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There's nothing "wrong" with wanting to be near a 7-11, a Blockbuster and other retail shops.
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Of course not. We just have that type of living ad nasueum.
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Someone said here at OKCTalk not long ago something along the lines of, "Oklahoma City is never going to be a New York - if that's what you want, you might make plans to move." That's actually very practical and realistic advice, and not sarcastic at all.
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But it is VERY short sighted. No one is trying to turn OKC into Manhattan. But many want to see some aspects of the urban experience offered to potential OKC residents and to the young educated work force that tends to like to live in cities, especially early in their careers. No one is trying to reinvent the city. Many are just trying to broaden its appeal as a place to live and work and start a life.
OKC has and will continue to have driving to 7/11 friendly developments. What it doesn't have is walking to 7-11 friendly developments. I don't know why so many miss this point, but it does hurt the city's general development, as well as the recruitment of employers and employees simply because we can not even muster a small percentage of urban living. Doing so would NEVER be at the expense of our ample suburban living that's currently available. It would be IN ADDITION TO that housing mix. It would be an improvement not a replacement.
For those who smugly suggest that anyone wanting urban living should just leave Oklahoma City, why can't they just accept that even if Oklahoma City had some urban living, they wouldn't have to live there. That sentiment is also very unproductive in terms of growing Oklahoma City and strengthening our competitive position in attracting a diversified work force in order to foster and support a diversified economy.
Truth is, many young college graduates pick a city first, based on lifestyle, and then find a job. How does it help Oklahoma City to not have an urban living option for those that want it. In fact, with Oklahoma City's vital suburbs and relatively non-existent commute times, a small mix of 3-5% of real urban living would be perfect. This way one could have the urban lifestyle that's attractive to young workers and, in the back of their minds, they'd know that the suburban option would still be there for them if they wanted and it wouldn't come with a 2 hour commute. You could sell the city on BOTH fronts. How many cities can do that? Hopefully, one day soon we will.