Yes. All of this, yes.I respect Rand's work and he has brought a unique style to Oklahoma with the boathouses among other projects. The following is meant as constructive criticism and not a personal attack in any way.
One thing he regularly does in his own developments is ignore walkability, context, and function at the expense of design. For example, he designed Classen Curve as a walkable, outdoor shopping center and then sprawled it out so much that it's really not very walkable. I doubt many people make the walk from Red Coyote to Upper Crust because despite the (large) storefronts, it's actually a fairly uninteresting walk. The design is great, but it doesn't function well, which is likely at least part of the reason why there are store spaces that have yet to be filled after years of being completed. It's probably the same reason pedestrians have to walk in the street or grass in the boathouse district to move east/west as the sidewalks are meant to fit the design, not be functional.
The same problems exist with this development. Oklahoma Contemporary is at the northern boundary of a walkable district that will likely (hopefully) continue to expand north. Yet, this design, while interesting, is totally uninviting to pedestrians. Instead of pushing the building out to the boundaries of the sidewalks, he pulled the building away from where people walk in a very suburban manner. The building is inappropriate for a walkable context.
And I think that's why it's frustrating for him to critique a quality development that brings life to Automobile Alley -- he doesn't do that in his own developments.
I respect Urbanized a lot so I'll assume there are some things I don't get (I'm an amateur with this stuff) about why the Broadway Park design is inappropriate, but it seems like a homerun to me. And I really like the idea of balconies adding eyes and life to that part of the district.
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