Tulsa needs to advertise- to itself!!!!

[perspicuity85]

I have touched on this in some earlier posts- how people from suburban Tulsa (that does include some areas within Tulsa's city limits) are completely ignorant of what goes on in Tulsa's urban core.  But is it entirely their fault?  The answer is a resounding NO!  Perhaps they should discover places like Cherry St. and the Blue Dome district for themselves instead of just listening to heresay, but the fact remains: Tulsa does not advertise its urban core very well.

I think Tulsa should set up kiosks in places such as Woodland Hills Mall and the airport that have large signs that say something like: "Come Here to Find Something to do in Tulsa."  At the kiosks should be maps of the city showing where places like the Brady Arts District are.  There should be pamphlets about each major district, with space within the pamphlet used for advertising by businesses within that district.

We are constantly losing hundreds if not thousands of young people every day that grew up in Tulsa and decide to move somewhere else more exciting.  The fact is, the largest high schools in the Tulsa metro are in the suburbs (that includes Union and Jenks, whose districts occupy miles of land within Tulsa's city limits).  Statistically, these high school students go off to college and don't come back.  Their lack of knowledge of Tulsa's urban core only aids in their exodus.

I am hoping that some members of this forum will have some other ideas on how Tulsa could get its suburbanites to come to the city core more often.  Any good ideas?

[dsjeffries]

I agree... There really is no "what to do/what's happening" guide in Tulsa.  The boundaries of the neighborhoods aren't even really well-known or clearly defined.  There's not a whole lot of 'sense of self' within the areas, or, there are but they're only contained within that self (if that makes sense).  In places like New York, there are clear boundaries like Upper East Side is between 59th & 96th Streets between 5th Avenue and the East River, and within UES, there are even clearly defined districts like Carnegie Hill, Yorkville and Lenox Hill.  And all of these districts are connected to each other, unlike here, where we have very well developed but noncontiguous districts.  Brookside isn't connected to Cherry Street or Utica Square, which aren't connected to the Blue Dome, Pearl, or Brady districts...

Anyway, I think kiosks in malls would be alright, but television spots would be another way of reaching all these suburbanites (which, in my opinion, is the whole of Tulsa, not just the outlying parts of the city and suburbs).  People are very visual, and I think that's the way they should be approached.  Websites are a great way to have a ton of visuals and information, and I think this area needs to be looked to.

The Tulsa Chamber might be continuously busy promoting Tulsa at booths at fairs in other states, but they really should take a look at the people here and ways to make them stay, make it appeal to them.  The Oklahoma Department of Tourism puts together wonderful TV spots, among the best I've seen of any state, and Tulsa could benefit from these types of commercials.  

I'd like to see a map of Tulsa with its neighborhoods and districts clearly defined... Maybe if there was a clear definition, they could be developed in a way to define their own identity...  A map like this:

[TheArtist]

Make a map having districts labeled and of different colors.

On the back corresponding, colored columns having a blurb about each district or area, a pic or two, then having a list of points of interest.

Each point of interest has a numbered dot, red for restaurant, blue for art deco points, green shopping, gold museums, etc. And that same numbered and colored dot on the map.

Major points of interest could have a one or two sentence description and hours open.


"Historic Mid-town".  (have description of area, history of neighborhoods) Listed underneath,,,, Philbrook, Garden Center, Historic Society, Utica Square, Parks, etc.


"Downtown". (quick little blurb and pic) Events Center, Courthouse, etc, Historic Tour starts here listing major buildings, churches etc. and showing route of tour on map.


Visitors, new residents to Tulsa and just those who have never gotten to know Tulsa like many of us on here, would have a quick, easy to use overview of the City.  Where things are, the types of areas, and what there is to see and do.

[inteller]

the problem is tulsa doesnt have an "urban core" since a core would need to be in the center of something.  downtown tulsa is just an an office park stuck up in the northern part of the city.

[dsjeffries]

I don't know how this affects neighborhood development or Tulsa advertising itself to itself... ?  You don't have to have a core in order to have distinct districts..

