This New York City Is The Best Planned In The Whole Wide World

New York State is the home of several cities that were designed very well, so well that many of them have won awards for it.

Just look at some of the cities that are in the Empire State: you have the amazing New York City, which is one of the original homes of democracy in America, Rochester which gave the entire world photography as we know it, and Syracuse was a huge hub for salt production during the 19th century, and Albany is known far and wide for its role as a center for American politics the 1600's.

However, none of those great Empire State cities have the distinction that Buffalo, New York, known as the world's best-planned city, has.

Why Is Buffalo, New York, The Best Planned City In The World?

The impact that people like Pierre Charles L'Enfant had on Buffalo's creation and development is well known. Thanks to Joseph Ellicott, Buffalo is one of only three cities in the nation with a radial street plan like Washington D.C. Buffalo's radials come up from Niagara Square and expand in all directions from downtown Buffalo. Even more than 200 years, Ellicott's design still serves Buffalo well.

So well that the Library of American Landscape History designed Buffalo as the Best Planned City In The World.

The Library of American Landscape History points to how Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed a world-class park system right in the middle of Ellicott's city. The joint efforts of these men captivated the world for years. Author Francis R. Kowksy expands upon this in his book The Best Planned City In The World: Olmsted, Vaux, and The Buffalo Park System.

They stand behind that statement so much that a movie about it won an award from the Society of Architectural Historians.

This seems like it's just another reason why Buffalo is New York's best city.