• Reports: Cheaper cost of living in Edmond countered by lower wages
  The study also didn’t include recent information about Oklahoma’s ugly economy. And while the economies of Edmond and many other Oklahoma cities have remained solid over the past year, the state’s financial picture continues to grow darker, an economist with a think tank said recently.
  David Blatt, director of policy at the Oklahoma Policy Institute, said recent state revenue numbers were down 26 percent in July, and August was the worst month for revenue collections since the mid-1980s.
  “For the first two months of the year, we are down 29 percent from last year,” Blatt said in a media release posted on the institute’s Web site. “What makes everybody’s task going forward especially tricky is that we don’t know if we’ve hit bottom.”
  The $210 million in revenue collected during July and August is 23.8 percent or about $200 million less than what had been estimated. This amounts to 18 percent below appropriations. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate of 6.8 percent is the highest since 1988
  (tags: economy cost.of.living edmond quality.of.life wages recession)
• Developer committed to keeping historic buildings alive | The Journal Record
  “This is a prettier building than a new one in the suburbs,” he said. “My wife and I, we travel, and we have our favorite urban streets in Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans and Austin.”
  And the historic structure on Broadway, he said, should be a prominent part of Oklahoma City’s favorite urban street.
  Mason has invested heavily to keep that sense of history alive.
  About four years ago, he purchased the building for $416,000. After that, he spent $4.2 million more renovating the structure. Since then, Mason said he’s invested more than $8 million in redeveloping historic buildings in the downtown area.
  “It’s a lot more fun being down here,” he said. “It’s a lot more fun building things down here.”
  (tags: steve.mason oklahoma.city okc development downtown historic automobile.alley great.street)
• Oklahoma City developer’s work pays off with historic status | NewsOK.com
  A standing-room-only crowd applauded Automobile Alley developer Steve Mason on Tuesday as he unveiled a coveted plaque placing his renovated century-old Cadillac building on the National Register of Historic Places.
  (tags: oklahoma.city development okc downtown steve.mason historic automobile.alley)

Mayor Cornett discusses Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 Convention Center at the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerces “Breaking Through” luncheon on October 21, 2009. The Mayor points out the need for the Convention Center and estimated timeline for construction. He discusses the important issues when it comes to the site location – Bricktown and hotels – and indicates that we will look for a community consensus on the best site before making that decision.

Vote Yes on Dec 8!

I haven’t always been the biggest cheerleader of the Convention Center. Slowly, but surely though, I am coming around. The Mayor is right, it is economic development in its purest form and will help to infuse downtown with people, energy, and the mighty dollar!

• Livable Streets Get New Look from Fire Code Officials | Congress for the New Urbanism
  CNU’s proposed changes to the International Fire Code won a split decision from the International Code Council’s fire code committee today, along with a clear invitation for more dialogue on street design between new urbanists and the fire service.

  CNU’s proposals acknowledge that solid common ground exists for ongoing efforts to reconcile narrower streets and good emergency access: Street connectivity — specifically well-connected networks of traditional street grids — is essential to good urbanism, shortens emergency response times, and improves overall community life safety. Taken together, these changes would have made the fire code less focused on mandating wide streets, and more flexible in allowing cities to take advantage of the safety and response benefits of connected networks of walkable narrower streets. Even so, acceptance of Appendix K and the committee’s stated desire for more dialogue with CNU are important steps toward that goal.

  (tags: new.urbanism cnu fire code zoning streets urban.design)
• Jane Jacobs | Urbanist's Economic Prescription Might Make Good Medicine Today | Miller-McCune Online Magazine
  "The economic developers I speak to no longer even try to defend these subsidy strategies," Shuman says. "They've run out of excuses except for the fact that the politicians like them. Politicians get more mileage from one big deal that brings 1,000 jobs than an entrepreneurship program that generates 10 jobs in 100 local businesses. Even when the rhetoric has shifted to the importance of local, in terms of where the money goes, it's still following an old and entirely discredited mode of economic development."

  As for the stimulus bill, Shuman says it has "the worst features of economic development on steroids. If in a typical year, millions [are] spent on pork, this year more than a trillion is spent on pork." Even if the stimulus package is a success, he says, the program "could have been more successful with less money if we had followed Jane Jacobs' ideas" of local resilience through import-replacement.

  (tags: jane.jacobs economic.development local business subsidize bailout)

Hopefully I have made my point on the MAPS 3 public process to date.  It is clear that what we have witnessed so far cannot possibly represent our City’s best effort at a inclusive process.  That said, the past is the past.  There is nothing that can be done before the December 8th MAPS 3 vote to rectify the situation – including more blogging on the topic.

Instead, I am looking forward.   Looking forward to a favorable result for MAPS 3 at the polls on December 8th.  Looking forward to the post-vote public meetings, and planning charettes, and lively discussions (and maybe even an open competition) focused on finding the best locations for the projects and making sure the best ideas are implemented.  If such a process takes place in the future, then we can all find the grace to forget what has taken place thus far and channel our energy into ensuring the projects are a success.


I have been told by multiple persons over the past few days, that my public objections to the MAPS 3 public process will hurt my chances of finding a job in Oklahoma City.  Well, if that is the case, it is most unfortunate.  Because more than anything, I am looking forward to returning to Oklahoma City and contributing my energy and ideas in an effort to make it a better place to live.  That was the dream two years ago when I left to attend graduate school and it remains the dream today.

