ENVISION NEIGHBORHOODS: Envision Neighborhoods is the City of Buffalo’s ongoing community engagement strategy that works to better understand the needs and desires of residents and stakeholders in each of Buffalo’s 35 planning neighborhoods. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that all future public investment is guided in a way that is resident-centered as the City continues to make strides toward a targeted approach to neighborhood planning. This initiative is multifaceted in that it includes several ways to reach residents where they are. Residents, community leaders, and stakeholders were invited to have honest conversations with City planners and staff about topics ranging from housing and racial equity to infrastructure. To date, over 600 residents have been engaged city-wide beginning in the Spring of 2022 through an online survey, in-person open house events, pop-up events, block club meetings, community meetings, and more. While it is important to recognize that all members of the Buffalo community have valuable insight, unique experiences, and varying needs, the City has taken an equitable approach through this engagement process by placing a strong emphasis on targeting neighborhoods and populations who are less engaged and involved in community building opportunities. As the City continues to support and plan with its stronger and often highly engaged communities, Envision Neighborhoods strives to provide opportunities for residents who have been historically marginalized to be heard and participate in the process of shaping the future that they envision for their neighborhoods. Planners with expertise in each topic area were there to guide conversations and help residents identify the needs of the community. In addition to these open house events, an online survey was prepared that covered the same topics. Within the survey, participants were asked to identify top priorities they wish to see the City prioritize in the coming years, as well as indicate their neighborhoods’ strengths and weaknesses. While needs vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, residents indicated that the major focus areas of the city should be in housing affordability and quality, economic development, job creation, and improved public safety. As for specific neighborhood improvements, residents identified condition of streets and sidewalks, safety, CITIZENS PLANNING COUNCIL PROCESS: The Citizens Planning Council (CPC) consists of 15 members who are residents of the City who do not hold elective or appointed office in government. Of the 15 members, 8 members are appointed by the Mayor, 5 are appointed by the Common Council, and 2 are appointed by the Board of Education. Members serve voluntarily with one member acting as Chairperson. Along with many important roles per the Charter, the CPC is charged (Section 19-4 of the Charter) with reviewing and assessing the City’s Four-Year Strategic Plan on an annual basis. The CPC recommends modifications and additions to the preliminary draft from the Office of Strategic Planning and then submits those modifications and additions to the Common Council. The CPC documented their review and assessment of the preliminary draft in an open/public letter filed with the Common Council (item 22-1688). Within this letter, the CPC included the following key comments and recommendations: ensuring a focus on providing indicators for promoting community safety and well-being; decreasing the percent of food insecure households by creating more options in communities to purchase healthy food; adding an agricultural component; providing an indicator for expanding education and employment opportunities; broadening focus of types of institutions offering training and subsequently employment opportunities in the solar, agriculture, technology (IT), and culinary industries; providing an indicator for supporting diverse business community through policy; identify a measurement tool to monitor company pledges; and examine the correlation between housing integrity and the rising number of new apartment units. IMPLEMENTING THE CITY OF BUFFALO FOUR-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN: Achieving our city’s strategic priorities and actions identified in this Plan will require coordination across City departments, agencies, and our local, state, and federal partners. In addition, this Plan is a companion to other planning efforts initiated by the City, its departments, and its agencies. While various City departments and agencies will oversee the implementation of each action, the Office of Strategic Planning will monitor progress in the years to come with reporting and updates to this Four-Year Strategic Plan every year. The Office of Strategic Planning will provide this yearly report and update to the Citizen Planning Council and Common Council annually and will post this update publicly on the City’s website. Lastly, this plan will serve as a year-round guide for City departments as we work to accomplish the specific priorities and actions that have been identified in this plan. This plan is intended to be a living document and the City will enact a process to track and measure the progress of projects. ONGOING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Division of Citizen Services maintains the computer-based system and procedures for receiving, processing, and responding to inquiries, service requests, complaints, and suggestions from citizens in a timely matter through the 311 Call and Resolution Center. In addition to hosting this centralized system, the Division of Citizens Services works closely with residents, block clubs, and organizations through various programs including Love Your Block, Clean Sweeps, Winter Mission, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design training, and the Project M.O.V.E. AmeriCorp’s VISTA program. Understanding resident needs through 311 provides the opportunity to take a data-driven approach to these programs and better serve Buffalo’s residents. Each month, the Division of Citizen Services hosts a Community Block chat, providing a space for residents to connect with City officials, nonprofit, and organization leaders to learn more about what is happening in their neighborhoods and across the city. The intention is to keep residents connected and educate them about existing resources in the community. The Division of Citizen Services remains committed to neighborhood improvement and continues to refine the processes under which residents are engaged and needs are met. The Department of Community Services and Recreational Programming is made up of several divisions that work in concert with community-based organizations to enrich and complement the lives of residents living in the City of
