Buffalo reborn? Long-suffering upstate NY city sees hope in biggest building boom in 50 years

Construction cranes on the skyline hint that things are looking up in Buffalo, New York.

Mayor Byron Brown says more than $4.4 billion in public and private development has been announced since 2012. He says it's been more than 50 years since the city has seen that much development at one time.

Leaders credit a shift away from elusive "silver bullet" potential fixes for a stagnant economy toward more doable projects that together create momentum.

Much of the development is concentrated in a medical corridor that's expected to add nearly 5,000 workers over the next four years. Meanwhile, a 90-acre site that once housed Republic Steel is being transformed into a high-tech manufacturing complex focused on clean energy, and work on a skating-entertainment complex called the HarborCenter is well underway.