Quality of life in Oklahoma City

[Garin]

This questions seems to always be at the fore front of everyone's conversations on here. So what is everyone looking for in a city? What is Oklahoma missing out on?

[Just the facts]

For me it comes down to being able to walk (or take convenient mass transit) to 95% of what I want to do. Even here in Jax there are several walkable neighborhoods that offer a lot but they don't have the retail component at the level we would want and mass transit would still be by bus. I am starting to fear that what I am looking for might not exist in the US (at least not in a city I would want to live in).

[Spartan]

You just want options. If it's a free market economy you should have options. That will naturally lead to the best-developed city with options for everyone.

It's nice to have options of where to shop, not just Wal-mart; options of where to live, not just suburbs; options of what to do in free time, not just first-ran movies; options of lifestyles, and so on.

OKC didn't have any options for so long. Now it does.

[soonerguru]

Less idiotic conservative morons like Mary Fallin, Mike Reynolds, etc. would be a nice start.

Oh wait, we're talking about OKC.

World class (or even second class) urban public transit system.

Better beautification.

More infill and urban connectedness.

More public art.

A real music venue (sorry, the Diamond Ballroom is a joke).

[bchris02]

Less idiotic conservative morons like Mary Fallin, Mike Reynolds, etc. would be a nice start.

Oh wait, we're talking about OKC.

World class (or even second class) urban public transit system.

Better beautification.

More infill and urban connectedness.

More public art.

A real music venue (sorry, the Diamond Ballroom is a joke).

Agree with this. Also add better retail and modern grocery stores to the mix.

[progressiveboy]

The success of a city depends alot on it's inhabitants. In order for OKC to become the city it wants to become, then first, it's residents must all be on the same page and want better for their city. I found OKC to be somewhat fragmented and so many of their residents just want the status que, nothing else. OKC is going to need lots of white collar jobs and young inhabitants to have a vibrant, growing city which is desireable and has momentum and sustanibility.

[SoonerDave]

Less idiotic conservative morons like Mary Fallin, Mike Reynolds, etc. would be a nice start.

Oh wait, we're talking about OKC.

World class (or even second class) urban public transit system.

Better beautification.

More infill and urban connectedness.

More public art.

A real music venue (sorry, the Diamond Ballroom is a joke).

More tolerance of diverse opinions would be an even better start.

[HangryHippo]

More tolerance of diverse opinions would be an even better start.

Yeah, not for their "opinions".

[Bunty]

Less idiotic conservative morons like Mary Fallin, Mike Reynolds, etc. would be a nice start.

LOL, Dream on. Really, plenty of Oklahomans very, very much love and adore her. She will win reelection by 60 to 70% of the vote.

[Soonerman]

LOL, Dream on. Really, plenty of Oklahomans very, very much love and adore her. She will win reelection by 60 to 70% of the vote.

Thats sad, She's a sorry excuse for a governor.

[bchris02]

LOL, Dream on. Really, plenty of Oklahomans very, very much love and adore her. She will win reelection by 60 to 70% of the vote.

Agreed. Fallin is beloved and she is very good at energizing one issue voters.

[betts]

Oklahoma City is changing so rapidly right now that it seems like every month quality of life gets a little better. Perhaps we all are so close to what's happening that we lose a little perspective. We can't change the weather in July and August and we can't add a mountain range, but I think we're doing quite well with what we do have. In 5 years, no one will be comparing us unfavorably to Louisville, IMO. I think when we look back in 5 years we'll be shocked at the difference.

[bchris02]

Oklahoma City is changing so rapidly right now that it seems like every month quality of life gets a little better. Perhaps we all are so close to what's happening that we lose a little perspective. We can't change the weather in July and August and we can't add a mountain range, but I think we're doing quite well with what we do have. In 5 years, no one will be comparing us unfavorably to Louisville, IMO. I think when we look back in 5 years we'll be shocked at the difference.

Weather wise, I would say April and May are far more detrimental to the quality of life here than July and August.

As far as comparisons to Louisville, I will say OKC will pass them once the convention center and Central Park are built, the streetcar in place, critical mass in Midtown and revitalization of SoSA underway, and significant uptown gentrification including a revitalized Tower Theater becomes a reality.

[Just the facts]

Oklahoma City is changing so rapidly right now that it seems like every month quality of life gets a little better. Perhaps we all are so close to what's happening that we lose a little perspective. We can't change the weather in July and August and we can't add a mountain range, but I think we're doing quite well with what we do have. In 5 years, no one will be comparing us unfavorably to Louisville, IMO. I think when we look back in 5 years we'll be shocked at the difference.

