A 1.5-mile stretch of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad is the latest stop in the city of Buffalo, N.Y.’s ongoing revitalization effort.

The Western New York Land Conservancy on Friday announced five winners of a design competition to turn the tract of land along the Buffalo River into a cohesive park and year-round nature trail. The winning designs will guide the conservancy’s plans to link Canalside, a waterfront park that helped spark the rejuvenation of Buffalo’s downtown, and the solar-panel factory...