Introducing the Buffalo Parks Master Plan

plan highlights, PART 1

Cities across America are finding that investment in parks not only improves the quality of life for residents and visitors, but contributes directly to creating a modern, 21st century economy. In addition to providing residents with essential recreational access and opportunities to improve their health, the parks in Buffalo provide many measurable benefits:

plan highlights: PART 2

Clearly, parks play many roles in improving the quality of life for Buffalo residents, but where are these benefits needed most?

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), we mapped Buffalo to figure out what areas have the greatest park need. We worked with a team of local experts to map three topics: Social Priorities, Health Priorities, and Natural and Built Environment Priorities. These mapping topics were then “stacked” to create overall recommendations for areas where park system improvements can have multiple benefits for the community:

The analysis drew on national datasets (e.g., census, FEMA, CDC 500 Cities, EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool, and HUD’s racially concentrated areas of poverty data) as well as local studies, such as Raincheck 2.0, The Buffalo Bicycle Master Plan, crime data, and NFTA public transportation data.

Below we'll tour those areas of greatest need for park improvements.

plan highlights, PART 3

While mapping and analyzing data can help us decide where park investments are needed most, only Buffalo residents know the types of improvements that will have the greatest impact on meeting community needs. Hearing from local residents and stakeholders was an important part of the Buffalo Parks Master Plan process. Since getting people together for in-person events was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project looked for creative ways to get feedback. These included:

All in all, over 1,200 people participated in the process. Some of the major takeaways include:

plan highlights, PART 4

This section outlines implementation strategies to address barriers to equitable park access, use, and conditions discussed in previous sections of this plan. These strategies were developed to address high-level objectives that reflect the goals identified by community members and stakeholders, which are:

• Activate and connect parks to people
• Improve the physical condition and capacity of Buffalo’s park system
• Strengthen park system resources

To advance each objective, we created detailed strategies and actions that can be taken to meet those goals. Please note that this section contains only a few highlights from the implementation strategies found in the Buffalo Parks Master Plan. To view all 21 implementation strategies found in the plan,  click here .

Buffalo will plan future park investments in areas where these benefits are needed the most, in existing or new parks. By using the maps presented in the PRIORITY NEIGHBORHOODS section above as examples, the city can prioritize park investments in the neighborhoods that have the greatest need for the services provided by parks. This approach will help the city to prioritize equity in future park development, as well as community health and the environment. 

The lack of information was identified as a barrier to park use, with many stakeholders noting that residents do not know what parks and park amenities are available outside of their own neighborhood. To address this, the City of Buffalo has created an interactive park map. Use the map below to find parks, and locate nearby park amenities:

Joint use agreements provide a significant opportunity for cities to use existing publicly-owned land at schools to quickly and effectively improve access to outdoor recreation.

Across the country, parks departments increasingly rely on, measure, and manage volunteer hours as an important resource. Buffalo’s parks could benefit from the city’s strong tradition of community engagement. Block clubs, communities of faith, and small businesses are examples of civic organizations that have a locally focused interest in improving parks.

To take advantage of this opportunity, Buffalo is working to create two new programs to enhance support for volunteers. Buffalo’s new Adopt-A-Park program lets neighborhood block clubs and other groups to officially adopt their local park. The city is also working to create a Love Your Park Grant Program. Similar to the Division of Citizen Services’ successful Love Your Block program, the grant would invite community groups to solicit funds for park improvement projects, with ongoing outreach conducted by a VISTA.

Many community members and stakeholders discussed the need for greater winter activities. Providing opportunities to stay active in the winter would provide physical and mental health benefits, and bring community members together. The recommendations below are based off of both the results of the Buffalo Parks Master Plan engagement process, as well as  Wintermission Buffalo , a project led by the Division of Citizen Services with the aim of understanding how to activate Buffalonians in the winter.

Rightsizing staffing and ensuring the appropriate skill sets among those parks staff members and determining appropriate supplementary service agreements will be a top priority. Buffalo will complete an evaluation of options for improving staffing, including staff allocation and the consideration of park partners and volunteers at parks, who can provide a public presence that amplifies park safety and activation. The city will also explore options for greater training and specialization among operations and maintenance staff. Providing official uniforms will also be a priority, as community members mentioned that it would help community members see the work that the city is doing in parks, which would strengthen their own sense of stewardship. 

While access to parks is critical, so is the quality of parks. Throughout the engagement process, many community members and stakeholders shared their feeling that the quality and upkeep of Buffalo’s city parks can vary substantially from park to park. To combat this, the city will implement a rating system to evaluate park quality and needs on a regular basis. Such a system will help park managers to invest in the parks with the greatest need for upgrades. Evaluations will be conducted periodically to ensure they are up to date and to evaluate trends compared to a baseline year. Similar rating systems have been implemented in cities across the country. 

Improving park aesthetics was the second highest priority from the online survey, behind only the need for more amenities. Forty-nine percent of survey participants said they would use parks more frequently if they were more beautiful.

These are some of the creative mural ideas we saw from Buffalo youth in the Buffalo Unlimited Activity Book:

Many community members spoke of the need for greater programming and staff presence to activate underused parks. The  Police Athletic League’s PlayStreets program  has already had success with this strategy, activating underused parks through their weekly youth sports clinics.

The Division of Parks and Recreation will work with its partners to build on this success, increasing programming in underused parks. In addition to park activation, these programs will help to raise awareness about smaller neighborhood parks. In parks where residents have expressed safety concerns, adding positive activities and an official presence will also make these parks feel more secure.

For a complete list of strategies, check out the  Buffalo Parks Master Plan .

Using this plan as a guide, Buffalo’s park system will continue to improve over the coming years, doing more than ever to meet the needs of residents like you. Making this plan a reality will be a collaborative effort. Whether it is by volunteering in a local park, reporting issues when they arise, or just keeping your local park active by visiting it regularly, you have an important role to play in supporting parks. Below you can learn about a few ways to stay involved: