Most of Project 180 is a direct spin-off of construction of a $750 million, 50-story new headquarters for Devon Energy Corp. being built immediately north of Myriad Gardens.

Devon Energy could have sought to use much of the related tax increment financing for expansion of a garage and infrastructure. Instead, its CEO, Larry Nichols, asked that the funds improve downtown.

The catch, as mentioned last week, is that the city is trying to finish much of the project by the tower’s completion in 2012. A large group of city planners and engineers, designers, property owners and downtown architects met to discuss planned improvements in the 10th floor meeting room in the city’s office annex at 420 W Main.

I think anyone can do the math that if we are going to design a new streetlight for a 21st century downtown OKC, we are going to need an appropriate amount of time and we’re already a year into knowing we need improved streetlights. Can Oklahoma City match what NYC produced? Yes, and this shouldn’t be a question. If it is, there are bigger issues at stake regarding talent retention, creative knowledge base, etc.

But, there is one thing that keeps pulling at me. The job of the street lamp is to illuminate the activity on the sidewalks and roadways below. The streetlamps are very important, but I believe the bigger question is the one Steve posed at the very start:

Will OKC be innovative with its downtown streets?

When I read that question, it has more to do with what is being illuminated on and in the streets than what is happening above it.