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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Economic development officials from western New York say their new focus runs counter to the suburban sprawl of the past 50 years and emphasizes urban centers, especially Buffalo and its waterfront, to attract young people.
Real estate developer Howard Zemsky says the greater Buffalo area has sprawled over three times the land mass it covered in 1960 while population dropped.
He says college graduates are looking for "cool" places to live with "urban vitality" and public transportation.
Zemsky spoke at a meeting Tuesday of 10 regional development councils the Cuomo administration established last year.
Another redevelopment emphasis is training for manufacturing in the region, expected to lose 21.4 percent of its workers through retirements by 2020. Others include health care, as well as a large hospitality industry supported by Canadians.