If real estate prices continue to rise in Austin and Denver (which have both benefited from rising costs in the SF Bay Area) then some tech companies will be looking for new homes or at least a satellite operation. Being in a position to attract these companies is important which is why strengthening (and better funding) the education system in Oklahoma is so critical. Tech companies need educated workers and sadly Oklahoma doesn't currently have or create enough of them. That needs to change to be able to build a robust tech industry in the state.

If real estate prices continue to rise in Austin and Denver (which have both benefited from rising costs in the SF Bay Area) then some tech companies will be looking for new homes or at least a satellite operation. Being in a position to attract these companies is important which is why strengthening (and better funding) the education system in Oklahoma is so critical. Tech companies need educated workers and sadly Oklahoma doesn't currently have or create enough of them. That needs to change to be able to build a robust tech industry in the state.

The lack of a significant college educated citizenry hurts Oklahomas ability to attract and keep high tech industries. Last figures I saw showed OKC to be one of the least educated large city's in the nation in term if the percentage of college educated residents, somewhere around 25%.

It's easy to say there shouldn't be any excuses for that considering OKC is flanked by OU, UCO, and even OSU if we want to be technical. OSU can also apply to Tulsa who also has TU.

It's the same thing that's been happening for years: our graduates move to Texas or move West. We need to retain these people and the number one way to do that is with a genuinely diverse economy that grows every year.

The lack of a significant college educated citizenry hurts Oklahomas ability to attract and keep high tech industries. Last figures I saw showed OKC to be one of the least educated large city's in the nation in term if the percentage of college educated residents, somewhere around 25%.

36% according to Figure 10 at this link:

http://www.towncharts.com/Oklahoma/Education/Oklahoma-City-city-OK-Education-data.html

And we're 66th out of the top 150 MSAs (by population) in terms of educational attainment according to this:

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-educated-cities/6656/

The lack of a significant college educated citizenry hurts Oklahomas ability to attract and keep high tech industries. Last figures I saw showed OKC to be one of the least educated large city's in the nation in term if the percentage of college educated residents, somewhere around 25%.

I'm thinking the number of college educated people is going to decrease across the nation except in coastal cities. I think people are going to start looking at alternatives to post high school education. Too many college educated people with huge student loan debt are living at home with mom and dad while working at Starbucks. The rising cost of tuition, predatory student lenders and the fact that it doesn't guarantee a job is beginning to turn off a lot of parents from sending kids to college. College is not training for finding a job and/or getting a job. Does it help? Sure. But the edge that it once gave is getting so much smaller. Too many people have bought into the idea of college being training for getting and having a job. It was never intended to be that.

College educated doesn't necessarily mean intelligent.

^^ Agreed on all points. I know several people who were either home schooled or didn't go to college who can run circles around some of the college grads I know.
But, many companies look for that statistic because they want to see people with degrees and it makes their company look better.

I think trade schools will be making a come back, especially if manufacturing receives a boost in the coming years.

The cost / benefit proposition for college has changed dramatically in the last generation, even at public schools.

Add in the ability to use technology to start your own business or go to work directly for such a small or medium sized organization, and I agree that the percentage of people getting undergrad and graduate degrees is bound to trend down.

Also underscores the importance of primary education and we all know where Oklahoma stands on that issue.

One thing I've wondered is why more people don't go for an Associates and then head into the job sector? In some ways it can be argued thats the best of both worlds: little college experience and half the debt. You still leave with a degree showcasing general competence and you can start your career earlier...

Oh, right, college has become a business and it's shoved down students' throats that you HAVE to go to college for at least 4 years to become anything. And some businesses bought into this, for better or worse.

One thing I've wondered is why more people don't go for an Associates and then head into the job sector? In some ways it can be argued thats the best of both worlds: little college experience and half the debt. You still leave with a degree showcasing general competence and you can start your career earlier...