“MAPS 3 will be great for Oklahoma City. But some things are more important than public improvements, especially maintaining an open and honest government. If it takes the disintegration of the latter, in order to obtain the former, then the city overall is taking a step backwards.”

- Blair Humphreys

Please note: I am not keen on the idea of quoting myself, but it was necessary due to the lack of commentary available elsewhere.

• dustbury.com » Watch for oncoming steamroller
  All the previous MAPS deals were, for the most part, out there in the open, warts and all. I can only conclude that this package must have so many warts that its proponents want to keep the camera away as long as possible. Unfortunately, that sort of thing works only in Hollywood — and, occasionally, in Tulsa.
  (tags: maps3 okc oklahoma.city public.process dustbury)

CLICK TO ENLARGE

CITY CHARGES FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS?

Something is clearly wrong with the ongoing MAPS 3 public process and I know I am not the only one who has noticed. The public meetings promised over the summer didn’t happen and now we come to find out that the MAPS 3 press conferences promised to start in October are ticketed events that cost regular citizens (i.e. “nonmembers”) thirty-five dollars to attend. I would like to think that these ticketed luncheons are not the promised public meetings, but according to the Mayor’s Assistant David Holt, they are!  I am honestly dumbfounded – my beloved city has resorted to charging for public meetings?

It is clear that the MAPS 3 public process is in need of correction. One can only hope that major changes are made in the next six weeks and that sincere gestures of public engagement are seen both before and after the December 8th vote.

Links to the sources displayed above:

9/17    Mayor and Council announce MAPS 3 proposal

10/22  Luncheons ‘map’ Oklahoma City’s tax plan details

• Now THAT'S a public process | Philly | 10/23/2009
  "From the mayor's press office:
  The Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities is co-sponsoring a Forum on the Future of Bus Shelters and Street Furniture with the Next Great City coalition and the Academy of Natural Sciences. The forum will include presentations from bus shelter and street furniture vendors and present perspectives on the role of advertising in public spaces.

  You know, I'm tempted to be snarky about this, but really, why? People care about this stuff, and they should be able to weigh in. Good on the city.

  The release also says that the city is inviting ideas for "additional pieces of street furniture." I want swivelly desk chairs in all subway stations."

  —

  Why can't Oklahoma City citizens be a part of the decision making process for the Downtown Streetscape?

  (tags: public.process streetscape okc oklahoma.city downtown streetlamps)
• Luncheons ‘map’ out Oklahoma City’s tax plan details | NewsOK.com
  "Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett on Wednesday kicked off a series of luncheons designed to inform voters about the MAPS 3 project.

  Cornett launched the Breaking Through luncheon series at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel. The luncheons are designed to give members of the public an opportunity to learn about the MAPS 3 proposal and ask questions."

  The cost to attend the luncheons is $30 for Greater Oklahoma City Chamber members and $35 for nonmembers (e.g. regular citizens)

  (tags: maps3 okc oklahoma.city public.process)
• OKC Mayor Mick Cornett plans to educate about $777 million proposal | OKG Scene.com
  The campaign has already kicked off to rally support, a process that includes spreading the word about what the projects do and why they are important. Cornett said he is at the “top of the information pyramid,” and it will be his main task to educate the public.
  (tags: map3 okc oklahoma.city flow.of.information)
• MAPS 3 faces date with voters; chamber hopes for good turnout
  At Oklahoma City University, political science department chairman Richard Johnson said the MAPS 3 campaign needs to do a better job of informing constituents.
  “Unless the supporters do a better job of getting out in front of this, they really risk having it fail,” Johnson said.
  “People have felt really good about the MAPS projects generally and getting a reasonable return on their dollar. But there’s not really enough out there yet. The public really needs to be educated about MAPS 3 and what’s in it – something like the need for an expansion of the Civic Center, for example. The benefits really need to be laid out for people to motivate them to vote.”
  (tags: maps3 oklahoma.city okc)

This video is incredible and does much to demonstrate the importance of an enjoyable path for pedestrians. Perhaps more abstract is the “fun” experienced by pedestrians on sidewalks full of people with opportunities for window shopping, but the theory is basically the same.

(Thanks to Jan at The Happy Homemaker for sending this my way)

Steve Lackmeyer pointed out that Oklahoma City is getting ready to spend almost $100 million on downtown streetscape improvements, including new streetlamps, furniture, bus shelters, and more.  A plan has been put together by some of the top urban designers in the nation, and now it is up to city staff to purchase the fixtures and implement the improvements – and apparently they are purchasing fixtures soon.  It is imperative that this money go towards proven solutions that will provide a urban look and pedestrian-friendly feel for downtown.

Here is how you do it –> NYC Street Manual. It is free to download, but I purchased a hard copy on the recommendation of Jeff Speck, and find it to be true to his words. It offers worthwhile suggestions on lights, street furniture, and bus shelters – along with host of other street design best practices.

Oklahoma City should not attempt to reinvent the wheel when it comes to good urbanity, whether we are talking: design guidelines, sidewalk surfaces, or street furniture & lighting. We should learn from cities that have dealt with urban/pedestrian issues for a long time. We can save our bold efforts at originality for a day when we have the basics figured out.

And in case you think we have the basics figured out, I offer this humble reminder.