The monthly UDC meetings as well as all meetings of the other citizen populated commissions (Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Board of Adjustment, Bricktown Design Commission etc. are open to the public and the agendas are posted on the okc.gov site.

This commission was established as part of the Urban Design Ordinance that was the brain-child of Garner Stoll, former OKC Planning Department Director. Garner’s tenure in Oklahoma City was a watershed period in public planning that has had far reaching impact . . . the action of the UDC that made possible the citizen effort to thwart the thoughtless demolition of this important landmark by BankNone being quite notable to say the least.

Though I have no bones to pick with departing Director, John Dugan, I hope his replacement is more of a risk taker that will push harder for raising the design standards for public works projects, put more emphisis on pedestrian friendly design, put less emphisis on the demands of single passenger automobiles, suggest improved landscaping standards, help to establish light rail and other high quality public transit, and lead a major overhaul of OKC’s antiquated sign ordinances.

There is at lease one good candidate within the Planning Department to fill the Director position, but filling this job is one of the most important decisions that the City Council will make this year, so the search should be thorough and the qualifications bar set very high.

However, no matter how ignored by television journalists, the assistance from UDC in places like the Plaza District absolutely makes a difference, and people in these focused Internet urban development circles are far more likely to acknowledge and appreciate work in the Plaza or along 23rd, or Film Exchange, or Midtown, etc etc etc… No matter how small or fledgling the resurgences of these districts are, they’re big pieces of the puzzle.