Oh, right, college has become a business and it's shoved down students' throats that you HAVE to go to college for at least 4 years to become anything. And some businesses bought into this, for better or worse.

Yes, it's all become this hyper competitive and ego thing.

To provide a stark example, in California it's virtually impossible to get into the UC schools; some of the lowest admission percentages anywhere, including the Ivy League.

But if you go to JC for two years, pay way less money, and get reasonable grades, it's relatively easy to transfer in and complete your degree.

But almost all high school students have been sold on the idea that you have to apply to all the prestigious schools... And the application fees alone are a pretty big racket.

It's also interesting to note that California used to have basically tuition free public universities.
http://www.dailycal.org/2014/12/22/history-uc-tuition-since-1868/

High cost of post high school education and need for it are two different things. Don't blame the colleges when students run up debt perusing degrees with small or no futures and no way to earn enough to pay it back.

The anti education, anti fact crowd in the US just keeps growing. i spent 25 years in international business seeing country after country advancing on us through better education of their populace and supplying more and more engineers, architects, advanced software designers, doctors and businessmen. It is always discouraging to see the anti education talk here.

High cost of post high school education and need for it are two different things. Don't blame the colleges when students run up debt perusing degrees with small or no futures and no way to earn enough to pay it back.

The anti education, anti fact crowd in the US just keeps growing. i spent 25 years in international business seeing country after country advancing on us through better education of their populace and supplying more and more engineers, architects, advanced software designers, doctors and businessmen. It is always discouraging to see the anti education talk here.

I assumed that these are the students we are mostly talking when talking about college education.

Aside from business, those occupations don't even make the top 10 list of most popular majors in the U.S. I would say this would be a symptom of having a sub-par primary education where students don't get a good handling of math and physics so they stay away from STEM classes. Another thing is the entitlement culture where students take easier classes and finance their college lifestyle with debt and are shocked to find out that they still need to pay their dues in the business world before their education will really start mattering. Your not really learning until you failing in the real world.

This is how education use to be. You would get an entry-level job doing grunt work and you see a coworker who may be an engineer and you would be inspired to work hard to get a degree yourself. Its really just throwing darts on a board when choosing a major for a lot of high school students.

It is always discouraging to see the anti education talk here.

Absolutely no one is being anti-education.

Just pointing out the skyrocketing costs of traditional colleges and other potential alternatives.

I don't care what your chosen profession, starting your career with tens of thousands (if not 100's of thousands) in student debt is probably not a good idea for most people.

I doubt many people understand how crazy college expenses have become over just the last decade.

According to this site (http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064), here are the average total college expenses PER YEAR:

Private: $49,520
Public out of state: $40,70
Public in state: $25,690

That means the average cost for a 4-year degree is between $200K and $100K.

To put that into sharp contrast, when I was at OU in the early 80's, I was on a $750 / year scholarship which paid for almost all my tuitiion, fees and books. My monthly room and meals was about $250. So, for 4-years of school, my total cost per year was right around $3K.

Adjusted for inflation, that $3K would be about $8.8K today.

In other words, getting a college education has TRIPLED in this period of time.

High cost of post high school education and need for it are two different things. Don't blame the colleges when students run up debt perusing degrees with small or no futures and no way to earn enough to pay it back.

The anti education, anti fact crowd in the US just keeps growing. i spent 25 years in international business seeing country after country advancing on us through better education of their populace and supplying more and more engineers, architects, advanced software designers, doctors and businessmen. It is always discouraging to see the anti education talk here.
We're not anti-education. I believe in a good education, I'm just not sure that U.S. universities are the best way to get that education anymore. College in the U.S. has always been about gaining knowledge, not necessarily being trained to do a job. Somewhere along the way in the 20th century people started to believe that college was a training ground for job.

I like a lot of what Mike Rowe has to say about higher education and jobs. He's not anti-ed, but he's also telling parents and kids not to be sheep. College isn't always the answer. There are other ways in life to get educated.

