Discussion Summary

As A Canal Conversation drew to a close, more than 150 participants joined in moderated group discussions attended by the guest speakers and led by community volunteers. Some of the exchange was in the form of questions and answers with the out-of-town experts. Some of it was fellow Buffalonians talking about the potential for the Commercial Slip, the Erie Canal in general, and heritage tourism even more broadly

The four discussions focused, respectively, on treatment of the western terminus specifically; heritage and cultural tourism in general; the challenge in financing heritage development; and further lessons from “the Chicago Model.” Volunteers took detailed notes on the conversations. The pages in this section provide a brief summary of comments and concerns by visitors and residents alike as prepared by the editors.