Kayak up the Buffalo River with Edward McClelland writing for Next City. Although you paddle by RiverWorks,. RiverFest Park, Silo City, Canalside and more, this is not your standard tourist piece extolling Buffalo's attractions for those looking for a fun vacation. 

McClelland retraces the steps he took during a 2005 visit and looks at Buffalo more than ten years later from the point of view of a knowledgeable urbanist. The result is a well-written, informative piece that traces Buffalo's resurgence over the past ten years with a focus on the waterfront. Click here to read the full article.

https://nextcity.org/features/view/buffalo-waterfront-redevelopment-economy 

Take a moment to read about how we got our waterfront back. I guarantee you'll learn something.

In fact, I'm going to recommend something I usually recommend against: skim through the comments. Not all are germane, but this one is important:

"...it was the PEOPLE of Buffalo--led by local visionaries including a leading preservationist and restauranteur/promoter--who said "no more! This is our waterfront!" Equally significantly, they held community forums, welcomed in outside design teams, etc. to move the discussion forward by "lighter, quicker and cheaper" means. Then, some serious money was secured from NY Power Authority by a local politician to start to implement these strategies."

This one is true. I know because I was there.