Hilti

[dbacksfan 2.0]

There have been a lot of good thoughts here, and a lot of them are similar to what I have thought for a long time, and mainly the biggest thing is that after the shift in the oil industry in the mid 80's, Tulsa just went to sleep. Oil business, and related industry like Seismegraph shrank or closed up, Telex had its tail handed to them by IBM and HP and just never seemed to catch up, which led to people going into technology fields left for Texas and TI, and silicon valley. Aviation held on until the contraction of the industry in the 90's and it became survival like Boeing, or by up and mergers like General Dynamics/Lockheed/Martin/Chance Vaught, McDonnell Douglas bought Bell who had bought Hughes, and then they were bought up by Boeing. It's sad to think of how many aviation companies there where just over 30 years ago.

Anyway, I wandered for a moment. The one visionary that I remember, and not for his accomplishments, but that his vision was not of this reality, Mayor Dick Crawford whose suggestion for traffic issues was to build double deck city streets, with fake sky painted on the under side of the upper deck so you would not feel enclosed.

It just seems that although there are great things going on, it going to take a major shift to get way from the myopic view the leadership has now. You can travel to other cities and "OOH! Look at that! We need that!" and getting back to Tulsa and it winds up in a file to not see the light of day again. Tulsa needs a vision, and people that can make it happen and doing it in a responsible manor to not overbuild and under deliver, or over deliver and under promise. It's not one big thing but putting together the smaller pieces in the right order. And most of you here know that so I may just be preaching to the choir.

[guido911]

Now NORDAM turns around and says they are creating 300 jobs for an engine program:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/aerospace/nordam-announces-contract-that-will-eventually-bring-jobs-to-tulsa/article_be9ce4ea-6575-548f-8451-4c3e90a9860e.html

Quick rebound.

Apparently NORDAM did not read Artist's post back on page 1 of this thread.

[TheArtist]

Apparently NORDAM did not read Artist's post back on page 1 of this thread.

Oh, I am pretty sure they "read it/get it" as well, Just as I do.... and am still here working to expand my business as well. But have watched my brother move to Denver, one of my biggest clients/partners in the art industry move to Nashville, my biggest client move to OKC, my old business partner move to Austin, and many of my best friends move to the Dallas area, one to Portland. Didn't make any of those up.  All of them are excited and thrilled about where they live and are always asking me to come visit and ask me why I am still here.  I have deep roots here and perhaps I am just not the moving type, who knows.  I also believe I can make a difference here.

Most people will complain that it's boring or there is nothing to do here, as a for instance.  Also more and more want an urban lifestyle which I believe Tulsa could offer one day, and that many people find exciting and interesting.   Then there are a smaller number of people that see that as an opportunity to "make it interesting or build something to do" to make things better, here.  But I do not begrudge people simply going to where they can to enjoy the life they want now, versus working to build the life they want... and perhaps never seeing it.  Many companies too will simply go where the action is, versus the much smaller handful that will stay with whatever little town or city they are in and try to create something special there.

[Conan71]

Anyone who thinks Tulsa is boring or there is nothing to do here isn't trying very hard.  I might have agreed with that assessment 20-25 years ago. 

I do agree aspiring urbanites would be underwhelmed with Tulsa today and they will find more options elsewhere.  However, look at the options which have sprung up in the last five years like GreenArch and the lofts in the Brady.  Building an urban core takes time in the absence of a huge explosion of wealth like there was in the oil boom days.  Give it another five or ten years and I suspect we will have a much more adequate housing inventory in the IDL for those who aspire to an urban lifestyle.

[TheArtist]

Anyone who thinks Tulsa is boring or there is nothing to do here isn't trying very hard.  I might have agreed with that assessment 20-25 years ago.  

I do agree aspiring urbanites would be underwhelmed with Tulsa today and they will find more options elsewhere.  However, look at the options which have sprung up in the last five years like GreenArch and the lofts in the Brady.  Building an urban core takes time in the absence of a huge explosion of wealth like there was in the oil boom days.  Give it another five or ten years and I suspect we will have a much more adequate housing inventory in the IDL for those who aspire to an urban lifestyle.

Every time I have stayed in a city where I didn't have to drive and where there was a nice amount of pedestrian friendly development, and then came back to Tulsa... well it's that perspective that I am talking about.  I remember coming back from such a place once and then driving down 71st between Memorial and Mingo, an area here we might often think of as being "chock full of stuff" traffic, buildings, restaurants, shops, etc. but from my new perspective saw it as being cut your wrists depressingly isolating and boring. Didn't see anyone, everyone was in a car. There is more to see in a couple blocks of pedestrian friendly urbanity than miles of suburban sprawl.  You feel alive in those places, not isolated and cut off in some vast, blah, emptiness.

 Think of Main Street and the area around Blue Dome during Mayfest/Blue Dome Fest, or Cherry Street on a Farmers Market.  Whats an exception here, with all the people and activity, live music, street vendors, art activities, etc. in many places is a normal, almost everyday occurrence, street after street, after street after street. Versus mostly street after street of strip malls with hardly a human in sight, and autos.  Then on top of that the things we have like concerts, games, museums, parks, etc.  There is an old saying in "urban circles" that if you have to have "festivals" and such to get your streets to be alive... your not doing it right.  Also, a good street is one that, if your driving down it, you should feel awful that your not already out of your car and out there enjoying yourself with all the other people, or you should wish that your out of your car wishing you were walking down enjoying that beautiful space, that's what good streets are like.   I get that feeling driving down parts of Brookside and Cherry Street, and down Boston Ave.

 It's also not just about having more housing in the IDL, though that will indeed help.  Dallas has more high-rise housing for example than we have by far, but I would dare say that we have almost as much good, pedestrian friendly urbanity as they do and I think we can actually, quite easily have a far better balance of urban/suburban living quicker than they will.   Brady Arts-Blue Dome, Cherry Street & Brookside... versus their "Uptown" I think we can give them a good run for their money.  And they are a whole lot bigger and faster growing than we are.  But, it's just that kind of example that wets ones appetite to want to try to really take it up to the next level and show em all how it's really done.  And we so have the potential to do it if we could only make a few minor changes, and or at least keep putting that dream out there so other developers "get it", and pushing for it ourselves.

[Conan71]

 It's also not just about having more housing in the IDL, though that will indeed help.  Dallas has more high-rise housing for example than we have by far, but I would dare say that we have almost as much good, pedestrian friendly urbanity as they do and I think we can actually, quite easily have a far better balance of urban/suburban living quicker than they will.   Brady Arts-Blue Dome, Cherry Street & Brookside... versus their "Uptown" I think we can give them a good run for their money.  And they are a whole lot bigger and faster growing than we are.  But, it's just that kind of example that wets ones appetite to want to try to really take it up to the next level and show em all how it's really done.  And we so have the potential to do it if we could only make a few minor changes, and or at least keep putting that dream out there so other developers "get it", and pushing for it ourselves.

I couldn't agree more.  MC and I generally tend to gravitate toward places when we travel where we can park and walk.  I try to avoid soul-sucking places like 71st & Hell at all cost.  Unfortunately, there's simply times it cannot be avoided.