Shibley Named to Federal Erie Canal Heritage Commission

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Robert Shibley, professor of architecture and planning, as well as director of The Urban Design Project in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne to serve a three-year term on the Federal Commission on the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

The commission will assist in the preservation and interpretation of the historical, natural, cultural, scenic and recreational activities of the Erie Canal Way in ways that reflect its national significance. The term began in December and involves the management of the heritage corridor mission along the full expanse of canal ways across New York State.

  Shibley was nominated to the commission by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Erie Canalway Corridor is one of about two dozen federally designated national heritage areas or "corridors" in the nation. The commission was established in 2002 for the purpose of preparing and implementing the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Preservation and Management Plan.

The plan aims to preserve the resources of the 524 mile-long canal corridor, which comprises parts of four navigable waterways: Lakes Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca; sections of the first Erie Canal; and more than 200 municipalities adjacent to the canals; and to enhance educational and recreational opportunities in the corridor's communities.

Shibley, who currently is overseeing UB's master-planning process, is a noted figure in the field of urban and architectural design practice and process, and has written extensively on the subject of waterfront historic heritage development.

He is the author of eight books on urban and community design and among the many professional and scholarly journals to which he has contributed are The Journal of Architectural Education, Architecture and Behavior, The Journal of Architecture and Planning Research and Utopian Studies.

As founder and director of The Urban Design Project, Shibley has been a lead consultant on city and regional projects, among them the City of Buffalo's national-award-winning "Queen City Hub: A Regional Action Plan for Downtown Buffalo" and for the "The Queen City in the 21st Century: City of Buffalo Comprehensive Plan."

He is the editor, with Bradshaw Hovey, of "A Canal Conversation: A Community Forum on Buffalo's Inner Harbor Development and the Erie Canal" (2001) and "Rethinking Niagara" (2001).

The 27-member Erie Canalways Commission includes heads of involved state agencies and community leaders recommended by the governor, senators and congressional representatives for their expertise in such fields as tourism, law, planning and historic preservation.

Shibley is a licensed architect and certified planner, former director of the Western New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and former special assistant to the Mayor of Buffalo. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Institute of Architects and the Environmental Design Research Association.

He is a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design and was the recipient of the James R. Haecker Award for Distinguished Leadership in Architectural Research in 2003 from the Architectural Research Center's Consortium for a lifetime of achievements in advancing architectural inquiry.

He is a resident of Buffalo.