Who Cares About Downtown?

[PonderInc]

OK, that title was just to get everyone all riled up.

What I mean is that there are a bunch of disparate organizations and individuals who care about downtown...and who are not really working together.  In fact, there are so many, that I don't think I can name them all.

I'm especially interested in groups that are trying to market downtown or help draw folks downtown to live/work/play...or just appreciate downtown.

Here's a start.  Please add to this list, so we can see what's out there!

DCC - Advisory Board to the mayor on downtown issues.  Makes recommendations on how Stadium Improvement Dist funds are spent.

TulsaNow/DowntownLive - Still trying to maintain a current and cool website, totally reliant on volunteers.  

DTU - Now a loose organization of downtown business owners.  Don Walker is still involved, I believe.

DTU Website - Currently sponsored by Metro Chamber (with funding from Stadium Improvement District)

LiveDowntownTulsa - another website.  Anyone know who's organizing it?

Downtown Marketing Committee - Marlin Keranen of the Crowne Plaza is trying to put/keep this group together.  Open to any interested parties.

Brady District Nieghborhood/Business Association

Blue Dome District Neighborhood/Business Association

Tulsa Trolley

Typros ?

C-Red (or is it CRED?) - ?

Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau - still seeking a new leader?

Tulsa Metro Chamber

AM 770 - Downtown Tulsa Neighborhood Radio?

Pearl District Neighborhood, Owen Park, Brady, Crosbie Heights, Maple Ridge, Carlton Place, Riverview, etc...historic neighborhoods that surround downtown.

Tulsa Preservation Commission
Tulsa AIA
Tulsa Foundation for Architecture

Tulsa Mayfest - Now under the Arts & Humanities Council
Blue Dome Festival
DFest
Tulsa Tough
PSO Parade of Lights

Tulsa International Festival - Jamie Jameson's proposed month-long arts festival.

PlaniTulsa

[FOTD]

Their best asset, the tunnel system, has been turned into a nothingness void of terrazzo....

For the most part, ever since the fear of terrorism, this wonderful system for transportation has been vacated.

Did anybody use it when temps were 0 degrees or when the Christmas Blizzard hit?

[Patrick]

I use the tunnel system all the time.

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

I agree these groups do need to work together.

I use the tunnel system to get to my parking garage and to cut my time in the cold when I walk to Mexicali.  I which the tunnels had more to them.  In some bigger cities they have restaurants and retail in the tunnel system for the downtown lunch crowd but it is hard to mess with pre-existing structures.

[FOTD]

I use the tunnel system all the time.

Not from the Philtower....there are some open areas but the total system seems off line.

[Markk]

Tunnel "system"?  Last time I checked, that "system" consisted of four tunnels around the south, east, and north side of 4th and Boston, and north of 3d and Boston under the Green.  It links only 5 buildings (Adams Mark, the old BOK and the adjoining building, Kennedy, MidContinent).   If I'm in a good mood, I'll throw in the BOK tower also (via the above ground access on 2d).   In my book, that's hardly a "system".

 

[FOTD]

Thought it linked quadrants of downtown. Wasn't there access close to the courthouse? There definitely was and still is access to the old city hall. FOTD forgot how lazy people are today compared to when this system was first designed. Of course, there were a lot more workers downtown back then. 

[TheArtist]

  I "lazily" use the "sidewalk system". Which I think is a far better system than the "tunnel system" therefore I believe that must make it the "best asset". 

[USRufnex]

I'd start using the tunnel system, but it's too hard to find parking!   
/snark.

[TheTed]

The only tunnels I'm aware of are the ones on this map. They go nowhere near the old City Hall, according to this map.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/losttulsa/62498547/

The tunnel system is not at all user friendly. You have to know all the strange routes through buildings to get from a tunnel to an interior hallway and back to a tunnel. Plus it doesn't seem to be open much on nights/weekends.

Des Moines has a great system of covered elevated walkways connecting buildings (three miles worth). You can walk all over downtown, and there are food courts and shops. They even connected it to their new downtown arena. And it has posted hours for the entire system. I wandered around in it one Sunday night at 11pm, which I doubt would be possible in Tulsa's.

[FOTD]

Uh, the old city hall is next to the Mid Con building....

Des Moines, mighty cold winters....

[Townsend]

Des Moines has a great system of covered elevated walkways connecting buildings (three miles worth). You can walk all over downtown, and there are food courts and shops. They even connected it to their new downtown arena. And it has posted hours for the entire system. I wandered around in it one Sunday night at 11pm, which I doubt would be possible in Tulsa's.

Minneapolis had those as well and it really hurt the street level storefront businesses.

[Conan71]

Uh, the old city hall is next to the Mid Con building....

Des Moines, mighty cold winters....

A lot of people think of "old city hall" as being the POS on Civic Center Plaza

[TheTed]

Uh, the old city hall is next to the Mid Con building....

Des Moines, mighty cold winters....

I was thinking of the old city hall near the courthouse, not the old old city hall.

And yes, the whole tunnel system seems to be not nearly as needed here as in places like Des Moines. The winters here aren't so bad, and in the summer, the first few minutes in 100-degree heat actually feel good after spending a few hours in some frigid office building.

[PonderInc]

Wow, talk about non sequiturs!  Is there an award for "fastest detour off topic in a TulsaNow thread?"