Creating Beloved Community: Insights from the University of Buffalo’s “Inclusive Civic Spaces” Forum
The Great Lakes Urban Empowerment Network (GLUE) recognizes and affirms the critical importance of inclusive civic spaces in strengthening democracy and community life across the Great Lakes region. The recent UBNow article, “Public invited to shape ‘inclusive civic spaces,’” highlights the University at Buffalo’s ongoing leadership in this arena.
According to the article, the University at Buffalo’s Philosophy, Political Science and Economics (PPE) program will host a deliberative forum titled “Growing Inclusive Civic Spaces” on December 5 at the Northland Workforce Training Center. The event is part of a broader $2.5 million Templeton Foundation grant exploring how diversity, disagreement, and community knowledge can strengthen an open society.
The UBNow report underscores several key themes that align directly with GLUE’s mission:
• Civic wisdom is rooted in lived experience.
The forum’s design centers the voices of Buffalo residents — the people who inhabit public spaces, schools, neighborhoods, and institutions — as essential sources of insight on inclusivity.
• Deliberation is civic infrastructure.
Facilitated small-group dialogue allows participants to explore expectations, experiences, and aspirations for inclusive spaces while contributing to structured research questions.
• Cross-sector leadership strengthens outcomes.
The UBNow article notes that educators, librarians, government representatives, artists, and community members will participate alongside trained facilitators and academic researchers.
GLUE is particularly proud that Professor Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., a leading scholar of Black neighborhoods and urban inequality — and a member of the GLUE Advisory Board — is featured in the UBNow article as part of the expert panel supporting the deliberative process.
Dr. Taylor’s decades of work on racial equity, urban regionalism, and community development provide foundational insights for GLUE’s long-term strategy to build a connected, empowered Great Lakes network.
The article highlights an important point from the PPE program: meaningful civic engagement requires follow-through. UB’s commitment to summarizing the December forum’s findings and hosting a follow-up session in spring 2026 mirrors GLUE’s belief that community-driven processes must be iterative, reflective, and oriented toward implementation.
The UBNow piece captures an approach to community engagement that the Great Lakes region urgently needs — one that values collaboration, honors community knowledge, and builds sustainable civic infrastructure.
GLUE commends the University at Buffalo, the PPE program, the Templeton Foundation, Professor Ryan Muldoon, Dr. Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., and the many community partners involved. Strengthening inclusive civic spaces in Buffalo strengthens the entire Great Lakes region.
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