The few posts above reflect my response to the anti-education claims.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/12/technology/amazon-us-jobs/index.html

^^ Our chambers should reach out to Amazon.

Hope this guy is right. I'd love for both OKC and Tulsa to become extensions of the I-35 tech boom going on in Austin.

http://m.newsok.com/article/5536193

Kids in schools need to start early and get into coding/tech. The more people that are here with those skills means a greater chance of companies taking risks here.

Scott Meacham is always very optimistic about tech's future in Oklahoma, and I think he makes some good points while also wearing rose-colored glasses. The key is building up the state universities (OU and OSU) as STEM magnets as well as better funding for secondary education which is in the bottom 10 in the nation. Fix those and Oklahoma IS well-positioned for future tech growth.

Article about the struggle for non-traditional tech cities: https://www.google.com/amp/www.forbes.com/sites/christophersteiner/2016/06/13/techs-rising-cities-have-long-time-grinders/?client=safari

Didn't we just cut all STEM funding for secondary schools?

Didn't we just cut all STEM funding for secondary schools?

This is why Oklahoma is ALWAYS behind. A second rate educational system ALWAYS in turmoil and pushing out large numbers of undereducated people. Thanks to the great job of republican leaders in Oklahoma of making Oklahoma first Lol maybe 41st

General says Oklahoma needs to produce more engineers
Kathryn McNutt by Kathryn McNutt Published: February 2, 2017 12:00 AM CDT
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America is falling behind in the production of STEM graduates needed to design and maintain modern weapons systems, the commander of Tinker's Air Force Sustainment Center said Wednesday.

"We are being eclipsed by the Russians and the Chinese," Lt. Gen. Lee K. Levy II said in a report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

The U.S. needs more people educated in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to "maintain our technological pre-eminence in the modern battle space," Levy said.

"The inability of the state of Oklahoma to produce enough STEM graduates causes me great concern. I would simply ask you to keep the pressure on," Levy told the regents. "I need your help."

More Coverage: Read all the recent Education articles
Everything in the modern arsenal has embedded software — the new KC-46 aerial tanker alone has 3.2 billion lines of code — and somebody has to take care of that software, he said.

"I can hire every four-year engineering graduate the state of Oklahoma produces at Tinker Air Force Base and still have empty chairs. Obviously that's not a path to sustainability," Levy said.

Long-term strategy

Regent Andy Lester, of Edmond, said the engineering dean at Oklahoma State University "tells me we have more good students who are applying, but we don't have the funding to even take those students."

The engineering enrollment has doubled at OSU since 2008, but faculty and facilities have stayed flat due to lack of funding, President Burns Hargis said in December.

Oklahoma's higher education system has increased the number of STEM degrees by 6,000 in the past five years, a 28 percent increase, Chancellor Glen Johnson said.

"Our engineering schools want to do more, but obviously funding is restricting that," Johnson said.

Levy said Oklahoma needs a long-term strategy to address the need for scientists and engineers because it takes 21 years to generate a STEM graduate.

It has to start in elementary school and continue through the university level, he said.

"That requires sustained funding," he said. "We can't do it one year and not the next."

Jobs for Oklahomans

As the demand for STEM-educated workers continues to increase, so does the competition for those workers among various government agencies and commercial employers, Levy said.

Tinker loses some job candidates to the private sector because it can only pay a third to half as much, he said.

But the work is intriguing to many who like the challenge of developing software for "forward-looking infrared targeting systems for C-130 gunships," Levy said. Because of that, the turnover rate is low.

"What we do is far more interesting and far more compelling than writing control language for dishwashers or microwaves," he said.

Levy said Tinker has about 1,000 software engineers, but it's not enough and he has to recruit outside Oklahoma.

"I'll move the work eventually. The jobs will leave Oklahoma because the nation expects me to get the work done," he said.

