Seeds of the New Commons

Seeds of the New Commons: Building the Future in the Present
Chris Carlsson in conversation with Justin Booth and Kirk Laubenstein
November, 6th 7:00 pm
Sugar City (19 Wadsworth - near Elmwwod and Allen)

Join Chris Carlsson (San Francisco-based activist, author and historian), Justin Booth (Green Options Buffalo, Buffalo Blue Bicycle) and Kirk Laubenstein(Grassroots Gardens) for a discussion on how the future is being built today, in Buffalo and beyond.

Chris Carlsson is a writer, publisher, editor, and community organizer. He is the executive director of the multimedia history project Shaping San Francisco,
and has edited four collections of political and historical essays. He helped launch the monthly bike-ins known as Critical Mass, and was the longtime editor of Processed World magazine.

In his current book Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners are Inventing the Future Today, San Francisco-based activist and historian Chris Carlsson profiles practices that embody a deep challenge to the basic underpinnings of modern life, as a new ecologically driven politics emerges from below, reshaping our assumptions about science, technology, and human potential.

Justin Booth is the director and founder of Green Options Buffalo which has launched programs including Recycle-A-Bicycle, Blue Bicycle and the Commercial District Bicycle Parking Program. His focus has been on developing interventions focused upon enhancing quality of life through healthier built and natural environments.

Kirk Laubenstein is president of Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo, a community gardening program working with public and private sectors to revitalize neighborhoods and build quality of life through the reuse and beautification of vacant land.

This event is free and open to all ages

http://www.nowtopians.com
http://www.greenoptionsbuffalo.org
http://www.grassrootsgardens.org

Carlsson interviewed on KEXP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pfDjnbWuQ

[Thanks to Kirk Laubenstein and Cynthia Van Ness for the information]

Photos from our Annual Meeting

Preservation Buffalo Niagara celebrated its 1st anniversary with a meeting at the historic Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Built from 1894-5, the interior has remained virtually unchanged throughout its history. After brief speeches about the year's successes and challenges, membership was invited to enjoy some birthday cake and cider. More pictures will be posted later. If you are interested in becoming a member, which includes discounts and coupons for many Buffalo Tours events, please call us at (716) 852-3300.

Richardson Olmsted Complex Declared 2009 Landslide Site

From the Richardson Center Corporation:

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) announced the 2009 Landslide theme – Shaping the American Landscape – and the sixteen 2009 Landslide sites, including the Richardson Olmsted Complex.

Landslide, established in 2002, examines threatened landscapes (listed thematically, e.g., working landscapes, designed landscapes), and is designed to educate the public about and rally support for these sites.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), established in 1998, is the only not-for-profit foundation in America dedicated to increasing the public’s awareness of the important legacy of cultural landscapes and the need to help save them for future generations.

Previous Landslides have been accompanied by traveling exhibitions organized in cooperation with and curated by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, which commissioned original photography of the endangered places.

The sixteen 2009 Landslide sites, culled from nearly 100 nominations, feature the work of master landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted, Beatrix Farrand, George Kessler and Hideo Sasaki, along with architects I.M. Pei and H.H. Richardson.

Erie Canal Harbor Model Photos

Several hundred citizens attended a public comment session about the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Study (DGEIS) for the Erie Canal Harbor. More details about the meeting can be found on Buffalo Rising. Models were also on display, of which some photos can be seen below.


Pedestrian ramp and recreation area outside Bass Pro.


Looking south down Main Street


Looking east from the Cobblestone District


Looking north from the water. In front, a proposed boutique hotel.


Construction of a parking ramp near the Marine Drive Apartments generated the most controversy.