I attended an event here in Jax on Monday night that was to discuss ways to re-urbanize downtown Jacksonville. I was surprised that over 100 people showed up. Each person who wanted to was given 2 minutes to present their ideas and nearly every single one of them was exactly the same thing as what OKC has done over the past 10 years - from turning downtown streets to two-way to putting a zip line over the river. I know people here on OKCTalk see the huge build up of urban momentum but I don't think the average OKC resident has any ideas what the near future is going to hold - and they are going to be blown away by it.

[Pete]

Yes, things have improved dramatically in just the last five years and the momentum is only building, so it's fun to think about the great changes to come in the next five.


These would all make a significant improvement in quality of life from my perspective:

• Bring smoking & liquor laws in line with most the rest of the country
• More bike lanes and trails
• Expand the streetcar (assuming the first phase is built as planned)
• Pressure irresponsible property owners in the core to renovate, develop or sell
• Create a reasonable plan to limit the crazy sprawl; better focus of resources
• Ask / expect more from city officials and employees and hold them accountable
• An organized approach to harnessing the great passion so many feel for the community and turning that into action

[OKCisOK4me]

Yes, things have improved dramatically in just the last five years and the momentum is only building, so it's fun to think about the great changes to come in the next five.


These would all make a significant improvement in quality of life from my perspective:

• Bring smoking & liquor laws in line with most the rest of the country
• More bike lanes and trails
• Expand the streetcar (assuming the first phase is built as planned)
  
• Pressure irresponsible property owners in the core to renovate, develop or sell
• Create a reasonable plan to limit the crazy sprawl; better focus of resources
• Ask / expect more from city officials and employees and hold them accountable
• An organized approach to harnessing the great passion so many feel for the community and turning that into action

I believe this is the most doable and important.

[Teo9969]

I believe this is the most doable and important.

At the same time, I worry that pressuring inept property owners will only lead to poor quality, enough to get by development.

[warreng88]

At the same time, I worry that pressuring inept property owners will only lead to poor quality, enough to get by development.

Isn't that where design review would come in? Let's set standards for what we expect and hold property owners to those standards. Give them a reasonable amount of time to get the funding for and construct a quality development. If they are not willing to do that, they need to pay a higher amount of tax or sell the property to someone who is willing to do something with it.

[Garin]

But everyone knows that junkie people don't like living around nice things, So it only takes a handful of prideful owners to start to make a difference. That should be the only type of pressure that is ever applied to another property owner.

[Patrick]

Costco will drastically improve our quality of life.

[bchris02]

Costco will drastically improve our quality of life.

It all comes down to choices. Cities with high quality of life - Minneapolis for instance, don't necessarily have the best weather or the best scenery, but what they do have is options. Where to shop, where to live, where to eat, where to drink, where to play, what to believe, cultural diversity, musical diversity, etc. Of course diversity of lifestyle choices isn't the only factor that contributes to quality of life but it is a major one.

Of course there is a limit to the depth of choices a city of 1.3 million population can offer, but in OKCs case I say it is still a ways off from reaching that limit.

[DoctorTaco]

Can't believe no one has said better public schools. As a recent transplant to OKC I can say it really sucks having to choose between the suburbs and the two neighborhoods in the urban core that feed to quality elementary schools.

[Pete]

Can't believe no one has said better public schools. As a recent transplant to OKC I can say it really sucks having to choose between the suburbs and the two neighborhoods in the urban core that feed to quality elementary schools.

That's because there was just a massive tax-payer investment made through MAPS for Kids ($700 million) and it seems to have had little effect.

And as long as people have the means to live where they want -- which describes most Americans -- school quality will always be tied directly to the sociodemograpics of the neighborhoods that feed them (with the exception of a few magnet schools).

This is true everywhere in this country, but particularly in the cities where there is unbridled sprawl and an abundance of newer, reasonably affordable housing. Families merely move to schools that are already good instead of trying to improve those that need help.

[Just the facts]

I would like for someone to define "better public schools" for me. Everyone raves that suburban schools are best but hells bells - 95% of OKC is suburban sprawl. If the link between suburbia and good schools was true OKC should have the best public schools in the history of the world.

[bchris02]

I would like for someone to define "better public schools" for me. Everyone raves that suburban schools are best but hells bells - 95% of OKC is suburban sprawl. If the link between suburbia and good schools was true OKC should have the best public schools in the history of the world.

Most of OKC's middle class sprawl is in areas that may be OKC city limits but another school district, be it Moore, Edmond, Putnam City, etc. OKC school district itself is mostly either low-income or very high-income.