If we were to stop thinking about the Niagara River as a boundary that divides two nations and start thinking of it as the center of one bi-national region, what would we think about? And if we were to think about this bi-national region as one of the world’s most attractive places to live, as well as one of its most popular visitor destinations, what would we do?

These were exactly the kind of questions more than 75 U.S. and Canadian leaders worked hard to answer at Re-thinking the Niagara Frontier, a bi-national forum, held in Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario, on March 30 and 31, 2000.

The forum featured a series of small group discussions focused on several of the key opportunities facing the region. These included heritage and cultural tourism; trade and transportation; brownfield redevelopment; the natural and built environment; and the development of knowledge-based industries.

These discussions were propelled by expert presentations about what is already happening in the region – in regard to parks development and tourism investment -- as well as what might be possible -- in heritage and cultural tourism and the development of "competitive city-regions."

Overall, the event helped to create a broader awareness of the value of thinking in terms of a bi-national region; to form a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities facing the Niagara City-Region; to generate increased enthusiasm for working together; and provide a real impetus for further bi-national cooperative work.