By Allissa Kline
Business First

Buffalo is a border city.

That much is obvious if you look at a map.

But, some say, the city and its contiguous region too often don't take full advantage of the area's rare position as a city next door to another country.

"Buffalo is unique," said Lauren Rachlin, an attorney who practices international/cross-border law. "It's centered in a region ... which is probably the second or third most-populous region in North America, it's certainly the most powerful binational economic region in the world and it sits on the largest body of fresh water anywhere in the world. There should be no reason for us not to be enormously successful."

Yet we're not, at least when it comes to harnessing all the benefits of sharing a border with Canada, Rachlin and others say.

"We're not even a little bit (successful)," Rachlin said. "This city certainly has not taken full advantage of its opportunity to become a leader in the formation of a powerful binational region."

The City of Buffalo had its origins in the late 1700s as a city of commerce, positioned at the end of Lake Erie near the edge of the Niagara River. Cargo moved up and down the waters, and eventually across the river to Canada when trade restrictions lightened in the 20th century. The International Railway Bridge, built in 1873, connected Buffalo to Fort Erie. It was followed in 1927 with the official opening of the Peace Bridge, which handled pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Today, there are four bridges in the Buffalo-Niagara area that provide vehicular access to Canada, which has become the largest export market for U.S. goods. The Southern Ontario region, home to Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines and Burlington, is one of the fast-growing areas in terms of population and businesses.

The story is different in Buffalo Niagara, a region that has experienced significant population and industry losses during the past several decades. Buffalo is the 49th-largest metropolitan area in the country, according to July 10 Business First data. It is expected to drop below the top 50 during the next few years.

Chris Johnston, president of the World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, said it's critical that government and business leaders figure out how to connect to, and benefit from, the growth across the border.

"Toronto is growing more and more," said Johnston, whose organization facilitates international trade development. "As a region, we have to recognize that and figure out how we can harness and create opportunities from that growth. We are the gateway to America, so we've got to, at multiple levels, figure out how to leverage that and take advantage of that."

One way may involve an attitude adjustment on both sides of the border. If the region sticks with a unified theme - namely, that the Buffalo Niagara and Southern Ontario areas should be thought of as a binational destination - both sides would benefit, said Arlene White, executive director of the Binational Tourism Alliance.

"We definitely need a stronger, more consistent message," said White, who travels back and forth daily between Canada and Buffalo. "We're right in the middle of everything, yet we don't have the high-cost of living or stresses of living (in a major city). We have to look at how we position ourselves for the future, because everyone acknowledges that the Rust Belt image has held us back."

But some worry that the image as a binational destination could suffer due to new federal regulations for entering the U.S. from Canada. Under Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative regulations, those age 18 and older - both international visitors and U.S. citizens - must show proper documentation to enter the United States.

Rachlin isn't convinced that U.S. citizens, including those right here in Buffalo, will bother upgrading their driver's licenses or buy $100 passports to "go to Canada once." He does, however, think that more people should get Nexus passes through the Canada Border Services Agency to make crossing the border faster and more efficient.