Hurricane Sandy

Due to the preparation of Hurricane Sandy, the study will briefly come to a pause. I hope everybody is safe and ready for Hurricane Sandy as she comes up the Northeast. 

Queen City vs. Salt City

I will be going down to Syracuse this weekend to have another advisor visit for my study because I have noticed that I have gone off to a tangent from my initial study and need some guidance. Once again, I reminded myself that this study needs to be something that is visible and that can be studied through observations in the landscape. Along with my Off Campus Program advisor visit, I plan on meeting with my academic advisor to discuss about the follow up courses I will be taking the spring of 2013 right after my Off Campus Program prior to graduation: May of 2013. So far, this Off Campus Program/Study has been quite stressful in terms of trying to figure out what and how to execute a procedure in your methods in order for you to gather inventory and at the same time analyze what you've obtain so that the study question can be answered. After a careful reflection of the nine weeks here in the city of Buffalo, I can honestly state that developing a self-timesheet to complete your task at hand while juggling ten other things is a skill I've obtained from this Off Campus Program.

The city of Buffalo (Queen City) is similar to the city of Syracuse (Salt City) in many ways. Both the cities are in college campus environments with history in manufacturing of exporting goods. Both have common segregated communities of poverty and low income living, but at the same time have busy downtown/city halls that consist of many courts, bars, restaurants, and skyscrapers.  But the question to ask is: Why is the city of Buffalo not thriving like Syracuse, NY?

On another note, my parents called today informing me that there will be a hurricane in the city of New York this coming week. I pray everybody will be safe and sound prepped with their families. I have not heard much regarding this hurricane in the city of Buffalo, NY besides some rainfall and winds, but let’s all be safe and prepared.  

- Edward L

Census of Buffalo

This week I decided to start developing my hypothesis to whether Niagara Falls State Park really influences the city of Buffalo economically in a beneficial or negative way. Going through all the research and inventory that I’ve gathered, I personally don’t think The Falls as a tourist attraction has much of an economic effect to the city of Buffalo. I decided to side track a bit and started to dig deeper into the history of Buffalo, New York. Based on the data, I noticed some patterns; the city of Buffalo seem to be in an exponential downfall in terms of population and an increase in poverty.  

According to Census, during the 1950s Buffalo was the 15^th  largest city in the country being the nation's largest inland port, 2nd biggest rail center, 6^th  largest steel producer, and 8^th  largest manufacturer. Currently in the 21^st century, the United Nations released a report entitled "State of the World's Cities" in which the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area was specifically cited as having one of the worst rates of economic inequality in the world and that it was racially based. The report stated "… western New York state, where 40 per cent of black, Hispanic and ethnically mixed households earned less than $15,000 in 1999, as compared to 15 per cent of white households. In addition, the United States Census department also released information placing the Buffalo-Niagara metro area, as the 8^th  most segregated area in America. Segregation and job loss leads to population loss to the city, which is exactly what is occurring in this Queen city.

 

With a downfall in population, Buffalo faces issues such as vacancy and abandoned houses. The Queen city currently ranks 2^nd only to St. Louis on the list of American cities with the most vacant properties per capita. - Vacant Houses, Scourge of a Beaten-down Buffalo.New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2007.

Below are the principal employers trying to keep the people of Buffalo to stay and make this Queen city thrive once again. According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the Buffalo Metropolitan Area as of 2011 are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	State of New York	27,955
2	University at Buffalo	10,898
3	Kaleida Health	10,000
4	United States of America	10,000
5	Catholic Health System	6,230
6	Employer Services Corp	6,089
7	Buffalo City School District	5,200
8	Tops Markets	5,103
9	HSBC Bank USA	5,000
10	M&T Bank	4,611

- Edward L

Landscape Architecture Symposium

To side track a bit from my Off Campus Project, I wanted to share a public event that will be free this week from October 16th to October 17th: The Landscape Architecture Symposium here in Buffalo, NY. There will be eight featured speakers discussing about the examination of changing landscape of architectural patronage.

The symposium will open Oct. 16 with a panel, “Student as Instigator,” at 5:30 p.m. in the Greatbatch Pavilion, 125 Jewett Parkway, Buffalo, on the site of the Darwin Martin House. It will feature guest speakers and UB architecture students in a discussion about the role of emerging young designers in a shifting landscape for practice.

