Southwestern New York State Economic Plan

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  Vibrant Communities: Downtown Revitalization

Just as rural housing, water, and sewer infrastructure is in need of serious upgrades, the region's rural villages and cities have a high need for investment in infrastructure, and for street re-design for multi-modal transportation and pedestrian safety. For 2023-2028, it is recommended that towns and villages prioritize planning for revitalization, which is the first step in accessing funding available at the state and federal level. Given the poor state of infrastructure in the region and the corresponding low amount of capital available in the region, no opportunity to access funding for infrastructure should be missed. Planning departments are encouraged to provide specific, focused assistance to communities in need of planning services for downtown revitalization. Priorities include the following:

Farmers market pavilion as part of downtown revitalization project,
East State Street, Olean; photo by the City of Olean.

• Complete Streets projects and design for pedestrian walkability and bicyclist and scooter safety with emphasis on equity for all abilities
• Brownfield redevelopment with an emphasis on projects that increase community resilience
• Rehabilitation of former office spaces into new uses
• Residential housing for all income levels and for the aging
• Transitional housing to support people re-entering the work force
• Community gathering spaces such as farmers markets, parks, and amphitheaters
• Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward projects through NYS REDC

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​​Equity lens: Revitalization projects need to secure community stakeholder engagement from all including marginalized groups, to ensure that real community needs will be met, that neighborhoods will not be negatively impacted, and that residents will not be displaced due to gentrification.

As the New Growth Innovation Network states in its Communication Resource Guide for Inclusive Economic Development, "Inclusive economic growth is based on the premise that long term regional prosperity comes from equitably engaging all individuals and assets in the community, and that persistent inequality, racial income gaps and racial wealth gaps hamper a region’s economic growth. It targets both growth and economic equity, as two mutually reinforcing aims which lead to a more durable economy for years to come."