Jeff Speck and City Staff
OK, I’ve seen and heard enough now to know that there is a big, and I mean BIG, disconnect between what I’m sensing the downtown community’s reaction is to consultant Jeff Speck’s recommendations and the response by city staff. To be blunt, city staff is not very happy with what he’s saying. They correctly point out he got it wrong when he suggested Oklahoma City needs to eliminate parking requirements downtown (did that, been there long ago) and change zoning to encourage mixed-use development (ditto).
But did they mess up by spending millions rebuilding Walker Avenue and doing a nice streetscape on it last year and then keeping part of it a one-way street? Are they wrong in their approach to the new boulevard that’s to replace I-40?
So here’s a fun poll. I’m asking for some honor and honesty here – no slamming it like the twitter poll. Please only vote if you’ve read or heard enough from Jeff Speck and his presentations that you feel sufficiently educated to decide this matter for yourself. If you want to see his presentations, I have them on video in previous posts – just type Jeff Speck into the search engine and they’ll pop up. His presentation is also being replayed at various times on the city’s cable channel 20.
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Comments
I’d agree: there ought to be a third choice here.
On the question of The Boulevard: What if it were, instead, The Parkway?
I’m not sure if characterizing the debate as a “Speck vs City Planners” war is the best way to go about things. It only makes people defensive and resistant to change. I would hope that the city will at least implement SOMETHING from Jeff Speck, since they went to all of the trouble to hire him and all. It seems kind of silly to ask someone to give recommendations and then to throw those recommendations in the garbage. If the city planners know exactly what’s best for us, why hire consultants in the first place?
I do think City Hall, City Engineers, ODOT, and others need to seriously wake up that they have been wrong on a lot of things, realize the importance of what Speck is saying, and listen to the citizens who are educated on the topic. I think the City would be FOOLISH if they don’t at least implement some of Speck’s suggestions. If not, what the heck did we hire him for? It’s time the good ole boy network in City government and agencies is tore down. Down with the old way of thinking and planning!
It’s Charles Hill’s fault I didn’t provide a third option of “both sides are right both sides are wrong” on the poll.
(Steve ducks!)
In all seriousness, I can pull down the poll and start from fresh, or continue on with it. Let me know gang.
I think some of you all miss the big picture on this. Speck is a consultant, thats it. He doesn’t live here, he’s not elected and doesn’t have to deal with any of the consequenses of his suggestions. City council and city planners do. Its not the “Good ole boy network” and thats ludicrous to even suggest. If the city does everything Speck suggests and its a disaster, the excuse “thats what Speck told us to do” won’t fly with any of you. If any of you had bothered to read Steve’s book “OKC Second Time Around” you would realize that we’ve gone down this road some 40 years ago. I.M. Pei came here and suggested we tear down all these downtown buildings, close streets, etc. and the city did nearly all he suggested. I think nearly everyone now agrees that was a mistake. No consultant will get carte blanche from now on because of what happened then. They will be scrutinized and most will be lucky if portions of their suggestions get implemented. I can tell you right now that narrowing Broadway is one of the stupidest suggestions I’ve ever hear come out of a mouth of someone who claims to be an expert in city planning. So Speck is by no means perfect. I think you’ll see Speck’s influence on a lot of things that happen in downtown, OKC’s future, but very few things will be implemented “straigh out of the box.”
^In I.M. Pei’s defense he did give Denver the 16th Street Mall, which has been a huge success.
Narrowing Broadway has been a topic of conversation for more than a decade, with an organized effort to make it a more pedestrian friendly corridor being its central theme. Speck wasn’t the first to suggest so, and he probably won’t be the last. I’m curious as to why you feel the narrowing of Broadway would be the “stupidest suggestion” ever?
The wide streets could be a real benefit, as they allow room for streetcars without severely restricting traffic flow.
I was in Manhattan last week and the wide major thoroughfares like Broadway, congested with bumper to bumper traffic, don’t seem to disuade people from walking there…More walkable shouldn’t have to mean less drivable.
philp I think you missed Specks point. The way our streets are presently designed does not promote walkable areas. Your suggestion of streetcars is an interesting one. If streetcars were reintroduced, the traffic along Broadway would have to be slowed down to allow the streetcar riders safe egress. Your Manhattan analogy doesn’t hold water in my opionion because the population density in downtown OKC is entirely different the the density of Manhattan. Its like comparing a cucumber to a watermelon. Alot alike but entirely different.
Let’s also remember in regard to Pei that a lot gets laid at I.M. Pei’s feet that wasn’t his doing. I think in the book we made a pretty compelling case that Pei wanted the Biltmore to remain standing and was disregarded when he advised to keep Main Street in place until there was an alternate place set up for downtown retail.
