Almost everyone knows by now
that the Congress for the New Urbanism will be hosting their annual Congress in Buffalo
next month from June 4th through June 7th. I was lucky
enough to snag a press pass so expect to get some updates and thoughts about
the sessions I plan to attend. Unfortunately, not everyone can be so lucky to
attend the urban planning conference for the ages, but you can still be
involved for free!
The CNU Next Generation of New Urbanists is a
fellowship within CNU and each evening of the Congress, NextGen will be hosting
social, networking and participatory events to maximize the experience of
attendees and highlight Buffalo. Check out the amazing offerings that run
parallel with the Congress, which are free and open to the public. Some of the
NextGen events even feature CNU speakers that are more accessible at these
events than the Congress itself. Be sure to stay up to date with NextGen by
liking their Facebook
page here.
TUESDAY, JUNE 3
Brewery Tour & Tasting
Tuesday, June 3, 3:00 pm
Pearl Street Grill & Brewery
76 Pearl St
Break the ice with cold brewskis
with the next generation of New Urbanists at the Pearl Street Grill &
Brewery. The brewery will reveal a special brew made specially for the 22nd
Congress for the New Urbanism.
Canals & Cocktails
Tuesday, June 3, 5:00-9:00 pm
Canal District Ruins (near the
Whipple Truss Bridge)
Commercial Slip
Pre-game the congress at a happy
hour and networking event at the “ruins” of the Canal District, a once
Venetian-like waterfront neighborhood wiped away during urban renewal, and now
being resurrected. Discover the restored and re-watered terminus of the Erie
Canal, long buried under a parking lot. Meet local activists and special guest
Ray Oldenberg, sociologist and writer of The
Great Good Place, which revealed how bars, coffee shops, general stores,
and other “third places” are central to local democracy and community vitality.
At 7:30 pm, a free R-rated tour of the historic Canal District will be offered.
The event is co-sponsored by Friends of the Buffalo Story.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
Opening Night Mixer & Infamous Pub Crawl
Wednesday, June 4, 7:00 pm+
Various
Pan American Grill & Brewery
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Join CNU NextGen at the congress
kick-off mixer at the Pan-American Grill & Brewery, located in the
Lafayette Hotel. Peatónito, Mexico City’s masked pedestrian revolutionary, will
offer up a presentation and short film at 7 pm. At 8 pm, join Peatónito and
local Buffalovers as they depart on NextGen's annual pub crawl, which will hit
up some of the Rust Belt's coolest watering holes. On tap will be Tappo, Brady’s,
Dinosaur BBQ, Founding Fathers... and who knows what next! The event is co-sponsored
by Buffalo’s Young Preservationists.
Ineffably Urban
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts
Center
341 Delaware Ave
Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 pm
Take in contemporary art and a
reading from Ineffably Urban, a new book by Miriam Paeslack that explores
Buffalo’s transition from an economy based on heavy industry to a future
economy now being defined. Hallwalls itself, a contemporary art center in a
repurposed, narrowly saved church, is a must-see!
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
StrongTowns Roundtable Podcast
Thursday, June 5, Noon
Pan American Grill & Brewery
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Sit down with Chuck Marohn of
StrongTowns at the Lafayette Hotel for a casual discussion of today’s hot
topics.
Silos, Brews, & Bonfires
Thursday, June 5, 6:30-11:00 pm
Silo City
Ohio and Childs Sts.
Buffalo’s Silo City is a
landscape unlike any other on the planet. Grain elevators—the largest
collection of such structures anywhere—tower over the Buffalo River, once the
world’s largest grain port. Buffalo’s role as grain capital virtually ended
when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, but these industrial giants
remain, awaiting adaptive reuse. Explore these ruins with local activists. Food
trucks, kegs of local beer, and the “Burning Stan”—a bonfire setting Buffalo’s
archetypical working man alight—will be highlights. Andrés Duany and Sjoerd
Soeters will give a special presentation at 8 pm. Need a ride? At 5:30
pm at the Convention Center, hop on the Open Air Autobus for a $35,
90-minute waterfront tour that will conclude at Silo City (and bring you
back!).
"Sugar Body Surge"
Thursday, June 5, 6:00-9:00 pm
Board of Trade & Commerce
Gallery/Resurgence Brewing Co.
