TulsaNow

What makes a downtown district appealing? Why do people go out of their way to walk down one side of the street and not the other? These are some of the questions that Kirk Westphal answers with his 19-minute documentary film, "Insights into a Lively Downtown: An Ann Arbor, Michigan Case Study." In this audio-visual exploration of successful city streets, Westphal weaves together pedestrian interviews with footage of streetscapes and sidewalk behavior to show what Ann Arbor's healthy blocks have in common.

What's important to people? Appealing architecture and architectural detail; high density of establishments; welcoming shop fronts that allow pedestrians to window shop and look inside; sidewalk cafes; a variety of local merchants, restaurants and shops; and wide, attractive sidewalks. What are some turnoffs? Large, stark building fronts that don't welcome pedestrians, and--shocking!--big, empty spaces, parking garages, and surface parking lots.

Spend any time in downtown Tulsa and you will see how true these observations are. And if you don't believe that the loss of our urban fabric affects our ability to revitalize downtown, this film will open your eyes to the consequences of all those teardowns, and surface parking lots. Anyone who's interested in helping downtown Tulsa live up to its potential should take a few minutes and WATCH THIS VIDEO! (19 minutes)