[okieinla]

I read in the TW Business section recently that the Chamber is going to promote Tulsa more. I remember thinking "It's about time!"

One of the ways I know what's going on in my community is that the city publishes a little paper (5-7 pgs) that is delivered to my mailbox every quarter. It's not a subscription, all residents receive one. I find it pretty valuable. I know what community events are coming up, adult & youth programs, farmer's market, recycling programs & the arts.
There is no advertising, just information based. http://santa-monica.org/seascape/

Tulsa could have one.. call it The Tulsa Quarterly or Tulsa Lookout.
For example, there could be a little quip about the Thomas Curtis exhibit @ Gilcrease & provide phone# & website.
Or maybe Cherry St, Brookside or Utica are having some sort of Holiday themed events (like tree lighting).
Where is the Farmer's Market? I went to one a few years ago @ 15th & Peoria.. is that still the locale? Is there more than 1?
Does Philbrook still offer art classes?
Where can you go & see the best Christmas lights?
This is the type of information that the suburbanites might want to know about & it's delivered ... how easy is that?!

Adding to the neighborhood/distric map suggestion & I believe it's a close visual to what Artist is talking about.
Montana Ave could be "15th/Cherry St.", Pacific Coast Hwy could be "Riverside Dr./jogging/bike trail" etc.
A map like this w/ shading to highlight the different neighborhoods/districts could be printed on the back of the "insert nifty name" publication.


or
http://dadada.com/map/index.html

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

the problem is tulsa doesnt have an "urban core" since a core would need to be in the center of something.  downtown tulsa is just an an office park stuck up in the northern part of the city.

Actually when I started thinking about that map and what it would look like, where the points of interest would be, it quickly became clear that 95% of everything of note would be within 3 or 4 miles of downtown. That area is Tulsas core. May not be as dense and urban as some would like, but hey its an obvious start.[]

If I were to do a map of all of Tulsa plus a bit of the suburbs, even on a decent sized piece of paper the "numbered dots" showing the points of interest and things to do would probably overlap each other in the mid town and downtown area. To keep it from being so crowded, the main map would most likely only be the area within 5 miles of downtown.

Course this map is different than what some are talking about on here, not the "whats going on this week or month" type thing. The map would be a general overview of places, an adjunct to a regularly updated "whats happening guide".

[perspicuity85]

quote:
Anyway, I think kiosks in malls would be alright, but television spots would be another way of reaching all these suburbanites (which, in my opinion, is the whole of Tulsa, not just the outlying parts of the city and suburbs).  People are very visual, and I think that's the way they should be approached.  Websites are a great way to have a ton of visuals and information, and I think this area needs to be looked to.

The Tulsa Chamber might be continuously busy promoting Tulsa at booths at fairs in other states, but they really should take a look at the people here and ways to make them stay, make it appeal to them.  The Oklahoma Department of Tourism puts together wonderful TV spots, among the best I've seen of any state, and Tulsa could benefit from these types of commercials.  

I'd like to see a map of Tulsa with its neighborhoods and districts clearly defined... Maybe if there was a clear definition, they could be developed in a way to define their own identity...  A map like this:

Very good point- TV ads would be the most noticeable advertising (although likely the most  expensive).  Kiosks, TV ads, newspaper ads, and detailed maps should all be used.  Tulsa does have an urban core, but it's still in the makeover process.  The fact is, people from the suburbs would actually go to midtown and even downtown if they knew more about them.  If Tulsa is ever going to become a real destination, it needs to start marketing its products.  Marketing to the suburbs is in my opinion far more important than running ads in nearby states.  There are a lot of people sitting on fat wallets in suburban Tulsa who need someone to tell them where to have a good time.  This should be a priority of the mayor's office.

[dsjeffries]

I've been researching Tulsa's neighborhoods/districts ever since this question was brought up, and for the most part, I've got a map that's mostly blank with only a few, disconnected colored areas.  In the City of Tulsa's website, there are maps and defining borders given for the Brookside and East Tulsa areas, but that's it.  It's time the rest of the neighborhoods are put up, at least so I can finish this map!

