Ambitious Plans for 'Core to Shore' of Oklahoma City

Dustin Akers tipped off Angie Schmitt at Streetsblog about the goings on in Oklahoma City's "Core to Shore" area. A comparison of aerial photos, one from 1932 and one from 2014, make the point about the city's radical transformation over the past 80 years. So what happened? "The answer, according to Akers, boils down to a few things: An elevated highway, misguided urban renewal policies, flight and disinvestment," writes Schmitt.

Enter the city's Core to Shore plan, which, according to the city's website, calls for the following:

• Creation of a world-class, pedestrian-friendly boulevard
• Development of a 40-acre central park
• Development of business, retail and mixed use housing along the central park
• Building of a Convention Center and Convention Center hotel
• Relocation of some of the existing businesses and homes in the area

The plan dates back to 2006 (and adopted in 2008 [pdf]), but the city's website includes updates, including a market study from 2007 [pdf] and a study by the Urban Land Institute [pdf] from 2010.