Tinker is the largest single-site employer in Oklahoma with 24,000 employees. Only the state of Oklahoma employs more people.

Keeping those good jobs here requires a commitment from the state and its higher education system, Levy said.

"We have an obligation ... to create an economic system that helps draw us away from the oil and gas centered-economy, puts more pre-eminence on the aerospace and defense industry, raises the tax base, and raises the opportunity for better jobs, better education and a better quality of life for Oklahomans."
Kathryn McNutt

This was from the Brookings institute and Project for Public Spaces meeting with the Chamber's Leadership to establish a Technology innovation district a year ago. It is going forward full steam.

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s recent board
retreat focused entirely on the city’s emerging
innovation district and creating public spaces in it that
foster creative ideas, entrepreneurship and more by
connecting people. In turn, these connections lead to
business growth and more innovation. In Oklahoma
City, this district encompasses an area that includes
the Oklahoma Health Center and Automobile Alley.
At the retreat, the Brookings Institution and the
Project for Public Spaces shared with attendees more
about a new 18-month study of this area during which
they will analyze the district’s economic strengths,
community assets and more as they examine the
interplay between innovation, quality places and
economic growth, Chamber Chairman David Rainbolt
noted at the retreat. This in-depth study is part of the
newly created Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Initiative on
Innovation and Placemaking at Brookings. It is funded
through a partnership of community organizations
that include the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the
Presbyterian Health Foundation, the Oklahoma Health
Center Foundation, the City of Oklahoma City and
the Alliance of Economic Development for Oklahoma
City. Additional community supporters include the
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the
University of Oklahoma.
In this wrap-up report, you’ll read more about this
initiative and the discussions at the Chamber’s board
retreat, as well as ideas for developing it from local
leaders.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Oklahoma City’s

Creating an innnovation district IS NOT what this article is speaking to and will not address the concerns of the General. The innovation district is to create synergy between existing medical and other economic entities to foster innovation. The article speaks to a failure of Oklahoma to produce sufficient graduates with Science and Engineering degrees to meet the demands of the military and I dare say industry. this is why Oklahomd does not attract knowledge based industries and salaries and standard of living remains low

13525

Creating an innnovation district IS NOT what this article is speaking to and will not address the concerns of the General. The innovation district is to create synergy between existing medical and other economic entities to foster innovation. The article speaks to a failure of Oklahoma to produce sufficient graduates with Science and Engineering degrees to meet the demands of the military and I dare say industry. this is why Oklahomd does not attract knowledge based industries and salaries and standard of living remains low

That ok because I was NOT replying to your post.

13525

I do not understand their thinking in including Automobile Alley. I really think the "district" ends at 235.

That ok because I was NOT replying to your post.

Thanks

13525

Next time I'm at Plenty Mercantile I can't wait to strike up an innovative conversation with a biomedical engineer who has walked a mile from OUHSC across a major interstate on dangerous sidewalks to Auto Alley..........

That was included by project for Public Spaces and Brookings. they want this to be a district where tech startups can live work and play. they felt that have collaborative spaces like coffee shops and restaurants were key to the interaction outside of workspaces. There is also a housing component.

Brookings Chose Oklahoma city, we did not choose them. They are modeling this after successful innovation districts around the world.

I do not understand their thinking in including Automobile Alley. I really think the "district" ends at 235.

It's a joke. The Medical Center area itself needs extensive pedestrian improvements, infill, public spaces, and it's own set of hangout spots if it is to become a true innovation district. Shoehorning in AA is an easy way to say, "see we have an innovation district!" even though it is highly impractical in reality for people from the HSC to quickly and easily jaunt over to just hang and mix with each other. In the future it is possible that people will want to walk from one place to the other once both areas become more walkable and safely connected, but right now it's like putting a square peg in a round hole, they just aren't compatible.

Unfortunately you do not know all the details. I can not say right now but that is all being worked out by all parties. We should all know in the near future.