Type 'Manhattan neighborhood map' into Google images and you'll get tons of images of the map like the one I posted above.  Type the same thing, substituting 'Tulsa' for 'Manhattan', and you'll get a few general Tulsa area maps, the map of East Tulsa I found, and a picture of downtown.

Such a map doesn't exist yet for Tulsa, and it's been nearly impossible to find information about our neighborhoods and their boundaries...

[tshane250]

quote: I've been researching Tulsa's neighborhoods/districts ever since this question was brought up, and for the most part, I've got a map that's mostly blank with only a few, disconnected colored areas. In the City of Tulsa's website, there are maps and defining borders given for the Brookside and East Tulsa areas, but that's it. It's time the rest of the neighborhoods are put up, at least so I can finish this map!

I actually created a map illustrating some of Tulsa's older neighborhoods for a little driving tour I took back in May.  Most of my information came from the Tulsa Preservation Commission and from this website (Neighborhood Link).  After quite a bit of searching, I managed to find the boundaries for the following neighborhoods: Owen Park, Brady Heights, Riverview, Tracy Park, Maple Ridge, Sunset Terrace, Brookside, Terwilleger Heights, Swan Lake, Gillette, Yorktown, Kendall Whittier, Renaissance, Florence Park, Florence Park South, and White City.

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by tshane250

quote: I've been researching Tulsa's neighborhoods/districts ever since this question was brought up, and for the most part, I've got a map that's mostly blank with only a few, disconnected colored areas. In the City of Tulsa's website, there are maps and defining borders given for the Brookside and East Tulsa areas, but that's it. It's time the rest of the neighborhoods are put up, at least so I can finish this map!

I actually created a map illustrating some of Tulsa's older neighborhoods for a little driving tour I took back in May.  Most of my information came from the Tulsa Preservation Commission and from this website (Neighborhood Link).  After quite a bit of searching, I managed to find the boundaries for the following neighborhoods: Owen Park, Brady Heights, Riverview, Tracy Park, Maple Ridge, Sunset Terrace, Brookside, Terwilleger Heights, Swan Lake, Gillette, Yorktown, Kendall Whittier, Renaissance, Florence Park, Florence Park South, and White City.

Would you share?  Either the map or the boundaries?? [^]

[tim huntzinger]

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods has a map which delineates the different associations and their boundaries.  There are over 120 such neighborhoods.

I would have thought that Urban Tulsa Weakly would have the corner on the downtown scene, but their new website is a step down from their old listing.

One would think that it would be a breeze to html map a pic of the city and cross reference it with some database, but the backoffice work and programming must be cost prohibitive.

[perspicuity85]

It is important to show individual neighborhood boundaries, but I would like to see a map of Tulsa that shows the boundaries of the major cultural areas of the city, such as Brady Arts District, Brookside, Cherry Street, Uptown (south Boston), East End, Downtown corporate core, etc.  These areas are the heart and soul of Tulsa, they are what sets it apart from other cities.  Hundreds of cities across America have a 71st and Memorial-type area, but unfortunately that is all most visitors to the city as well as many suburban residents ever see.

[perspicuity85]

I would like to see maps of the businesses of Tulsa's cultural areas like this one of KC's Country Club Plaza:
http://www.countryclubplaza.com/FileUploads/11.05%20map.pdf

Here's another example, OKC's Bricktown map:
http://www.bricktownokc.com/map2/Bricktown05.pdf

[tshane250]

quote: Would you share? Either the map or the boundaries??  

I would love to, but unfortunately I created the map on the hardrive of my computer at work (I used GIS, which is not on my personal computer) and I recently got a new computer, so all my stuff was deleted.  Come to think of it I think I may have deleted it long ago.  Nevertheless, it is gone.  I only have a black and white paper copy.  But I will post the boundaries from my map below.  They are correct as best I can tell from my map.  Being b/w it is kind of hard for me to read.