Once industrial power centers of America, the western New York cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls have been in steady decline since the 1950s. Their downfall can be attributed to bad luck and bad economics combined with poor decisions and corruption on behalf of their respected city officials. Today many communities are now faced with the prospect of having to give up entirely on the worst hit areas, which are, for the most part, centrally located. This hollowing out of the center is symptomatic of many dying cities: populations diminish as residences make their way to outer suburbs that are either deemed safer or thought to have more potential.
The financial costs of maintaining near-empty neighbourhoods is becoming increasingly burdensome. For example, in 2007, when the American housing crisis was first declared, Buffalo had in its inventory over 20,000 abandoned properties, the majority of which were residential. Niagara Falls, now known more for its number of toxic waste sites than its economic fortitude, has been left with little to help maintain its services.
These images were taken in the areas hit hardest. Despite these difficult times, signs of resiliency and hope still manage to bleed through the blight, in particular through the spirit of those who live there. Buffalo, especially, has stayed true to its unofficial motto of "The City of Good Neighbours".
This series is a companion of sorts to Objects of Consequence, a series examining the interiors of former industrial workplaces. Many of the photos in Signs of Hope and Despair were taken on the way to or from industrial locations and serve as a personal reminder of the connections between the loss of high-paying industrial jobs and the communities surrounding them.