It's a joke. The Medical Center area itself needs extensive pedestrian improvements, infill, public spaces, and it's own set of hangout spots if it is to become a true innovation district. Shoehorning in AA is an easy way to say, "see we have an innovation district!" even though it is highly impractical in reality for people from the HSC to quickly and easily jaunt over to just hang and mix with each other. In the future it is possible that people will want to walk from one place to the other once both areas become more walkable and safely connected, but right now it's like putting a square peg in a round hole, they just aren't compatible.

Yep. Gary says we don't have all the details, but based on what we do know, it's absurd.

From last years summary

INNOVATION DISTRICTS:
‘COMPETITIVE PLACES AND COOL SPACES’
Oklahoma City is the focus of a new study that will
take a close look at its emerging innovation district
and offer ways to turn it into a destination center
where collaboration and innovation can flourish, those
who attended the recent Greater OKC Chamber board
retreat learned.
In return, such a place leads to economic growth and
boosts the city’s ability to attract college graduates
and entrepreneurs. The area that encompasses the
Oklahoma Health Center and Automobile Alley is
prime for such a transformation.
The Brookings Institution and the Project for Public
Spaces (PPS) are conducting this 18-month study, and
the daylong board retreat focused exclusively on what
this could mean for Oklahoma City.
In the first keynote session at the Retreat, Bruce
Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution, and
founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program,
addressed innovation districts, noting that this type of
district is a geographic area where big institutions and
companies cluster and then connect with small firms,
startups, business incubators and accelerators.
They are “physically compact, transit-accessible and
technically wired; they offer mixed-use housing, office
and retail,” he added. They also are walkable and bikeable
– “‘competitive places and cool spaces,” he said.
Barcelona, Spain, was the first to define this (see
“Other innovation districts,” page 8).
Katz said innovation districts can spring up according
to several models:
• The “anchor-plus” model, centered around
research and medical centers.
• Urbanized science parks, which are away from
the city core.
• Re-imagined urban areas, which are districts
that are within or near waterfronts or other old
industrial areas.
“All of these districts have the same kind of
common elements that sort of mash up together,” Katz
said. “It’s really economic, physical and networking
assets that come
together to create
essentially an
ecosystem.”
The rise of
an innovation
economy
Manufacturing
districts in the late
19th century and
early 20th century
relied on proximity
to each other.
Around World War
II was the rise of research and science parks, driven in
part by defense needs and the Cold War. These were
built away from the city core. Along the way, Europe
and the United States built a lot of freeways that
tended to divide parts of cities from themselves.
Now all of that is changing as the world sees the rise
of an innovative economy, particularly around research
universities and medical districts.
In Oklahoma City, Katz said that the innovation district
as it is currently defined has “good bones” with its
bioscience/medical center focus of the Oklahoma
Health Center, the GE Global Research Oil and Gas
Technology Center, Oklahoma School of Science
and Mathematics and Automobile Alley. Even though
a highway separates part of the district, from an
urbanist perspective, Katz said, this looked like one
“continuously integrated area.”
“In most places in the country, you have to
manufacture it. Here you have it,” Katz said. The area
“wasn’t built to be a 21st century innovation district, but
it’s got the ability to be one.”
The boundaries are not set and can be porous
depending upon development, but they are defined
for the purposes of this study by Brookings and PPS.
This will allow them to measure and track progress,
collect data and compare the area pre- and postdevelopment.
Oklahoma City has 1.28 million residents and $72.6
billion in economic output, placing it 44th out of
the top 100 metro areas, according to a Brookings
Automobile Alley along Broadway
adds a welcome dimension to
Oklahoma City’s new innovation
district.
2015 BOARD RETREAT WRAP-UP REPORT 7
slide show presented at the board retreat. The city’s
employment growth has increased by 11.2 percent
since 2010; its output growth as increased by 19.1
percent.
The emerging innovation district encompasses 1.3
square miles, which is .2 percent of Oklahoma City
land; has 3,800 residents living there; and provides
17,900 jobs, which is 5 percent of all Oklahoma City
jobs.
“The innovation district, like all innovation districts, is
relatively small, Katz said. “But it reflects the fact that
these relatively small places pack a very large punch.”
The health care and social assistance sector makes
up the largest part of the innovation district, with 56
percent of its companies and institutions working
in that area, compared to 24 percent of Oklahoma
City in the same sector. Other key sectors, listed
here by innovation district vs. overall Oklahoma City
percentages, include educational services (16 percent
in the innovation district vs. six percent in OKC); public
administration (12 percent vs. 27 percent); professional,
scientific and technical services (6 percent vs. 8
percent) and remaining sectors (10 percent vs. 35
percent).
Getting started in Oklahoma City
The study will first help this area take stock of its
networking, economic and physical assets and define
what makes Oklahoma City unique compared to other
places. The study also will bring together multiple
stakeholders.
“You’re Oklahoma City. You’re not any of these places,”
Katz said after he had named some of the other cities
that have formed their own innovation districts. “You
don’t want to replicate … You just want to know what
folks are doing.”
Katz also said he thought that Oklahoma City will
be able to deploy some of their ideas immediately,
moves that
in turn will
spark more.
Innovation
districts
capitalize on
strong ties
that already
exist among
people in the
same fields,
but they also
create spaces
to leverage
the weaker
ties between
people in
different
fields.
“You put all that together, and you’ve got an innovation
ecosystem,” he said. “You add in the risk-taking culture
of the United States, and I think we’re going to be on a
roll as we adjust and adapt to this new economy.”
OKC innovation

