OKC's rampant problems: blight, congestion, lack of civic planning, etc, etc, etc

[mireaux]

Its occured to me that in recent times that some areas of the greater OKC area seemed obviously blighted, some have been that way for many years, others are trending that way, and some areas are having efforts at preventing blight from occuring.

on the contrast, other areas are being developed aggressively from flat farmland, or are being gentrified, or torn down and rebuilt anew.

these "pockets of blighted areas" contrasted with the affluent areas make the overall OKC map look somewhat like a subdued checkerboard.

I find the OKC area unique compared to other major metropolitan areas of similiar populations. For starters, our greater metropolitan area is quite expansive and spread out. everybody wants their own stretch of land, and doesnt want to reside too too close to anyone else.

Not only is the highway infrastructure dated, but due to recent growth, its also inadequate for the amount of traffic it carries, and moreover the real issue is that there simply isnt enough highway route to effectively get anyone from point A to point B along the highways without having to..at some point..go needlessly a few miles out of your way to arrive at your destination.

I-240 westbound from I-35, as it connects to I-40 at the amarillo junction and proceeds northbound becoming I-44 is regarded as "OKC's west loop"

currently, there is no east loop..although a few years ago there was efforts to build such. The east loop would have passed along the eastern sides of MWC, Choctaw, Jones, etc...but it drew much protest from residents in these areas, and since has been thrown off the drawing board.

I guess eminent domain doesnt really work in all circumstances.

so because everyone wants their share of tranquility at their residence/town, and yet wants some sort of convienence of a big city,..we commute long distances to work along the few highways that exist that are insufficient for the traffic they carry.

neighborhoods are spread out, shopping centers are spread out...everything is spread out...nothing is nestled together. throughout the greater oklahoma city area there are wide patches of unused farmland that needlessly seperate residents and business from having the benefit of a well organized, and efficient metropolitan area..complete with well planned transporation, commerce, jobs and everything in between within its inlay. compare this to most other cities..it rarely exists elsewhere.

another real issue is that there is just one solitary highway that connects the state's largest city with the state's third largest city: oklahoma city and norman. whats worse is that the latter is growing at a fast rate, and no efforts are in place to build an alternate highway to connect the two cities together to alleviate the congestion on I-35.

why did OKC feel the need to spend money to lure Bass Pro here in an attempt to draw other businesses here? did they really think other corporations were really going to relocate here just cause a major outdoor supply store is located here? what kind of logic is that? whats worse, theres no hiding the hideous patchworked highway that is the I-40 crosstown that Bass Pro is located right next to.

Why does our city feel the need to bribe businesses to come here, when other major cities simply take a back seat, improve their city on their own accord, and soon enough corporations begin to notice the benefits on their own merit.

If you reside in the Mid-Del area and are wanting to commute to Warr Acres, or Bethany,..there really isnt a direct route that will take you there. No highway exists that cuts diagonally across the city. You either take I-40 or I-240, over to I-44,..and more than likely you end up hitting about 15 different traffic lights along the dreaded Northworst Expressway.

Why cant a new highway be built? Why cant more highways be built that better serve both residents and those traveling to, and/or doing business in our city.

If theres one thing any prospective business looks at before deciding where to locate, its definitely highway infrastructure, and OKC's is heavily deteriorated. Take a drive along northbound Sunnylane in Del City just north of 15th street and notice the large amount of accumulated rust spots on the I-40 overpass....really pretty, right?

Another thing that doesnt make sense is why there are various skyscapers located along the NW Expressway..Valliance Bank, and pretty much every other tall structure from Penn all the way out to Council Road...shouldnt those tall buildings all be located downtown, to help better the overall prominence of Oklahoma City's financial strength? (or at least present a faux facade of such)

No troubles, from the looks of things, the new Devon Tower should rectify that issue.

There seems to exist a lacked effort in building new buildings in Oklahoma City..its a rarity of sorts. It seems on the whole that that the majority of most buildings in the city were built somewhere between 1955 and 1980, and after that, construction was far and few between. I guess that can be attributed to the oil bust of 1983. But Oklahoma cant rely on oil and agriculture forever as its chief economic structure.

Its seems that the majority of native Oklahomans who attain college degrees move out of state to pursue careers, and that those who hold college degrees and live and work in Oklahoma City are from other places other than Oklahoma City...as if they had no idea what to expect before moving here, and feel they were cheated in the end.

Why does other major cities have a lot more commerce compared to Oklahoma City. Why does Dallas have several malls (22 to be exact, and most of them are doing fairly good business showing no signs of weakening), but yet the greater Oklahoma City area has about 7 malls (Quail, Penn, Crossroads, Northpark, Heritage Park, Sooner, Shawnee) and about half of them are suffering in revenue.

Why? whats the difference? If Dallas/Ft Worth has a metropolitan populous of close to 6 million people and can support 22 malls...why cant Oklahoma City with close to 1 million populous in its greater vicinity simply support a mere 7 malls?

What can Oklahoma City learn from other major cities to improve its financial record? to improve its transportation system? to reduce crime and drug trafficking? to better its schools? to lure other businesses here to relocate?

Even if the city should improve itself over time, could it be possible that we may someday serve as a shining example for some other troubled cities to learn from us?