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4 • • Thursday, September 17, 2026
Buffalo briefs town as an attractive destination is
Getting people to see down-

one of those conundrums, espe-
cially at a time when fewer em-
ployees have returned to the office
Top urban experts com-
full time following the pandemic,
ing to Buffalo to debate noted Conrad Kickert, associate
future of downtowns professor of urban design and di-
Across the country, down- rector of programs at the Rudy
towns that once served as centers Bruner Center. He will serve as a
of commerce and recreation are moderator of the debate.
plagued by quieter streets and “With fewer office workers,
buildings, fewer office workers downtowns are missing the people
and scattered retail establishments who bought lunch or a drink at the
fighting to survive. inclusive, adaptable and durable end of the day,” Kickert said.
The conundrum goes beyond downtowns. “Downtowns should be more than Avoiding a Costly Lockout: 4 Reasons
empty offices and struggling cof- “Downtown is not simply a office parks. They should be plac-
fee shops and poses the existential Buffalo question,” said Julia Czer- es to shop, live, eat and socialize. to Duplicate Your Car Key
question: Who and what are niak, professor of architecture and And in Buffalo, there’s a new ad-
downtowns for? dean of the School of Architecture ministration that’s really thinking (Feature Impact) Losing your the road without additional has-
The University at Buffalo and Planning. “Cities across the of where downtown is headed keys may be frustrating, but real- sle.
School of Architecture and Plan- country are reconsidering assump- next.” izing you’re locked out of your Give Another Driver
ning’s Rudy Bruner Center for tions that shaped downtown de- Participants in this year’s de- car – without a spare key – can be Convenient Access
Urban Excellence will examine velopment for generations.” bate cover the gamut of downtown truly panic-inducing. The price of If you share a vehicle with
this question and others during a Buffalo makes a particularly thought leadership. getting back on the road can de- another member of your house-
debate featuring top urban experts useful place to hold the conversa- They include Elijah Anderson, pend on several factors, including hold, it makes life more conve-
on Friday, Oct. 23. tion, however. Like many older Yale University sociologist and your vehicle make and model, the nient for each driver to have their
The 2026 Rudy Bruner Debate American cities, it has seen its leading urban ethnographer; Kar- type of key that needs replacing own keys. Instead of passing the
on Urban Excellence will be held downtown pass through periods of en Chapple, director of the Uni- and whether the situation calls for primary set back and forth, or
from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Seneca growth, disinvestment and rein- versity of Toronto School of emergency roadside assistance. arguing over who saw them last,
One Auditorium, 1 Seneca St., vention. Cities and leader of the Down- Avoiding a potentially pricey both of you will have reliable ac-
Buffalo. It’s free and open to the “The City of Buffalo has pro- town Recovery research project; and stressful lockout, which oc- cess to the car when you need it.
public, but advance registration is vided important leadership in that Lynne Sagalyn, Columbia Univer- curs for nearly 4 million Ameri- Plus, a spare set of keys makes a
required through the Rudy Bruner continuing reinvention, advancing sity real estate scholar and author cans each year, starts by planning nice surprise when it’s time to
event website. major public investments and of “Downtown, Inc.”; Alex Krieg- ahead. According to KeyMe give a new driver in the house
Urban planners, retail experts, working with public, civic and er, Harvard University urban de- Locksmiths, a service that makes
sociologists and civic leaders will private partners to strengthen signer; Carol Ross Barney, it easy to duplicate car keys at up access to the car.
Keep a Spare Set for Travel
share their thoughts and work to- downtown and reconnect it to sur- architect and recipient of the 2023 to 70% off dealership prices, cre-
ward solutions during three the- rounding neighborhoods and the AIA Gold Medal and designer of ating a spare before the original is When you’re far from home,
matic sessions: waterfront,” said Robert Shibley, the Chicago Riverwalk. lost, addressing worn keys before it can be especially risky to only
• “Positioning Downtown,” SUNY Distinguished Professor of Also participating are Bobby they break and keeping backups have one set of keys with you. If
9:30-11:30 a.m., which looks at Architecture and founding direc- Boone, founder of AndAccess and in secure locations can reduce the they happen to fall out of your
what downtown has been and tor of the Rudy Bruner Center for specialist in equitable retail devel- need for emergency locksmith pocket or get misplaced at the
whom it should serve Urban Excellence. opment; Carol Coletta, services. hotel, you could wind up stranded
• “Enlivening Downtown,” 1 “Today, downtown combines Bloomberg Public Innovation Fel- “A good rule of thumb is to hundreds of miles away, facing
to 3 p.m., which focuses on how that public leadership with sub- low at Johns Hopkins University; have at least two working keys the stress of finding a replace-
streets, storefronts and public stantial private investment, adap- Thomas Fisher, director of the for your vehicle,” said Samantha ment service in an unfamiliar ar-
spaces make downtown sociable tive reuse, new housing, cultural Minnesota Design Center; Vikas Jahnke, chief experience officer ea. Bring a spare to keep in a
and active and entertainment destinations, Mehta, University of Cincinnati for KeyMe Locksmiths. “If secure location, like a purse or
• “Transforming Downtowns,” transit and waterfront develop- scholar of public space and urban you’re down to one, make a spare backpack that always stays on
3:15-5:15 p.m., which examines ment – even as many of the ques- social life; Larisa Ortiz, managing while you still have a working you, so you can focus on enjoy-
what strategies can produce more tions confronting downtowns director at Streetsense and special- key. It can save you stress and ing your vacation. If you realize
nationally remain unresolved.” ist in downtown retail and devel- expense if you’re ever locked before a trip you don’t have a
opment; and Stephen Paynter, a out.” spare, plan ahead and get a dupli-
Gensler principal known for his cate made before you hit the road.