Likewise, Jack and I will have some more mythology to blow apart in our next book on the Skirvin.
I’m just glad Speck didn’t suggest this for okc http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3769829/ haha, I was in Boston when it was being built and remember talking to a bunch of locals who were so upset. I’m glad Speck came here. Regardless how many suggestions will actually be implemented it’s very reassuring to see/hear that the city I am starting my adult life in has so much upward potential for my generation and the next ones to come.
“I was in Manhattan last week and the wide major thoroughfares like Broadway, congested with bumper to bumper traffic, don’t seem to disuade people from walking there…More walkable shouldn’t have to mean less drivable.”
Broadway at Time Square is actually going pedestrian only: http://is.gd/uafo…and Ben is right, a poor comparison either way. That said, I think streetcars along Broadway is an excellent idea and may be a superior solution, though not as cheap and easy as re-striping the street.
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“I can tell you right now that narrowing Broadway is one of the stupidest suggestions I’ve ever hear come out of a mouth of someone who claims to be an expert in city planning. So Speck is by no means perfect.”
Yes, you can tell us its stupid…but can you tell us why? Probably not.
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I think the intentions of the City’s boulevard plan are actually better than the large central median idea, but the design as it currently stands, with raised ramps remaining just east and west of downtown, will be more like a highway than a Parisian boulevard. I know keeping it on the ground through the Western and Exchange intersections complicates things and will likely slow traffic, but keeping it elevated is like letting ODOT design their perfect auto city – two highways for the price of one!
Maybe the design is not ideal, but Speck’s suggestion that we need to reconsider the boulevard design is on point.
Its stupid because in less than 5 years the everyone will complain about how difficult it is to get in and out of downtown from the north because of the gridlock on Broadway. We all take that easy drive for granted and we’ll really feel it if its gone. Even SPeck admits his suggestions will create traffic problems. Really? Thats what we want? We want angled parking on Broadway? We want Broadway street in downtown OKC to look like we’re driving through Holdenville or Perkins? You need to have a very complelling reason to ever take out lanes of traffic. If people have difficulty crossing on Broadway (I work down there and have yet to see it) then add 8-10 seconds on the crossing signal. Problem solved. Don’t tear out lanes of trafiic that 5 years from now we’ll be speding money to put them back.
Steve,
If the Biltmore remained then where would the Myriad Gardens be? For the Gardens to happen, either the Biltmore or Mummers Theater had to go. I believe your book said that there were efforts to try to save the Biltmore but things such as ceiling height, etc. made the place way too cost prohibitive to renovate. Its hard for Pei to escape unscathed when the area that started the downtown OKC Renaissance, Bricktown, was the one downtown spot completely forgotten and untouched by Pei.
On a totally unrelated subject, have you noticed that all the cars are gone at 10th and Harvey?
First off, I think the poll is too black and white. As I hear evidence from both sides, I’ve concluded that the Planning Department has made plenty of bad decisions AND Speck had many misconceptions and half-truths in his presentation. However, the city needs to take the good with the bad, and in this case the good(publicity, citizen discussion, enthusiasm for walkability) is extremely important. You need a “Both”.
Re: Boulevard
I wrote this sometime back and I think it bears repeating…
“While I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and suggestions, there was one idea he mentioned about possibly redesigning the replacement boulevard I did not fully agree with. His concept (albeit, quickly conceived) was to essentially widen the distance between east and west bound lanes creating a center-median oasis or park. While that is not a bad thought, I think he contradicted his earlier sentiment about one-way streets. His boulevard plan in fact creates two additional one-way streets (one east and one west) allowing motorists to zoom freely, unabated, counter to pedestrian-friendly conventional wisdom. I realize I am nitpicking a little, but that boulevard is so very important to connectivity of the CBD and C2S, especially from a pedestrian standpoint.
I do hope the city reconsiders current plans and reevaluate the true capacity needs of the boulevard. They might consider narrowing the boulevard and routing it to the far north or south edge of the ROW and selling the land for development, creating a pedestrian park, or use the space to expand the canal to “Central Park”. I just don’t want the boulevard be become a physical and psychological barrier to the areas south of it (we have that problem now).”
Denver is looking into the prospect of relocating an expansive stretch of I-70 through the inner-city. It’s original construction destroyed several neighborhoods and a physical and mental barrier between communities it became. Part of their (Denver) solution in redeveloping the relocated Interstate, is to “Main Street Zone” the entire corridor, essentially giving all the original neighborhoods a retail/commercial corridor, built to a pedestrian scale. The “boulevard” would be akin to a regular arterial, having crossing distances no greater than 50 feet.