By Edvardi Jackson

(Above: Informational session poster. Photo by Edvardi Jackson.)

An informational session was recently held at the Frank E. Merriweather Library in Buffalo, hosted by the East Side Parkways Coalition.

On the agenda were a series of speeches detailing the history and impact of Route 33, also known as the Kensington Expressway, which replaced the Humboldt Parkway and divided neighborhoods on Buffalo’s East Side.

“It was a very dynamic, very cosmopolitan, very fluid environment,” said Terry Robinson, member of the Eastside Parkways Coalition in his introductory speech. 

Over 100 community organizations in Buffalo are advocating for the removal of the Kensington Expressway and the restoration of Humboldt Parkway. These include groups like the East Side Parkways Coalition, Restore Our Community Coalition, Scajaquada Corridor Coalition, Citizens for Regional Transit and the WNY Youth Climate Council. 

Their mission, though may differ slightly from group to group, is largely based on working together to reconnect neighborhoods, improve air quality and restore the historic Olmsted-designed parkway system.

Frank Kowsky, architectural historian on Erie County’s landmarks and specialist on 19th century architectural design, gave a speech on the parkway’s history, opening. 

“I’m going to talk about the park system, but especially about these wonderful streets that we all lament is no longer with us,” Kowsky said. “I never saw the beautiful Humboldt Parkway. In reality, I’ve seen it in historic pictures, but I hope that someday some of you in this room will be able to see it again.”

His speech covered a comprehensive history of the work of Frederick Law Olmsted and close friend Calvert Vaux, the designers behind Central Park and pioneers of American landscape architecture. After creating Central and Prospect Parks, they were invited to Buffalo in 1868 by William Dorsheimer.

Instead of one large park, Olmsted proposed a connected system: Delaware Park, The Parade (now MLK Jr. Park) and a waterfront park — linked by scenic parkways like Humboldt Parkway. 

Kowsky emphasized this as a groundbreaking model in urban planning, making Buffalo the first U.S. city with an integrated park system.

“In Olmsted’s report to the commissioners of the people of Buffalo, he emphasizes that this Parkway and the other other ones are not just streets to carry traffic,” Kowsky said, adding, “In fact, no commercial traffic was allowed to go on them.”

Kowsky believes the bottom line was to focus more on the restoration of Humboldt parkway through the lens of urban development, rather than through the lens of public transportation — though noting in a sidebar interview with The Buffalo Hive, that he would appreciate greater access to the East Side of Buffalo through NFTA, which could provide light rail service through the proposed parkway. “So let’s hope we’re all going to be on the right side of history In the near future,” Kowsky said.

The state has proposed paving that expressway over with a tunnel to partially restore the connection between the neighborhoods divided by NY33, but community members believe that it doesn’t adequately address the issue of pollution. 

Sharon Belton-Cottman, a member of the Ferry school board, a part of the Buffalo Public Schools district, said it specifically causes a concern to her district, believing that this will have the most profound impact on children. 

Belton-Cottman said, “What I’m concerned about is how this neighborhood is treated, and if our children are going to be safe in their school environments, and if our community is safe, that’s what my priorities are.” 

Speaking on her concerns, she added, “The health concern—the air, the quality of air—and the fact that this tunnel does not have a designated source to purify or properly ventilate the air, is troubling. I happen to live near the street where one of the plumes will be coming out on a daily basis. We’re talking about upwards of over 50,000 cars a day. You’re considering both sides, and we want to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes that were made before. Safety first. Health first.”

Dr. Jennifer D. Roberts, Buffalo native and professor at University of Maryland, said this is an example of environmental racism — a phenomenon which the ESP coalition attributes to in-part to redlining and redistricting in ways that prevented “infiltration” of “lower-class occupancy” and “inharmonious racial groups”, according to the 1938 Underwriting Manual by the Federal Housing Administration.

“What’s interesting, this manual talks about how green space and parks were actually used as tools for segregation,” Dr. Roberts said.

Dr. Roberts highlighted in her presentation how historically redlined areas in Buffalo, particularly on the East Side, have fewer trees, less park access and limited investment in green space compared to other parts of the city. 

During the session, Dr. Roberts presented studies that displayed a connection between environmental disparities and higher rates of asthma, heat exposure and lower life expectancy. 

She emphasized that access to nature is not just a quality-of-life issue — it’s a public health concern shaped by long-standing structural inequities.

While the crowd was receptive to their remarks, there were several questions, comments and concerns on what the movement meant, where it would go and largely how the topic is being approached. 

Although an otherwise positive meeting, things got tense when Richard Cummings, a member of the Restoring our Communities Coalition disagreed on the implementation suggested by ESP. Primarily, that the tunnel project had been criticized without acknowledging that solutions for clean air exist and that his group, ROCC, was not included in collaborative discussions.

Speaking to The Buffalo Hive, Mr. Cummings said, “I was pleased with the fact that there is the meeting, a little bit disappointed that this misinformation is out coming from the group that needs to be corrected and needs to be clearly discussed and find out what is the truth, and then we can talk about how to do some things that would improve our community.”

Terry Roberts pushed back on the former concern, and said, “I’ve read every page of the report in regard to the Department of Transportation, there is no provision for cleaning air in the provisions that they have provided.” While disagreeing, he confirmed that the ESP coalition will be meeting with other groups and community members to reach a compromise. 

Cummings, however, believes it will take more than one meeting.

The Eastside Parkways Coalition meets on the first and third Thursday of every month at 5:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. On the first Thursday, the meetings are held at the St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church on 15 Fernhill Ave. On the third Thursday, the meetings are held at the Delevan Grider Community Center on 877 E. Delevan Ave.

You can visit their website at https://www.eastsideparkwayscoalition.com.