Context
Planning at the local and regional level is essential for the sustainable and smart use of our region's land and resources. Indeed, it is the region's ability to partner in looking ahead that helps to ensure a high quality of life over the long term.
What Planning & Land Use Measures
This section of the State of the Region focuses on three areas: the nature and extent of municipal planning in Western New York; land use patterns and conditions resulting from and prompting planning activity; and regional planning. The project regularly conducts a survey of municipalities to collect information on planning codes and processes. This topic area also assesses trends in urban expansion, residential development, public transit rider-ship and the region's farmland.
The Road Ahead
The project relies on a range of local, regional, state and national data from public and private sources as well as its municipal survey to portray the state of planning and land use in the Buffalo Niagara region. It should be noted that its scope is limited to planning at the municipal level or higher, as sub-municipal and neighborhood issues do not lend themselves to regional analysis. Also, data on planning and land use in Canada are not directly comparable to U.S. data due to differences in planning law and governance, although information from Southern Ontario is included where reasonable.
Planning & Land Use Indicators - (Latest Indicator Updates)
10.1 Urban Expansion — 
(Dec 2002 )
Expansion of urbanized land area in Western New York; growth in population and housing units constructed in the region
10.2 Farms and Farmland — (Feb 2005 )
Number of farms and total farm acreage in the binational Buffalo Niagara region; profile of farm size and farmland use
10.3 Office and Industrial Space — (Nov 1999 )
Amount and availability of office and industrial square footage in Erie and Niagara counties, including the City of Buffalo's downtown area
10.4 Residential Development — (Dec 2002 )
Number of residential building permits issued and single-family homes sold in Western New York; the number of housing starts in Southern Ontario
10.5 Road and Bridge Conditions — (Feb 2005 )
Proportion of state-system roads in Western New York in poor condition; status of Western New York bridges
10.6 Public Transit Ridership — (Nov 2000 )
Ridership totals for the binational Buffalo Niagara region’s bus, rail and paratransit systems; coverage area of region’s public transit systems
10.7 Master Planning and Zoning — (Nov 2000 )
Western New York municipalities with master and/or zoning plans
10.8 Alternative Planning Tools — (Nov 2000 )
Use of alternative planning tools by Western New York municipalities without master or zoning plans
10.9 County and Regional Planning — (Nov 1999 )
Western New York counties and Southern Ontario municipalities with master land use, economic development and capital improvement plans; assistance provided to municipalities by local planning departments
10.10 Planning Collaborations — (Nov 2000 )
Western New York municipalities engaging in planning collaborations; subject areas addressed by those planning collaborations
10.11 Agricultural Subsidies — (Dec 2002 )
Value and allocation of federal farm subsidies in Western New York; demographic profile of Western New York farm operators
Progress Over Time