Studios and Workshops
The planning studio, normally taken in the third semester of study, is a critical component of the education of a professional planner. In this setting, students are exposed to the planning process, working as a team under faculty supervision. Typically, the faculty identifies external communities that have a planning problem or project on which they wish to have a particular scope of work completed. These external groups agree to serve as "clients" for the studio, and most provide a fee to the department to offset our direct costs: travel, supplies, computing time, printing and binding of a formal planning report, etc. All studios require preparation of a formal final report, of which students get copies to keep as part of their personal "portfolios," and some form of public presentation.
Each fall, four different options are offered for students. Recently, under the direction of Prof. Ernie Sternberg, one team of students examined the possible opportunity for the City of Buffalo to undertake a new commercial project on the east side in mid-city. This neighborhood has been challenged by population loss and declining home prices, and its older retail strips have been ravaged by the impact of suburban "big box" development. Working closely with a neighborhood alliance, this studio attempted to identify prospective tenants for a better designed and more appropriate type of large-site retailing, intended to attract neighborhood shoppers as well as a commuter clientele.
A second graduate studio directed by Prof. Sam Cole investigated the potential of and appropriate strategies for enhancing tourism in a rural portion of the Western New York region, the southern tier in Cattaraugus County. The area is dotted with charming villages, its topography supports this region's winter ski activity, and presents myriad other opportunities for multi-season tourism development. Working closely with county and local officials and other professional consultants, the studio aimed to contribute fresh ideas to regional thinking about cultural tourism, broadening substantially the discussion of both the "menu" of future tourism activities and potential positive economic impacts.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Tom DeSantis, Director of Planning for our "sister" city of Niagara Falls, NY, led a team of our graduate students in developing a neighborhood revitalization plan for a section of that city, an outgrowth of the adoption of their new comprehensive master plan. As a full-time practitioner, DeSantis is especially skilled in focusing students' attention on implementation planning. The project area was anchored by two significant institutions, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and a newly formed Community Arts Center (housed in a converted school building). The challenge for the students was to figure out strategies for both housing and retail development, to infuse new life into this area of the city.
Lastly, Prof. Robert Shibley (who directs The Urban Design Project, an applied research and service unit of the school) offers a "multi-project studio" in urban design. This approach simulates the operation of a private sector office in which architects and planners work together, with teams simultaneously undertaking different projects. Each individual project has an external "client" group or government that has invited The Urban Design Project to investigate, and the studio is committed to responding to each such client. Under Shibley's guidance, each team explores all aspects of its problem, and the whole studio enrollment serves as the "critical forum" for all investigations. Regular formal presentations to client groups are a requirement.
