Comments on: Mapping Pedestrian Friendliness in OKC

By: More from Blair Humphreys

More from Blair Humphreys — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:06:54 +0000

[...] real estate professionals, planners and more; all reaffirming that #4 – making the city more “pedestrian-friendly” – is not only one of the codified objectives, but a genuine goal of people from across the [...]

By: Blair

Blair — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:58:08 +0000

cud-

Not sure if I know enough about homelessness to speak directly to your comment. Homelessness is a problem that may not have a pure solution, but I do think it can be managed. Fortunately for OKC, we have the Homeless Alliance; headed up by Dan Straughan. They do a great job working with a number of organization in the city to help meet the needs of the homeless population, city residents, and the business community.

You can get more info on the Homeless Alliance here: http://www.homelessalliance.org/

By: cud

cud — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:30:43 +0000

It seem that those street that are the most pedestrian friendly…vertical architecture, multiple entry points, awnings for protection from the elements, covered patio areas… lots of nooks and crannies can lend themselves to fearful places to a pedestrian when shops are closed and lighting is bad. Protection from the elements creates a desired location for someone…anyone, at any time. Time Square was a great example of a pedestrian friendly area that was taken over by those seeking shelter…which ultimately made the location very unfriendly and undesirable to pedestrian traffic…and action had to be taken by local government to mitigate the situation. A study of the successes and failures which Giuliani encountered might allow a forward thinking community to make accommodations for the homeless, who as someone once said, “you will always have with you”, as opposed to allowing the natural degradation of a thriving urban center. Somewhere, which to the homeless, might be a more appealing place than the covered stoop of apartment building. Somewhere, that may lend itself to the accumulation of the day’s excess from those very establishments who desire to promote pedestrian friendly traffic. A partnership. Good business sense. Not unlike a suburban neighborhood association, which assess dues for the maintenance of the grounds, an urban neighborhood association could assess dues to maintain their local surroundings, with contribution to homeless accommodations, through employment of a “neighborhood watch”, by ensuring adequate lighting, by maintaining a clean environment. Since the proprietors have stopped sleeping above their shops, a constant presence, other than the homeless, is hard to come by.

By: Blair

Blair — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:05:39 +0000

Hey, thanks everybody. Appreciate you reading and thanks especially to those of you that have contributed to the map!

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:52:43 +0000

This is a great post, and I will be bookmarking your blog Blair. You’re family has done great things for this city. Grant and his family used to go to my church and I can attest that you are all great people. I look forward to reading this blog. Great name too!

By: Jenni Duncan

Jenni Duncan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:40:07 +0000

Hey Cuz,

So good to read your blog! Its great and I know that I speak for Jason and myself when I say we can’t wait for you to be back in OKC – we NEED you! Talk to you soon and “Hi” to Maggie.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:43:03 +0000

I have a few photos of downtown from a pedestrian’s view here: http://happyhomemaker.blogspot.com/search/label/Oklahoma%20City

By: Doug Dawg

Doug Dawg — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:51:07 +0000

Congratulations on your new blog, Blair! I look forward to reading more.

By: Steve Lackmeyer

Steve Lackmeyer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:22:05 +0000

Question: would anyone like to weigh in on how the proposed new Chamber hq might be perceived by these standards?

By: Steve Lackmeyer

Steve Lackmeyer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:20:45 +0000

Great insight into a challenge that has dogged downtown OKC for the past 40 years. This all goes back to the days when civic leaders considered street level stores and activity to be nothing more than clutter. And so you end up with street-level facades that are cold to pedestrians – examples being Mid America Tower (home to Devon Energy), Chase Tower, Leadership Square, Oklahoma Tower….
Blair, it’s good to hear from you, and I’ll be linking to your site on Monday.
-Steve