UAlbany Urban Planning Students Present Plans for Downtown Revitalization

In Fall 2017, students from the undergraduate program in Urban Studies and Planning at the University at Albany participated in an intensive community development project focused on revitalizing Downtown Albany. The course was taught by Dr. Carlos Balsas, AICP. Students researched six different themes: Land use and public space, transportation and circulation, housing, community development and engagement, business, and governance.

After consulting multiple downtown stakeholders, including Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID)'s Executive Director Georgette Steffens and representatives from the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Capitalize Albany, City of Albany, Albany Barn and Social Services of the Catholic Church, among others, the students set out to research a myriad of recommendations to help create a more livable downtown district. As a final step in the project, the students' various approaches and suggestions were reviewed by Don Wilson, the BID's Operations Manager, and Ashley Mohl, Senior Economic Developer for Capitalize Albany Corporation.