Yep. Gary says we don't have all the details, but based on what we do know, it's absurd.

I wonder if any of the people working on this study have ever tried to cross Lincoln Blvd. (or the 10th or Harrison or 13th St. bridges over I-235) on foot. Or tried to walk the west side of Lincoln Blvd? We have bus stops along the west side but no sidewalks connecting them. My favorite, though, is the NW 4th and Lincoln intersection. Want to cross NW 4th on the west side of Lincoln? There's a pedestrian signal but no crosswalk. Want to cross Lincoln on the south side of NW 4th? There's a painted crosswalk but no pedestrian signal. And it gets even better. The Lincoln intersections with painted crosswalks are interrupted by medians in almost every case, so if you have any sort of disability or mobility issue good luck crossing. This is all basic, simple stuff. I don't need a fancy think tank study to know this stuff has to be fixed before we start talking about hip startups seeking out this sort of area.

Even if you get over to the east side of 235 from Auto Alley, good luck finding anything to interact with at street level. It's all 45 mph vehicular traffic and giant monumental lawns, or huge parking lots. And with OU/ODOT's plans to install overhead highway signs on Lincoln, the problems will just get worse. I hate to be a Debbie Downer about all this but I live in the "Innovation District" and trying to connect HSC and the Lincoln corridor to Auto Alley is a joke.

^

I agree but you also have to start somewhere.

I believe that all of these issues are being inventoried so at least we can start to chip away at the biggest obstacles and get things headed in the right direction.

^

I agree but you also have to start somewhere.

I believe that all of these issues are being inventoried so at least we can start to chip away at the biggest obstacles and get things headed in the right direction.

You're right, and I'm probably being too harsh. But I do have concerns that even recent changes in the area (defined here as stuff east of 235) have not been positive from an urban perspective. I'm glad GE chose OKC for their research center, but there's nothing about that development that's encourages pedestrianism or connections with nearby developments (probably for security reasons, but still). ODOT's extension of the northbound 235 Harrison exit to 10th street is a positive development from a "get more cars through here quickly" perspective but also acted to make the highway more of a divider between Auto Alley and the HSC, not less of a divider. And then, according to Steve, ODOT/OU are trying to make Lincoln more like a superhighway, not less like a superhighway. So I guess I worry that even recent and upcoming changes are continuing to push this area in the wrong direction rather than turning things around. And what I worry about most of all is that including Auto Alley in this area acts a fig leaf so that the powers that be east of 235 can just say "look we're urban" without actually doing anything to fix these problems. I made a list of some of these things in my GO Bond survey response and I encourage others to do the same! Not sure there's much OKC can do for Lincoln and for 235, but for the other areas, anything would help!

