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A front-page article about the increasing noise levels in restaurants and what is being done about it interviews Paul Bataglia, adjunct associate professor of architecture in the UB School of Architecture and Planning, who specializes in acoustics. The time it takes for the sound to diminish is called reverberation time, he said, and when it comes to how it affects people’s happiness, research has shown reverberation time is an important factor, not just the sheer volume of the sound. “You want enough reverberation where it helps create a social atmosphere, where you sort of join in with other people talking and it all mixes together,” he added. “You want that at a decent level, but not overwhelming. You adjust that by dealing with reverberation time.”

A story on WBFO-FM reports on Imagine LaSalle, a public workshop held Thursday to allow residents to give input on the transformation of LaSalle Park into the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park. The School of Architecture and Planning and UB Regional Institute are leading the public engagement part of the project.

An article in Business First about the development of a long-term master plan for Artpark that could help it evolve from a seasonal draw to more year-round programming reports it is working with Omar Khan, associate professor of architecture in the UB School of Architecture and Planning. “It will be a long process,” he said. “People are going to have to give us time. We are going to be smart and careful.”

An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about senior citizens who waited in line for as long as 24 hours to try to secure one of the new, affordable senior housing units being built in South Philadelphia, and the growing need and long wait time for affordable housing for older adults throughout the nation, interviews Robert Silverman, professor of urban and regional planning in the UB School of Architecture and Planning. “Subsidies haven’t really kept pace with the growth in that population,” he said. “Without funding for affordable housing development, what developers have been left with as options – and what kinds of options they pursue – have really been market-rate housing that leans toward the high-rent market.” This article also appeared in Newsday.

An article on Reuters about a farm located on the roof of a mall in Singapore that uses vertical racks and hydroponics to grow leafy greens and herbs such as basil and mint that it sells to nearby bars, restaurants and stores interviews Samina Raja, professor of urban and regional planning in the UB School of Architecture and Planning. Agriculture makes up only about 1 percent of Singapore’s land area, so better use of space is key, she said. "Urban agriculture is increasingly being recognized as a legitimate land use in cities," she added. "It offers a multitude of benefits, from increased food security and improved nutrition to greening of spaces. But food is seldom a part of urban planning." The article appeared in news outlets around the world, including South China Morning Post, Asia & Japan Watch, England’s Daily Mail, Reuters Africa, Free Malaysia Today, Malay Mail, New Straits Times and The Borneo Post.

Metro Magazine published an article on how partnerships between public agencies, universities, and the private sector are driving innovative new approaches to meeting the needs of accessible transit ridership. The article discusses a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA) in the UB School of Architecture and Planning, reporting that the universities intend to use a mixed-methods approach to study current gaps in transit service and first/last mile challenges for individuals with disabilities. Co-authors of the article included Jordana Maisel and Brittany Perez of the IDeA Center.

An article on England’s Building Design about unique architectural designs for animals includes the Elevator B bee home designed by students in the UB School of Architecture and Planning.

An article in The Architect’s Newspaper about the $50 million redesign of LaSalle Park to be conducted by the New York-based landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, which also redesigned a waterfront park in Detroit, interviews Robert Shibley, dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning. “People were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about those projects,” he said. “When the announcement was made that Michael Van Valkenburgh would do Detroit and that both of our parks would be named after Wilson, it was obvious the parallel between the two cities was important.”