice place to be on a summer afternoon. Lots of places to eat, and you won't be crowded like you usually are in NYC.
Buffalo isn't a pedestrian town though, but if you go around One HSBC, to City Hall, all the way to Lafayette Square, it is fairly walkable. Elmwood Village is also very good to walk down, but more towards the evening.
With the exception of San Fransisco and New York City every downtown is pretty slow or dead on weeknights and weekends. I do not think Buffalo is unique is having a dead downtown. But that is simply my opinion.
I have to respectfully disagree with Canerican on this one! Buffalos population density is pretty good except for the very far reaches of the west side where there is abandonment, first ward is slightly populated by design, that is no accident, and of coarse what completely kills Buffalo population density rating is the east side which is has large swaths of urban praries and abandonment.
All other parts of Buffalo are pretty populated. Buffalo has an average population density higher than most.
Buffalo, although is may not seem it today, had a very extensive and vast public transportation system of trollies and rails. Even extending that service to connect to Niagara Falls. The NFTA is "okay" at best. Definatly could work to be leaps and bounds better and more reliable.
Have you ever been to Boston, Miami, Tampa, Austin, Chicago, Portland, Lexington, or DC after the businesses close? It is still busy on weekends and on week nights. Sure, alot of towns die after work lets out, but there are plenty that don't.
The Buffalo area is one of the most densly populated urban areas in the US and is in fact the 158th most densly populated urban area in the WORLD! No sprawl issues here compared to our southern and western sisters.
Definitely not, but you have to imagine that that is largely due to the fact that Buffalo's population peaked in the 50s, when transportation wasn't as readily available, affordable, or quick. So I think it's less a byproduct of good urban planning than coincidence. If you look at other cities that peaked around the same time (Cleveland, Flint, Detroit, Dayton, Rochester, and Philly) none really sprawl as much as LA, DC, Atlanta, or Jacksonville.
Of the few modern cities that don't sprawl I can only think of Portland as a model example.
Definately the Hertel corridor in N Buffalo for finding activity and people.
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