Benjamin Bidell, AICP, GISP
Niagara County Economic Development Department
Planning Manager
Niagara Falls, NY
Ben Bidell is an urban planner and geographer in the Niagara County Department of Economic Development where he has worked for the past 15 years. While his current title is Planning Manager, Ben wears many hats including "doer," "fixer," "facilitator," and "technologist." Prior to joining Niagara County, he served as the lead data analyst for the CitiStat Buffalo management accountability initiative.
Ben holds a bachelor's degree in environmental design and master's degrees in urban planning and geography with concentrations in GIS. He earned all three degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he was once a PhD student as well. He is a certified GIS Professional and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. His GIS-related interests include scenario modeling and impact assessment, site selection and suitability analysis, PropTech, 3D GIS, real-time GIS, UAV data capture, autonomous vehicle technologies, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence.