Heat

[johrasephoenix]

I live downtown and run/walk/bike it every day.  To me, a big reason why we must encourage urban format development is heat.  Tulsa is a very hot city.  But our few truly urban streets downtown (Boston Ave, parts of Main Street, etc) are much, much cooler because the whole street is shaded.  It's pleasant to stroll and sit outside on Boston Avenue even on 90+ days because the whole street is under a man-made shade tree.  

Compare that to the rest of downtown where the surface parking lots create an oven.  The parking lots are not only an eyesore and unpleasant to walk by, but they roast you alive.  You can barely make it a few blocks before dying of heat stroke whereas on Boston Ave you could stroll up and down all day.

Anyway, we have an extreme climate here.  But so does Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, Charleston, and New Orleans and that doesn't stop them.  In our case building to the street like a real city goes a long way towards mitigating that effect.  

[carltonplace]

Yep, and our current development codes encourages giant empty parking lots that generate heat.

[Conan71]

Tulsa: "The Heat Island Capital of The World"

[BKDotCom]

Yep, and our current development codes encourages giant empty parking lots that generate heat.

Technically, they just store and release heat.   They're heat batteries

[Breadburner]

Yep, and our current development codes encourages giant empty parking lots that generate heat.

Lol...No parking lots in the desert and its still hot asck....Or the swamp...Or anywhere else its hot...

[hello]

Yes. I live in the Brady and have walked to the Blue Dome, the grocery store that was by Rusty Crane before it closed, or pretty much anywhere downtown and it is miserable on a hot day. No shade.

[RecycleMichael]

Up with Trees has planted 550 trees in downtown Tulsa in the last three years.

Everybody should volunteer or donate to them.

https://www.upwithtrees.org/

You can adopt a downtown tree as well.
https://www.upwithtrees.org/trees-signs/downtown-trees-project/

[rdj]

Anyone know if the trees along Main will be replaced now that the updates to the Ford (Prairie)  Fox (Tavern) building are complete?

[RecycleMichael]

yes

[Breadburner]

Yes. I live in the Brady and have walked to the Blue Dome, the grocery store that was by Rusty Crane before it closed, or pretty much anywhere downtown and it is miserable on a hot day. No shade.

Lol...Ok...

[SXSW]

Isn't there a plan to have trees lining more of the streets in the Brady District?  I thought it was funded by the GKFF.

Tulsa needs a Project 180 like they had in Oklahoma City.  Of course they had the Devon Tower to pay for it through a TIF district.  http://www.okc180.com

[erfalf]

Another good thing about trees besides the heat protection. Rain protection. Walking in downtown Bartlesville and realizing the trees are WAY too far apart. 

[PonderInc]

And, of course, you can thank your friends at the DCC, led by attack dog Chris Bumgarner (with backup singers George Shahadi and Michael Sager), for defeating a proposed ordinance that would have required landscaping along surface parking lots downtown.  Heaven forbid that anyone be required to plant trees along blocks of solid asphalt to screen them, increase pedestrian comfort, and make them less of an eye sore.  But don't worry.  While you're being punished for walking downtown, these brave individuals solidified their "god-given property rights" to do whatever lame and stupid thing they want in the most valuable land in Tulsa.  Go team!

[Breadburner]

And, of course, you can thank your friends at the DCC, led by attack dog Chris Bumgarner (with backup singers George Shahadi and Michael Sager), for defeating a proposed ordinance that would have required landscaping along surface parking lots downtown.  Heaven forbid that anyone be required to plant trees along blocks of solid asphalt to screen them, increase pedestrian comfort, and make them less of an eye sore.  But don't worry.  While you're being punished for walking downtown, these brave individuals solidified their "god-given property rights" to do whatever lame and stupid thing they want in the most valuable land in Tulsa.  Go team!

Like that lovely parking lot the Built at 81st and Riverside....