Who can forget that classic B-movie "The Incredible Shrinking Man," the bizarre and

existentialist tale of a businessman whose mysterious shrinking causes him to take stock of

himself.

Now imagine that man as a city, and the Incredible Shrinking City as Buffalo's neighbor to

the east.

Rochester, like the 1957 movie character, is getting smaller and re-examining what it is

and could be.

The result is an ambitious downsizing strategy that over the next 20 years will eliminate

at least 40 residential city blocks, relocate residents and "green" the vacant land left

behind.

"We're a different-sized city now," said Eric Van Dusen of NeighborWorks Rochester, one of

the city's largest neighborhood organizations. "The challenge is how do you reinvent

yourself?"

The reinvention starts by recognizing the city's dramatic loss of population and deciding

to consciously and intelligently shrink.

What that means is closing down dozens of residential city blocks, tearing down at least

3,000 vacant houses and turning those large swaths of land into parks, greenways, gardens and

farms.

Buffalo, by contrast, has never bought into the notion that shrinking is the answer to its

urban ills.

Here, the strategy for decades has been to grow your way out of population and housing

decline.

As more and more Rust Belt cities, most notably Detroit, re-examine their development

strategies, local officials are left wondering if Buffalo's approach is wise.

In Rochester, the city has identified two neighborhoods — Bull's Head and North

Marketview Heights — as areas that could be targeted as part of Project Green.

The hope is that the strategy will slow down and ultimately end the city's housing decline

and down the road encourage people to move back. Like Buffalo, the number of vacant homes in

Rochester is at a historic high.

"We have to push this forward," said Eugenio Cotto Jr., executive director of the Group

14621 Community Association, another large neighborhood group. "People want to see things

happen."

Cotto represents a neighborhood that is both affluent and poor, home to some of its nicest

streets and some of its worst. He thinks people are ready for dramatic changes, even if it

means shutting down some residential blocks and relocating residents.

"You can't cover the sky with your hands," he said when asked why shrinking is part of the

solution.

In Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing, the former NBA and Syracuse University basketball great, is

pushing a revolutionary plan to raze large sections of some neighborhoods and convert them to

parks, urban farms and forests.

By the time Bing and his successors are done, nearly a quarter of Detroit's 139 square

miles could become green, even semi-rural.

"It's something that makes people nervous, the whole idea of shrinking," said Michael

Clarke of the Local Initiatives Support Corp. in Buffalo. "But I think Buffalo is coming to

that point. I don't think they have a choice."

Buffalo, under Mayor Byron W. Brown, is doing some of the same things as Rochester, most

notably tearing down abandoned houses — about 3,000 in five years.

Where Buffalo and Rochester differ is how each one reuses the vacant land left behind.

Rochester's grand plan is to shut down those streets and "green" them, while Buffalo

emphasizes creative "reuses" such as urban farms, gardens and new housing.

"We're not ready to write off sections of the city," said Brendan R. Mehaffy, executive

director of Buffalo's Office of Strategic Planning. "We're not talking abandonment."

Mehaffy said the city has no interest in the concept of shrinking, even though neighborhood

leaders have criticized the city for lacking a comprehensive plan on how to reuse thousands of

vacant lots now dotting the city.

For that reason and others, there are some city officials who view shrinking as a painful

but necessary first step.

"We have to contract first and then, over the next 15 years, become a more attractive place

to live," said Masten Council Member Demone Smith, a shrinking advocate. "A lot of people are

scared of the idea. It's not politically correct, but if you care about the viability of our

city, it's the only way to move forward."

Unlike Rochester, Buffalo seems at odds with the idea that residents might be relocated as

part of a larger downsizing plan.

While no one in Rochester envisions a mass relocation of residents in Bull's Head or North

Marketview Heights — the city already owns a lot of the land it needs in those

neighborhoods — there is an anticipation that some who are asked to move will resist.

City Hall hopes to ease that opposition by relocating people within the neighborhood or

allowing them to return once the greening is complete.

"Let me have the option of coming back," said City Council President Lovely Warren, who

represents an area that could be targeted by the city. "That's what people want."

Downsizing advocates say the public also needs to be educated about the fiscal benefits of

shrinking.

First and foremost, it helps hold down expenses by eliminating entire areas of the city in

need of taxpayer-funded services, most notably police and fire protection.

It also means more money and resources can be devoted to stronger, more stable

neighborhoods.

In Rochester, neighborhood activists view those dual benefits as a win-win and one of the

keys to getting residents on board with a philosophy that might otherwise be controversial.

Keep in mind, the city's strategy includes the likely relocation of residents and

elimination of city blocks, elements that might prove unpopular in other communities.

"Getting buy-in has not been a problem," said John Barak, co-chairman of the Southwest

Sector 4 Common Council, a volunteer community group in Rochester.

Rochester, of course, has the benefit of being a city with a history of community-based

planning and development. And one consequence of that legacy is a positive working

relationship between City Hall and grass-roots community groups. Activists say that mutual

trust helped pave the way for the public's acceptance of Project Green. Of course, that could

change down the road.

"It's a tough one to sell," said Van Dusen, "but you can't condemn it because there are

tough choices to make. We think this is the only logical way to stabilize our tax base."

Of course, no grand strategy is without pitfalls.

In Rochester, they range from the $70 million price tag to the likely departure of Mayor

Robert Duffy, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor and a major force in the downsizing

effort. City officials say that the loss of Duffy may hurt but that Project Green is so

popular, it should survive a change in administration.