1250 Niagara St.
Join in on this West Side art
event that brings together two arts entities—Sugar City and BT&C Gallery—which
are driving forces in the resurrection of one of Buffalo's forgotten industrial
landscapes. Installations and urban interventions by local artists will show
creative placemaking at work. The event will include a sneak peek into the
city's latest craft brewery, Resurgence Brewing Co.!
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
First “Street Design Book” Run
Friday, June 6, 7:45 am
Departs from Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Experience Buffalo at street
level. Join Victor Dover and John Simmerman on a morning run around Buffalo!
Buffalo Park-In
Friday, June 6, 5:00 pm
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
CNU NextGen is partnering with
the American Society of Landscape Architects, Upstate Chapter, to turn several
on-street parking spaces at the Lafayette Hotel into pop-up parks. Construction
will start at noon, with unveiling at 5 pm. Expect free tango lessons, too!
Buffalo New Urbanism Film Screening
Friday, June 6, 5:00-11:00 pm
Pan American Grill & Brewery
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
The inaugural New Urbanism Film
Festival in Los Angeles in 2013 was a huge success. Audiences were provoked,
inspired, and challenged to build better places for themselves and their
communities. Now the festival producers are taking the show on the road with a
special screening of the award winning videos of NUFF2013. The world premier of
“Olmsted’s Enduring Legacy,” a WNED documentary on Buffalo’s park and parkway
system, will be featured at 5 pm.
Pecha Kucha & Debate Night
Friday, June 6, 6:00-10:00 pm
Pan American Grill & Brewery
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
NextGen takes over the back room
of the Pan-American Grill & Brewery for all-night pecha kucha (starts at 6
pm) and debate and discussion (starts at 8 pm). Have an idea you’d like to
present? The floor is yours!
Late Show
Friday, June 6, 10:00 pm
Pan American Grill & Brewery
Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns
will record his Late Show and talk up the big topics at CNU 22.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
Second “Street Design Book” Run
Thursday, June 6, 7:45 am
Departs from Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Experience Buffalo at street
level. Join Victor Dover and John Simmerman on a morning run around Buffalo!
Five Points +
Saturday, June 7, 11:00 am-3:00
pm
Five Points
Rhode Island and West Utica Sts.
"Five Points +"
neighborhood stakeholders, business owners, and concerned citizens will
leverage tactical urbanism to traffic calm a dangerous, problematic
intersection. Expect a street party, art, chalk, and greenery, to boot! Peatónito,
Mexico City’s masked pedestrian revolutionary, will be a participant!
Tour de Neglect
Saturday, June 7, 12:30-2:15 pm
Departs from Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
Activist, blogger, and
photographer David Torke will give the Tour de Neglect, which will guide
cyclists across the oceanic devastation of Buffalo's East Side. Starting and
ending at bookends of hope, with chapters on change in between, the Tour de
Neglect will include all the scandal of the Tour de France without its spandex
and champagne. This tour should come with a warning label: “May inspire
feelings of civic duty and moral outrage.” The Tour de Neglect will include
stops at St. Anne's Church, Wilson Street Farm, Buffalo Central Terminal,
William Simon brewery, Sacred Heart Church, and Larkin Power House. Two dozen
bicycles will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. An optional
lunch will follow at a to-be-disclosed location. The tour is free.
Lunch at the Roycroft
Saturday, June 7, 12:15-3:15 pm
Departs from Convention Center
Elbert Hubbard, the marketing
genius of the Larkin Co., took early retirement and founded Roycroft, an Arts
and Crafts-inspired colony of artists and artisans in East Aurora, south of
Buffalo, in 1895. Eventually numbering over 500, his followers built a number
of Roycroft buildings, including an inn, powerhouse, and several workshops.
This tour takes us directly to the Roycroft Inn, magnificently restored and
filled with Arts and Crafts furniture, decorative fixtures, and murals. A
reasonably-priced lunch will be available (tour and transportation cost does
not include meal). Cost is $40. The tour is sponsored by the Campaign for
Greater Buffalo.
Kickball Tournament
Saturday, June 7, 2:30 pm
Central Wharf
Foot of Main St
Join NextGen for the First
Annual CNU NextGen Kickball Tournament. Sign up here: cnunextgen.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/june-7-cnu-nextgen-kickball-tourny/
Hamlin Park Historic District: What's Next?
Saturday, June 7, 3:00-5:00 pm
Departs from Lafayette Hotel
391 Washington St
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To clarify, all the listings above are free and open to the public? Thanks for putting this together!
ReplyDeleteThat's right! It enables folks to be involved with CNU without having to pay or attend the official sessions.
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