ImagineLaSalleBriefingBook_FINAL_Singles
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Acknowledgements<br />
Imagine LaSalle is a community-driven initiative to<br />
explore the future of LaSalle Park. This effort is made<br />
possible through the generosity of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.<br />
Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation<br />
for Greater Buffalo. This report summarizes the Imagine<br />
LaSalle community visioning process that took place over<br />
the summer of 2018.<br />
The work was guided by a focus group of 22 community<br />
ambassadors who dedicated their time and energy to<br />
explore LaSalle Park’s unique features and draw inspiration<br />
and ideas from parks in other US cities. The group<br />
participated in several tours of LaSalle, made trips to parks<br />
in Chicago, Cincinnati, and New York City, and reached out<br />
to their neighbors and community partners to get involved<br />
in the community process.<br />
The Belle Center staff and youth ensured representation<br />
from young people through a “PhotoVoice” activity<br />
incorporated into their summer program. This brought ten<br />
summer campers to the park to take pictures and write<br />
about their thoughts and ideas for LaSalle.<br />
Nearly 1,200 park users and community members weighed<br />
in via the Imagine LaSalle community survey. In addition<br />
to a team that administered the survey at the park on<br />
nearly 30 occasions, more than two dozen community<br />
groups provided outreach support by getting the word out<br />
or hosting the survey team at local or regional gathering<br />
places.<br />
The City of Buffalo provided data, connected community<br />
groups to the project, opened opportunities to engage<br />
people at the park, and provided overall guidance to the<br />
project. The Division of Parks and Recreation, the Mayor’s<br />
Office of Strategic Planning, the Department of Community<br />
Services and Recreational Programming, and the Buffalo<br />
Urban Development Corporation all played a critical role.<br />
A stakeholder group of 19 local organizations or agencies<br />
provided technical guidance and advised on collaboration<br />
opportunities. This group reviewed analysis and shared<br />
information about nearby projects or programs that may<br />
impact the future of LaSalle Park.<br />
The University at Buffalo Regional Institute, with support<br />
from faculty from UB’s School of Architecture and Planning,<br />
oversaw the engagement process and synthesized the<br />
public input for this report.<br />
2 Imagine LaSalle: A Community Vision for Buffalo’s LaSalle Park | October 2018
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