i wonder if any of the people working on this study have ever tried to cross lincoln blvd. (or the 10th or harrison or 13th st. Bridges over i-235) on foot. Or tried to walk the west side of lincoln blvd? We have bus stops along the west side but no sidewalks connecting them. My favorite, though, is the nw 4th and lincoln intersection. Want to cross nw 4th on the west side of lincoln? There's a pedestrian signal but no crosswalk. Want to cross lincoln on the south side of nw 4th? There's a painted crosswalk but no pedestrian signal. And it gets even better. The lincoln intersections with painted crosswalks are interrupted by medians in almost every case, so if you have any sort of disability or mobility issue good luck crossing. This is all basic, simple stuff. I don't need a fancy think tank study to know this stuff has to be fixed before we start talking about hip startups seeking out this sort of area.

Even if you get over to the east side of 235 from auto alley, good luck finding anything to interact with at street level. It's all 45 mph vehicular traffic and giant monumental lawns, or huge parking lots. And with ou/odot's plans to install overhead highway signs on lincoln, the problems will just get worse. I hate to be a debbie downer about all this but i live in the "innovation district" and trying to connect hsc and the lincoln corridor to auto alley is a joke.

like

You're right, and I'm probably being too harsh. But I do have concerns that even recent changes in the area (defined here as stuff east of 235) have not been positive from an urban perspective. I'm glad GE chose OKC for their research center, but there's nothing about that development that's encourages pedestrianism or connections with nearby developments (probably for security reasons, but still). ODOT's extension of the northbound 235 Harrison exit to 10th street is a positive development from a "get more cars through here quickly" perspective but also acted to make the highway more of a divider between Auto Alley and the HSC, not less of a divider. And then, according to Steve, ODOT/OU are trying to make Lincoln more like a superhighway, not less like a superhighway. So I guess I worry that even recent and upcoming changes are continuing to push this area in the wrong direction rather than turning things around. And what I worry about most of all is that including Auto Alley in this area acts a fig leaf so that the powers that be east of 235 can just say "look we're urban" without actually doing anything to fix these problems. I made a list of some of these things in my GO Bond survey response and I encourage others to do the same! Not sure there's much OKC can do for Lincoln and for 235, but for the other areas, anything would help!

I know the usual suspects are will whine about my "negativity", but you've hit on some stuff that grinds my gears as well.

I'm glad GE chose OKC, but why did they (or why were they allowed to) largely ignore 10th St when it's the most traveled connection between these Auto Alley and OUHSC? They tucked their new building back on the lot and then built a garage that fronts the street. Many of the pedestrian signals around the OUHSC campus haven't worked. We've got giant parking lots everywhere. And rather than building crosswalks that are safe, they put in crossings mid street so that you can play russian roulette with the cars flying down the three lane streets. The highway signs ought to really help in this regard, lol. Hell, if you don't want to eat in the same cafeterias every day, there's nowhere close to grab coffee or lunch that doesn't require walking to a huge garage or parking lot to get your car. By then, you don't have the time to go anywhere.

It's irritating because when compared to various other cities, we can't do some of the basics right, but somehow we're going to throw a weird plan together while ODOT and OU continue to do whatever they want.

“physically compact, transit-accessible and
technically wired; they offer mixed-use housing, office
and retail,” he added. They also are walkable and bikeable"

this is the antithesis of what exists today in the HSC. AA is the only portion within the boundaries that is even remotely compact, transit accessible, and mixed use and I think it may have been included just so that there can be some of that within the boundaries and marketed as such. However, unless Major improvements are done to the HSC, and there is car free transit between the two areas, AA will not be a part of the innovation district except on a map.