Consider these four common
work on converting downtown of- reasons drivers make duplicate Make an Extra
fice buildings to residential use. for a Used Vehicle
keys, and how planning ahead
The debate is the second bien- can help prevent a lockout from Sometimes buying a used ve-
nial event produced by the Bruner hicle means the previous owner
becoming a costly problem.
center. In 2024, it sponsored a Have a Backup for Lost has already done the work of los-
similar debate on place that led to or Damaged Keys ing the spare key. If your car only
the open-access book “Place and comes with one key, make a
Placemaking,” which was recently One car key isn’t enough, be- backup as soon as possible. Hav-
cause all it takes is one accident
released. The upcoming debate is ing two working keys can also
under contract to result in a similar or memory lapse to disrupt your pay off when it’s time to sell or
day. Maybe you already had a
book. trade in your vehicle, as a missing
Kickert said the concept for spare key, but it’s been a while spare may reduce its value or
since you’ve seen it. Or perhaps
these debates is not an echo cham- give a buyer another reason to
ber or a monologue on the partici- you have a habit of locking your negotiate.
key inside your vehicle, so you’d
pants’ latest work, but rather an Learn more about duplicating
opportunity to exchange ideas – feel better with an extra. Having a keys for more than 40,000 differ-
spare – or a spare for the spare –
and. in some cases, disagree – in ent vehicle makes, models and
order to move toward solutions. gives you peace of mind you years at CopyKeys.com.
have another way to get back on
“This also isn’t about tips and
tricks,” he said. “We’re not going
to say, ‘If you do this, and this and WalletHub says New York is 2026’s
this, your downtown is going to 2nd best state for teachers
come back to life.’ This is a reflec-
tion on who we are, where we’ve With World Teachers’ Day Overall rank for New York:
been and where we’re headed.” around the corner and teachers 2nd
The current debate also serves making an average of 5% less per 25th – Avg. Starting Salary for
as one of the Bruner center’s con- year than they did 10 years ago Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of
tributions to Queen City Hub Re- after adjusting for inflation, the Living)
visited, a Buffalo initiative that is personal-finance company Wal- 1st – Avg. Salary for Teachers
bringing public, civic, business, letHub released its report on the (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
development and transportation Best & Worst States for Teachers 8th – Quality of School System
organizations together around the in 2026. 6th – Pupil-Teacher Ratio
future of downtown, Shibley not- WalletHub analyzed the 50 1st – Public-School Spending
ed. states and the District of Columbia per Student
“Our task for the Queen City across 24 key metrics, ranging 4th – Teachers’ Income
Hub Revisited is not to start over,” from teachers’ income growth po- Growth Potential
Shibley said. “Together, the many tential to the pupil-teacher ratio to 1st – Existence of Digital
consortium participants are look- public-school spending per stu- Learning Plan
ing at how to build on completed dent. For the full report, visit:
plans, strengthen work that is un- The Teacher-Friendliness https://wallethub.com/edu/best-
der way and address areas where ranking of New York (1=Best;
additional planning is needed. All 25=Avg.) is:
this while we move from plans to
action – with stronger advocacy,
new financing tools, a public
dashboard that shows whether we
are making progress, and better
ways to engage the public in deci-
sions about downtown’s future.”
In addition to the Rudy Bruner
Center, participants in the consor-
tium include the City of Buffalo,
Erie County, Buffalo Urban De-
velopment Corporation, Buffalo
Place Inc., Greater Buffalo Niaga-
ra Regional Transportation Coun-
cil, Buffalo Niagara Partnership,
Invest Buffalo Niagara, Visit Buf-
falo Niagara, Urban Land Insti-
tute, Downtown 2030, NAIOP
Commercial Real Estate Develop-
ment Association, and the Niagara
Frontier Transportation Authority.