Quote Originally Posted by Spartan View Post
The worst we can do is create a boulevard with too much capacity that will never be needed. That's not urban. The reason those 8-lane boulevards with enormous plazas are "world-class" in Europe and Buenos Aires is because they are full of traffic and people. Such would NOT be even close to the case in OKC.
Good point. Too much capacity would be killer. Most "world class" avenues that are heavily trafficked connect the center to the edge and are well suited to balance commuting traffic needs in a rich urban context. Champs Elysee, Las Ramblas and Commonwealth Ave are all such examples.

In contrast boulevards - a term that originated from bolwerk, a Dutch word for walls - were originally meant to provide pedestrian promenades and green belts on land that had previously been occupied by fortifications. (Vienna's Ringstrasse is a terrific example). These paths necessarily encircled the town and thus did not enhance connections between center and edge, but between edge and edge. Either way, it was only later that many boulevards' grandiose park qualities were ignored in favor of more traffic capacity. The Boulevard Périphérique in Paris - one of Europe's busiest highways - is a prime example.

What to do now?

As for what to do. Perhaps we should start by asking everyone - city reps, ODOT officials, okctalkers, and neighors - some thought-provoking questions.

  1. Is the OKC boulevard a solution in search of a question? What problem is it that the boulevard is attempting to solve?
  2. If we are rebuilding a ten-lane highway to replace a six-lane highway, how is it that another six-lanes of traffic capacity is needed?
  3. If the primary objective of Core to Shore was to connect downtown to the river, why are we creating another major thoroughfare that runs perpendicular to this path and introduces a barrier to this connection?
  4. Do you think you would choose to regularly walk the distance from downtown to the new central park, when the newly renovated Myriad Gardens already offers so much in terms of programming?


By the way, if you are late to the discussion, this OK Gazette piece was the jumping-off point.