Last night, W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Hood Design Studio, and Green Shield Ecology presented their first draft of design concepts for Buffalo’s Riverline in a virtual meeting!

For decades, the site was just an old DL&W railroad line from downtown Buffalo into the city’s East Side, gradually becoming overgrown and losing its massive rail bridges. Now, it’s going to be the Riverline, a recreational and cultural pathway connecting the waterfront through varied neighborhoods. There will be new bridges, perhaps six of them, and a long trestle over rail lines, woodland and parks. Read a news release from the local NPR station here.

Building on four years of engagement and community feedback from February’s initial concept designs, plans for The Riverline are taking shape as a place of refuge where nature has reclaimed this former rail corridor. Along the one-and-a-half-mile stretch, the design team has also identified locations to introduce ecological gardens and nature-based recreation to meet the community’s vision for this important green connector from downtown Buffalo to the Buffalo River.

Additional public input is now needed to ensure that the placement and character of these elements aligns with the vision and feedback that the community has provided to date.

You can view the entire presentation here. You can read more about the Riverline and how to provide feedback here.