Friday, November 30, 2012

Sustaining Its Culture through Tourism

Diagram of Tourism Types

With the end of November here, I feel the pressure to get all my work complete as I try to wrap everything up from this Off Campus Program in Buffalo NY. While synthesizing my gathered work, I stumbled upon some interesting readings which assisted with my re-designing phase of my synthesized work. With the synthesized graphic representations, I’ve decided to developed some new innovative designs myself that will help with the tourism in the urban fabric of Niagara Falls, NY.

My comprehensive approach to the re-designing was to incorporate the three fundamental principles into the planning and design. The principles were respecting the historic context, implementing ecological needs, and accommodating the contemporary needs and demands of the visitors. With such high rates of vacancy in the surrounding buildings and areas, I wanted to restructure the sites as a means of heritage tourism and recreational opportunities. There was also an idea of re-designing to make it so that The Falls were more like one place instead of two different countries. Instead of having the American side and the Canadian side of the Falls, it would be just known as one location called the Niagaras. 

After further synthesis, I’ve narrowed in on the specific types of tourism I will be focusing on in terms of its sustainability to Niagara Falls as a tourist icon. They include the following: Community Heritage, Recreational/Program, Eco-tourism, Adventure/Honeymoon, and Mass Tourism. Niagara Falls State Park was a well-known honeymoon capital in the early nineteenth century til now. There has been a lot of history in The Falls including many battles, which is honored by statues in the park along with the surrounding streets leading to the park such as cobblestone road also known as Old Falls Street. With such a vast amount of history here in The Falls, we must provide ways to sustain its culture for future generations to admire and experience.

- Edward L 

Monday, November 26, 2012

$25 Million Park Plan


“Eight million tourists every year on a dedicated parkway into Niagara Falls State Park, park on one of 1,200 parking spaces, eat at state-contracted Delaware North food stands, plug quarters into coin-operated binoculars, squeeze in like sardines for a 15 minute boat ride, purchase souvenirs at the Observation Tower gift shop and then exit the park on the same road without setting foot or spending a dollar in the city of Niagara Falls.” - Niagara Falls Reporter

Above is a quote from a Niagara Falls reporter who expresses how they feel in terms of the tourism that goes on here in the city of Niagara Falls. This quote really did not surprise me at all after spending a whole semester here in Niagara Falls, NY studying the tourism of Niagara Falls State Park and how it affects the urban fabric of downtown Niagara Falls, NY.

There have been a lot of plans to revitalization the nation’s oldest State Park, Niagara Falls State Park. Officially in April of 2012, there was a 92 page plan for the rehabilitation of Niagara Falls State Park that was issued. Below is the link of the article a worker of Niagara Falls State Park sent me explaining more on what this “rehabilitation” is all about in terms of its tourism and how it affects the city of Niagara Falls, NY.

http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/Stories/2012/June19/Hufnagel.html

- Edward L