By Mark Scott
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-741595.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Reaction continues to the controversial Forbes magazine listing that ranks Buffalo among the nation's ten fastest dying cities.
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is the latest to weigh in. Partnership President Andrew Rudnick says he's not downplaying the challenges this community faces. But he says Buffalo Niagara is poised for growth.
Rudnick says contracts for future construction are up 77 percent from last year at this time. And he says nearly $300 million dollars in public and private investment has been made in the life sciences here.
"That doesn't sound like a dying city to me," Rudnick said.
Forbes cited the area's population decline and data on the region's economic output in placing Buffalo on the list.
At the University at Buffalo, Vice President of External Affairs Marsha Henderson also disagrees that Buffalo is a dying city. She describes herself as a life long Buffalonian who has seen the region go through its ups and downs. But Henderson says she sees a vibrant city, amid the struggles.
Henderson says UB, despite the threat to its state funding in the developing budget crisis, is still in a position to serve as an economic engine for Buffalo with its long range UB 2020 program.
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