Huge mixed used project proposed north of Quail Springs

[BDP]

This isn't a place that young professionals like myself that are committed to downtown and inner city revitalization are going to visit frequently. Stuff like this is designed for the professionals that live in the burbs and want a "urban oasis" near the burbs.

I agree. I can't see myself ever having any reason to visit there, but, like you said, if he pulls it off it will be better and maybe more urban in design than what Hogan has done.

I've always been a little fuzzy on what defines urban/suburban.

Urban is usually defined by density and not just density of residents, but services as well. It is pedestrian based and served by mass transit. Most of the setbacks are at the street and developments are not dominated by parking lots.

In the end this place probably won't be big enough to create a real urban lifestyle where parking lots and cars are not needed. No matter its mix or density it is still going to be surrounded by the epitome of suburbia, but it can probably pull off a kind of "urbanland" Disney type attraction in the middle of suburbia that will have a high degree of novelty for the locals, I imagine.

Urban is cool and exciting and fun and a lot of younger 'hip' people love to be in the midst of that excitement.. inner city hustle and bustle, clubs, condos and apartments where maybe Suburban is convenient and predictable and a safe haven for raising a family, schools, soccer fields, chain restaurants, custom homes with yards and SUV's ...

I think that's how they're marketed and is probably the general impression of people who haven't lived in an urban setting. While many urban areas are dominated by young people, there is no lack of families or empty nesters. In fact, the latter dominates many new condo sales in urban areas. Urban areas are more neighborhood and community minded than most suburban cities, as they are more interactive whereas suburban communities tend to focus on isolation.

Having lived in an urban city and Oklahoma City, I can honestly say that urban living is way more convenient than suburban living. The fact that you can walk less than a block and meet most of your immediate needs makes it more convenient than anywhere in Oklahoma City. Within ten blocks you usually have a wide variety of services and restaurants and you never have to deal with traffic, parking, or congestion. Beyond that public transit can generally connect you to just about anything you could ever want within 20 minutes.

And suburban living being safer than urban living is definitely a myth. New York was just named the safest large city in America by the FBI and that city and San Francisco are often rated in the top ten safest cities over 500k in the country. Crime is usually more the result of income demographics. Since many urban areas of the country have seen exponential growth in property value and cost of living, many have outpaced suburban cities in the reductiom of crime.

Probably the biggest difference between the two is the car and isolation. Urban developments tend to focus on pedestrian traffic and suburban ones revolve around driving and parking. Surburban is about putting as much space between peeople and services, while urban is usually about bringing them together. So, this place may come off as urban on a micro scale, it won't be able to ignore its suburban surroundings.

[brianinok]

I am going to echo a few comments already on here, and maybe some others not mentioned here yet.

- That land was going to be developed eventually, just look at the location.
- Despite what many of you would like to admit, all cities have suburban areas attached to them. Some just don't have it in their city limits like OKC (this is partially to do with OKC's huge city limits). Even NYC and LA have suburbs, and that is okay. Everyone doesn't have to live in an urban setting.
- As the urban areas grow, the suburban areas will grow, too. Like it or not, some people like to live in that area.
- Since that land is going to be developed as something, this appears to be the best we could get. True urban is too cost-prohibitive for this area. But, we should be thankful it isn't going to be a regular subdivision or a regular strip mall. Face it: this is the best we could hope for in that area.