University of Buffalo and Buffalo in general

[macapplechick]

I'm in my junior year of undergrad studies and I'm starting to look at grad programs. I am really interested in the grad program at University of Buffalo, but I'm definitely open to other universities and programs as well. I'm interested in land use and real estate and would like to work with the revitalization of urban areas and how people use the space they live in.

My questions are:
-If I did choose UB, what specialization should I look at?
-If not UB, where and why?
-What is Buffalo like as a city? (I'm from the Midwest and I'm not sure what to expect.)

Thanks and I'm looking forward to some advice!

[BIH80]

I don't know anything about Buffalo, the city or univeristy. Sorry. However, I can recommend the MUP in Community Revitalization at VCU Wilder School of Gov't & Public Affairs. The program is accredited and offers a rich selection of courses in this area to choose from. More importantly, VCU is in Richmond, a beautiful historical city undergoing an impressive renaissance that should last long enough for you to get rich after graduation. That's if you go the developer route.

[wesjmw77]

I can only speak from a brief visit at Buffalo. To me, the city was much nicer than what people perceive it as. I thought there were great walkable neighborhoods with commercial nodes all over. The downtown is actually very nice. There is no doubt this is an industrial city, but is sure has gone through a renaissance that you will be able to experience firsthand. One cool thing about the city is the small rail/subway system. Although very controversial, it is unique. You are in close proximity to Toronto, so that is a bonus (I believe you can go by train). UB planning department seemed somewhat disconnected from the rest of UB. The people I met were incredible enthused about their and the city. I would definitely check it out…it would be a live and learn environment for you.

[steel]

I love Buffalo. It is a great and maddening city. It has just about everything a larger city has and if it does not have that you can be in Toronto in about an hour and a half plus it has Niagara Falls and other nearby astonishing natural beauty. For me Buffalo is architecture. If you like architecture Buffalo will not disappoint.

The palnning school is housed with architecture on the Main Street Campus. Almost all of the other undergrad schools are on the Amherst Campus. The Main STreet campus is mostly medical School stuff so you will be somewhat remote from the main body of undergrads. The advantage is that the Amherst campus is a suburban hell hole.

Here are some very good photo threads that I put together in the past showing Buffalo and its environs.

http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15494

http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14017

http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17534

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...threadid=82854

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...threadid=72850

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...636&hl=buffalo

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...opic=12259&hl=

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...opic=12144&hl=

also this thread has a great list and discussion of current development in the city
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...threadid=61788

This Blog keeps track of a lot of great thngs happening in the city
http://buffalorising.blogspot.com/

This Forum has a lot of local discussion
http://www.speakupwny.com/forum/index.php?s=

Here is the Buffalo News
http://www.buffalo.com/

[whit_x]

My questions are:
-If I did choose UB, what specialization should I look at? Do Not Know
-If not UB, where and why? Florida State University (Where I'm at now), since they have recently added a certification program for real estate. Also, if you decide to stay in Florida after graduation, there are plenty of jobs available so you can start in your career
-What is Buffalo like as a city? (I'm from the Midwest and I'm not sure what to expect.)
Lots of cool architecture and older neighborhoods that people in Florida would kill for, Park system designed by Olmstead, Slowly revitalizing downtown, several colleges and universities in the area, Good weather for 7 or 8 months of the year, Campus that planning school is at is the end of the light rail system that leads to downtown.

[dandy_warhol]

i went to UB for undergrad and got my BA in soc. i spent most of my time on the north, or amherst, campus. the south, main street, campus is where the medical school is located and where every year (at least when i was there) some poor freshman got stuck away from everyone else. the north campus may be in suburbia but that is where the majority of UB activities are, the Union, the performing arts center, etc.

i really enjoyed my time at UB and considered its planning program but ended up going to a different program for personal reasons, i.e. closer to my boyfriends PhD program.

buffalo the city is nice, old, industrial. i wish i had spent more time exploring the city when i was there. imo, buffalo is a lot like other rustbelt cities, cleveland, detroit, pittsburgh. another nice thing about buffalo is that it is right near canada and points north.

weather-wise, buffalo gets cold and snowy in the winter. there will be days where you don't want to venture outside because of the elements. but the worst part about buffalo weather isn't the snow, it is the wind. it comes right off of the lake and cuts through you to the bone!

good luck with your search for planning programs!

[RandomPlanner]

I am really interested in the grad program at University of Buffalo, ...

I can feel the eyes rolling already but anyone that went to UB will back me up on this: The University OF Buffalo hasn't existed for many years. Instead, when SUNY took over, it became officially the State University of New York AT Buffalo, technically SUNY at Buffalo but affectionately called the University at Buffalo, or UB. Sorry, but this is a big pet peeve of mine and if you choose this school, you will agree with me soon enough.

As for the school itself, it's a good one. Buffalo is a declining city, which gives planning students a great opportunity to get involved and actually make a difference. Being on the south campus (which Steel already mentioned is in the City itself) is perfect for the program [plus, as a planner, you would hate the cookie cutter suburb where the other campus resides]. It's still a fairly small program, so you get the extra attention from the professors and staff, but housed in a large university, so you get all the perks of that (from 12 libraries and like 35 places to eat on campus(es).

PM me for more details - I loved going to UB!!!

[timbucktwo]

Mulligan's Brick Bar.

[whit_x]

The bars serve until 4 AM. Maybe it's not a huge factor, but at least it's on the table.