Ambitious Plans for 'Core to Shore' of Oklahoma City

An ongoing planning effort in Oklahoma City would revitalize a neighborhood adjacent to the city's downtown core long neglected by bad planning.

October 16, 2014, 1pm PDT | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

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.

Full Story:

Before/After: The 80-Year Leveling of an Oklahoma City Neighborhood

Published on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 in Streetsblog USA