Lack Of Downtown Parking? LOL

[RecycleMichael]

Trees and bushes have a tough time in the dense urban environment at the level we require suburban development. 

At Up with Trees we have planted 550 trees downtown in the last three years. We spent a lot of money building large containers to grow them and plan to heavily water them for the next five years. We have a lot of experience in planting in bad soil. Highway sides are a mixture of trash rock and fill covered in dirt.

[PonderInc]

Downtowns shouldn't have surface parking lots, but if they do, they should be nice. 

Downtown Salt Lake City does an amazing job with landscape requirements for surface lots, and as a result, you often don't realize you're walking past one.

Here's an example of what a surface parking lot can be:


And here's what it looks like from above:


Compare that to Tulsa where there are no landscaping requirements for downtown surface lots:





In addition, Tulsa's street trees suffer b/c they are never planted in wide green spaces where they can establish roots and receive water and nutrients.  We plant them in little holes and wonder why they're so weak and diseased.  Personally, I don't think we should plant trees near buildings downtown, but we should require wide landscaped buffers around all surface lots.  This would beautify the parking blight, and also give trees the space they need to grow.

They just planted dozens of trees in the Blue Dome area this past winter.  Many are planted in 3 x 3 spaces, next to buildings and under utility lines. Not smart.

[RecycleMichael]

The new downtown trees are going to live. Up with Trees spent a lot of time and money redoing those planter boxes and selected trees that should be fine even under those power lines. Today we are finishing up the end of phase three along Detroit around 8th street.

[ZYX]

Is the way street trees are planted in Tulsa any different than how they are planted in other cities? They seem to do just fine everywhere else. Personally, I like trees planted next to buildings along the sidewalks, as long as they are well maintained and trimmed.

Requiring heavy landscaping in surface lots downtown makes them seem too permanent, IMO. I'd rather look at treeless lots with the hope that they will soon be redeveloped than "pretty" parking spaces.

[RecycleMichael]

Downtown Salt Lake City does an amazing job with landscape requirements for surface lots, and as a result, you often don't realize you're walking past one.

I want links to their landscape ordinances and examples from other cities. I just don't have the time to gather them.

Please PonderInc? (you were always my favorite)

[TheArtist]

Is the way street trees are planted in Tulsa any different than how they are planted in other cities? They seem to do just fine everywhere else. Personally, I like trees planted next to buildings along the sidewalks, as long as they are well maintained and trimmed.

Requiring heavy landscaping in surface lots downtown makes them seem too permanent, IMO. I'd rather look at treeless lots with the hope that they will soon be redeveloped than "pretty" parking spaces.

I get what your saying, but don't think that the value of the property would be that much greater for someone to redevelop it if the parking lot has trees or not.  However I do think that it would greatly help with downtowns "walkability".  I would be more likely to encourage people to say walk from my shop to Blue Dome if all the parking lots along the way had landscaping like in those images. I think walking would be a lot more friendly and help businesses like mine (that would then be successful enough to perhaps begin building on those lots).

[ZYX]

I get what your saying, but don't think that the value of the property would be that much greater for someone to redevelop it if the parking lot has trees or not.  However I do think that it would greatly help with downtowns "walkability".  I would be more likely to encourage people to say walk from my shop to Blue Dome if all the parking lots along the way had landscaping like in those images. I think walking would be a lot more friendly and help businesses like mine (that would then be successful enough to perhaps begin building on those lots).

I see that point as well. Perhaps it's because in my own head I see the vision for downtown and what it will soon be. Visitors see it for what it is, and shady parking lots with broken asphalt and faded lines are certainly not inviting.

By the way, I stopped by your store back in December. I think we ended up buying some candy canes. I enjoyed looking around and flipping through the books full of Tulsa's Art Deco history. I will likely be back to buy one of those sometime soon. The museum exhibits in the Philcade were great as well. I would love to see the museum be expanded and have it's own space someday. I was with some people from out of town and they were also very impressed with the little window exhibits, especially the ones concerning demolished buildings.