The schedule on Oct. 17 will begin at 9 a.m. in Harriman Hall, South Campus. Events will include a series of panels organized around the emerging roles of the architect—as an advocate actively engaging new client bases, as a detective uncovering hidden conditions and spaces, and as an initiator forging entrepreneurial and innovative business models for architectural practice. A catered reception will follow at 7:30 p.m. in Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo. For more information and reservation to this event, please click on the links below:

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2012_10_11/martell_symposium

http://beyondpatronage.wordpress.com/rsvp/?contact-form-id=14&contact-form-sent=294&_wpnonce=2f01e5471e#contact-form-14

- Edward L

Crossing the Border

Canada’s minimum wage is on average $10. I found that number to be very fascinating in comparison to the $7.25 that America has. The trip this weekend to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and the city of Toronto was eye-opening and most defiantly a new experience and additional to this Off Campus Program. The toll was $3.25 to cross the bridge to the border of the U.S. into Canada with no additionally toll to come back. There was also the $1 toll to cross Grand Island from Buffalo there and back. So a round trip with a car as your mode of transportation cost a total of $5.25.

First of all, one of the most important things to know is that Canada uses a different metric system and secondly a different currency. Once I drove in Canada, I notice the green sign on the right of the highway that stated that the speed limit was 100. I thought to myself 100 is quite fast and realized that it was 100kmph, which is equivalent to 60mph moments after. The currency of Canada is also different and it seems to me like people in Canada see U.S. dollars as change and not so much as a dollar bill with any value. That is because 1 U.S. dollar = 0.9796 Canadian dollars. The American dollar is worth less than a dollar in Canada. The smallest bill Canada has is a $5. The value of $1 in Canada is a gold coin. I also had to close my cellphone because of international fees and thus had no phone to use. However, as a surprise there are a few payphones in the streets of Toronto. After visiting Niagara Falls in Canada, I drove on the QEW and an hour and a half later arrived in the bright busy streets of Toronto. I visited the small neighborhood of Chinatown and saw that there was a trolley used as a bus system with streets constructed in cobblestone material. Canada is very different from the city of Buffalo, but at the same time reminds me much of New York City.

- Edward L 

Interview from the Philippines

This marks the end of week 7 and start of week 8 for the Off Campus Program. This week flew by as I prepare for my trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls State Park or as it’s called in the Canadian side: Queen Victoria Park or Niagara Parkway Boardwalk. I also plan on going to the neighboring city of Toronto this weekend after passing by the Park. Toronto is the capital and largest city in the province of Ontario, Canada with over two and a half million people.

Regarding my study topic, I met a family this week while working who were visiting from the Philippines who asked about the Niagara Falls State Park. The first thing that came to my head was that there was an abroad family from South East Asia that came to Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls State Park and I thought that was insane. I quickly told them that I was actually doing a study on Niagara Falls State Park and the impacts it has to the city of Buffalo, NY.  Moments after, I asked if I could have a quick interview with them asking them a few more questions regarding their visit. From that interview, I realized they were here in Buffalo for professional/work reasons for a week and the first big attraction they thought of in Buffalo is Niagara Falls State Park to see The Falls that separates the U.S from Canada. It was quite an interview as well as the rest of the day at my job after meeting a family from the Philippines who came for job purposes and then later decide that they will go to the Niagara Falls State Park. Meeting the family and having the interview defiantly made my day and week. However what I noticed is that it does seem like there is this big misinterpretation that the Niagara Falls State Park being in the city of Buffalo when it is actually located in Niagara Falls, NY.

Furthermore, after coming back from New York City last weekend I noticed that I have got a lot closer to my family because of this Off Campus Program. I find myself calling my family more and keeping in contact more than I did when I was in Syracuse.

- Edward L 

Columbus Day Weekend

After turning 22 this past weekend I feel the growth of responsibility hit me harder than last year. It was an additional year in which I developed friends, professional networks, and experienced life changing events that will get me closer to reach my career path; for all that I am thankful. I would like to thank my family for all the support and guidance that they gave that got me to where I am now. I would also like to thank my professors, advisor, and the director of this program for making this Off Campus Program a reality, without you all I would not be writing this blog entry and this website would have never existed.  Thank you.

Going back to my study, the advisor meeting in which I mentioned last entry did not go how I planned for it to go. The three goals that I have developed for myself did not get achieved. Unfortunately, the meeting did not even take place. There was a football game in Syracuse last Friday and all faculty needed to be off parking grounds by 5pm, which is when I arrived on campus. However, on the bright side I got in contact with my advisor for this Off Campus Project and we will be skyping to keep in contact as a more efficient means of communication in order for the evaluation of the work done so far and guidance to the following steps to progress on this project. I hope this will be soon because this week marks the start of week 7 in the Off Campus Program, which is half of the 14 week Off Campus Program.

After self- evaluation, I have kept up with my journal entry, journal sketchbook, project notebook, and blogging my progress, but lacking in terms of the start in my thesis project. The weekend away from my project gave me the perfect inspiration and motivation to get me back on track and evaluate what I have done and what I need to do in order to answer my study question for my Off Campus Project. Time management and good communication with professors could really make or break this Off Campus experience. 

- Edward L