A Profile of Premature Birth in Erie County

Produced by the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and the United Way Healthy Start, Healthy Future for All Coalition, this report examines why it is important to reduce premature birth in Erie County. A premature birth is a birth that occurs with less than 37 weeks gestation. Even if a mother is healthy and follows all of the preventative measures, she may still experience a premature birth. Babies born at 39 to 40 weeks gestation have the best chance of being healthy. We can work to reduce premature birth by addressing modifiable risk factors that make premature birth more likely to occur

WNY Girls in Sports

Published by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, the research conducted for this report included three phases. First, a literature review was conducted on research relating to girls sports participation. Second, original quantitative and qualitative research was conducted to assess (a) the level of activity and sports participation among girls in Buffalo, (b) the types of programming available to girls locally, and (c) the key barriers hindering girls sports participation in Buffalo. In the third phase, a literature review and interviews were conducted to review sports programming for urban girls in other cities, and to provide a synthesis of strategies and lessons learned to inform the committee. At the end of this report a list of references is provided

A Profile of Third-Grade Proficiency in Erie County

Produced by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, this report details information about why it is important for third graders in Erie County to be proficient in reading and math. Children below grade-level proficiency in third grade are much less likely to graduate from high school.Without mastering early reading and math skills, a child will fall further and further behind their peers. Without a high school degree, our children will face a future in which they are less likely to be able to support themselves through employment, and are more likely to live in poverty

E-Government and the City of Buffalo

As the United States continues to progress, the need for technological innovations has become increasingly important in the field of government. Federal, state and local governments are working towards the implementation and development of e-government practices. E-government began with the Clinton Administration in the mid 2000s, where the administration identified e-government as a way to promote a one stop access to government programs, cut costs and promote citizen advocacy in government (Moon, 2002). The purpose of this study was to explore the different departments in the City of Buffalo that are in charge of creating and implementing e-government projects. These projects are meant to improve and provide the necessary tools to help citizens communicate and request government services within their community. In this study the researcher set out to acquire qualitative interview data from Buffalo City Hall employees that have been involved with the implementation of e-government in the City of Buffalo. The interviews were composed of a series of questions to uncover implementer’s perspectives as to where the City of Buffalo stands in the e-government sphere. To validate these findings, a content analysis was performed on the City of Buffalo’s main website, their public Open Data website, the Buffalo roam parking app and the Buffalo 311 citizens services app. Findings based on this research suggest that the City of Buffalo is in somewhat good standing when it comes to the e-government implementation; however, there is still room for development

From Grain to Waste: Repurposing Buffalo's Grain Elevators

The Buffalo River, as it winds its way through the city of Buffalo, New York, is home to some of the finest examples of grain elevators to be found anywhere in the United States. These remnants, which embody cultural values and traditions of a bygone industrial age, are currently threatened with abandonment and demolition. The city of Buffalo is actively promoting improvements to its industrial riverfront area and is interested in developing current building usage standards. This thesis will attempt to repurpose and reuse the historic grain elevator complexes that define the Buffalo River waterfront in order to better use the land and recreate a place within the historic industrial fabric of the city. The goal of this thesis will serve as an example of a method for design in derelict sites where grain elevators have lost their original purpose and identity, but have retained their architectural prominence

Labor Takes the High Road: How Unions Make Western New York More Prosperous and Equitable

The report explores how unions make a major impact on the region not just through collective bargaining, but also through community service and policy advocacy. Analyzing Census data, the authors find that union members in Western New York enjoy substantially higher wages, more full-time work, more health insurance coverage, and more pension benefits than non-members. Union impacts radiate out far beyond their members. Research reveals that unions improve wages, job quality, health, and safety, for other workers as well. Unions support community efforts with volunteer hours and donations, and they play a critical role in workforce development and training. Finally, organized labor advocates for high road public policies regarding issues such as civil rights, public health, and responsible economic development

The Climate Justice Movement in Western New York

Although climate change requires an international response and will require national policies and actions, local geographies have to be involved because it that is where the harms are felt. But how can local and regional areas respond to the climate crisis? This article offers a story of the emergence of a climate justice movement in Buffalo and Western New York as an example of how one community is addressing climate change and its unequal impacts

Bringing the Good Food Purchasing Program to Buffalo

An investigation of potential environmental stakeholder participation in the Good Food Purchasing Program. The objective of this report is to investigate the GFPP’s value of environmental sustainability, to assess if this value is compatible with those of Buffalo’s environmental stakeholders, and to consider if these local organizations would be supportive of bringing the GFPP to Buffalo. In doing so, this report examines the characteristics and goals of local environmental stakeholders, and compares them to the successes that the GFPP has experienced elsewhere. Of particular importance to Buffalo’s environmental stakeholders is climate justice, water quality, and regenerative economies. All of these values correspond with the GFPP’s socio-environmental accomplishments, such as decreased greenhouse gas emissions and water resulting from reduced animal product consumption, increased local purchasing, and improved working conditions. However, these victories were not achieved without overcoming numerous barriers, such as policy regulation, financial constraints, and logistical limits

Poverty in Buffalo: Causes, Impacts, Solutions

This policy report examines the scope of poverty and inequality in Buffalo-Niagara, the causes of poverty, and its impacts across health, homelessness, education, and more. It features the insights of testifiers and commissioners from the Buffalo Truth Commission on Poverty, convened on January 25, 2018 by the Coalition for Economic Justice, the WNY Poor People\u27s Campaign, and the New York State Truth Commission on Poverty. The report concludes with solutions from the local to the federal level

The Buffalo, New York Outer Harbor as a Cultural Landscape

This cultural landscape report primarily focuses on the Buffalo Outer Harbor (Outer Harbor) located in Buffalo, New York, with an understanding that it is part of a much larger context including the Buffalo Inner Harbor (Inner Harbor) and Buffalo Middle Harbor (Middle Harbor) in order to provide context and a holistic understanding of the surrounding landscape. This cultural landscape report investigates and documents the landscape history and the existing conditions within the study area of the Outer Harbor, a site with a long, rich, and evolving history. This document focuses on the development of the area’s history, inventories the site’s existing conditions, and analyzes the historic and existing conditions in order to evaluate the significance and integrity of the site as a cultural landscape