Buffalo Rebooting its Code

Buffalo is nearing the finish line in an efforts to draft a new form-based code.

1 minute read

June 17, 2014, 6:00 AM PDT

By snewberg @JoeUrbanist


"'We’re in the home stretch,' explains Chris Hawley, a planner with the City of Buffalo who has been instrumental in writing a new form based code for the city, due to be implemented as early as the end of 2014," according to an article by Sam Newberg.

"Dating from 1953, the city is taking the unusual step of throwing the old code out in its entirety."

"It is not business as usual in Buffalo, which has suffered not only from years of overall decline but also from a zoning code that promoted disinvestment in the city. Hawley notes that in recent years pretty much everyone agreed the zoning code is problematic, particularly those trying to do mixed-use projects in the city. As a result, significant bureaucracy impediments that used to exist have given way to a sense that the government should get out of the way." 

Friday, June 13, 2014 in Congress for the New Urbanism

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

1 hour ago - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

2 hours ago - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

3 hours ago - KOMO News