Heritage development is a way to provide context and larger purpose to important public initiatives.It is also a way to build wider and deeper constituencies. It is a way to build bridges between the known past and present and the unknown opportunities that will emerge in the future.

What could be a more fitting place to undertake a heritage development initiative? With a world-class feature in the Falls, dramatic natural surroundings on both sides of the border, exciting, robust history, abundant recreation, and extensive visitor services, the question really is: why has it taken so long?

As you start thinking about how these heritage assets can be better connected, packaged and presented, it might be helpful to consider the pinball machine as a metaphor.Everyone here has played pinball and knows that the objective of the game is not to shoot the ball into the hole quickly. Rather, it is to keep the ball in play, using flippers, each time adding up points, until the ball finally drops through the hole. The successful pinball player racks up a huge score, lights and bells go off on the scoreboard. To return to heritage development, the visitor is the ball. The attractions are more than individual attractions — museums, sports facilities, parks, etc.They are also flippers.Keeping the visitor busily moving around, staying longer and spending more money — this is how you rack up a big regional score. So, thinking about where the flippers are located, how they relate to each other and to visitors, thinking about how to network visitors to lengthen stay, thinking about links between probable behavior and economic impact — this is how one thinks strategically as a heritage developer.

The opportunities inherent in the Niagara Frontier region are truly world class.Yes, there are differences on both sides of the border.Each country has its strengths, each its weaknesses. The platform of a regional heritage development initiative could enable the strengths of each side to become more apparent, and might even lead to finding strengths in what are now perceived as weaknesses.

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