Also, the article refers to the area being a relatively small portion of OKC, which is true, but when you compare the area to the walkable and connected portions of OKC it's huge. It's over 80% the size of all of downtown... That is far too large for people to just randomly bump into each other on the street consistently enough for "innovation" to happen.

I'm not against an innovation district and I hope that the HSC moves towards becoming a true urban live work play style area. I just question the motives and practicality of including Auto Alley in to the mix.

I'm not against an innovation district and I hope that the HSC moves towards becoming a true urban live work play style area. I just question the motives and practicality of including Auto Alley in to the mix.

I want to echo these two sentiments. I love the idea of the OUHSC developing into an innovation district and becoming a truly awesome neighborhood with all that that entails, but it makes no sense to include Automobile Alley in this.

I want to echo these two sentiments. I love the idea of the OUHSC developing into an innovation district and becoming a truly awesome neighborhood with all that that entails, but it makes no sense to include Automobile Alley in this.

Unless you want to use it as a specious marketing tool.

You're right, and I'm probably being too harsh. But I do have concerns that even recent changes in the area (defined here as stuff east of 235) have not been positive from an urban perspective. I'm glad GE chose OKC for their research center, but there's nothing about that development that's encourages pedestrianism or connections with nearby developments (probably for security reasons, but still). ODOT's extension of the northbound 235 Harrison exit to 10th street is a positive development from a "get more cars through here quickly" perspective but also acted to make the highway more of a divider between Auto Alley and the HSC, not less of a divider. And then, according to Steve, ODOT/OU are trying to make Lincoln more like a superhighway, not less like a superhighway. So I guess I worry that even recent and upcoming changes are continuing to push this area in the wrong direction rather than turning things around. And what I worry about most of all is that including Auto Alley in this area acts a fig leaf so that the powers that be east of 235 can just say "look we're urban" without actually doing anything to fix these problems. I made a list of some of these things in my GO Bond survey response and I encourage others to do the same! Not sure there's much OKC can do for Lincoln and for 235, but for the other areas, anything would help!

Please post more often. Really like and appreciate your insights, especially from someone who depends on walking and mass transit as much as you do.

And your points are absolutely correct. The bottom line is that in OK & OKC big business will always, always win the day and when their own interests and desires conflict with things like good urbanism, we know the way things are going to turn out.

Look no further than Devon and the two parking garages that everyone hates. Or the fact they so easily tore down a bunch of historic buildings.

Our leaders talk about good urbanism but it quickly goes out the window when there is push-back from the corporate world. It seems the best we can hope for is that Devon grudgingly puts in some retail space in those garages and then everyone sees that as some great compromise.

Please post more often. Really like and appreciate your insights, especially from someone who depends on walking and mass transit as much as you do.

And your points are absolutely correct. The bottom line is that in OK & OKC big business will always, always win the day and when their own interests and desires conflict with things like good urbanism, we know the way things are going to turn out.

Look no further than Devon and the two parking garages that everyone hates. Or the fact they so easily tore down a bunch of historic buildings.

Our leaders talk about good urbanism but it quickly goes out the window when there is push-back from the corporate world. It seems the best we can hope for is that Devon grudgingly puts in some retail space in those garages and then everyone sees that as some great compromise.

It's ironic because in the long run these corporations would benefit from good design.

Why don't we focus on areas where there are good bones for good urban development. There are tons of spaces in downtown, midtown and arts district where all these great local small businesses can be heros. Build it up and ignore big businesses and if the theory works as we think, the great new businesses will spring up around them. We've made progress on sidewalks, bike lanes, two way streets, etc. We're adding streetcars etc. so let's focus on an area that we can manage and prove everyone else is stupid not to do it our way.