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strong interest across the board for all
ages, but there is great interest among the
millennials. It’s also important to retir-
ees because it means independence for
seniors who maybe can’t drive anymore.”
Urban Redesign
Based on this awakening, in 2007, city
leaders financed
Project 180,
a $176 mil-
lion initiative that redesigned downtown
streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas to make
areas more pedestrian-friendly and encour-
age human activity. That work continues
today and includes the addition of marked
bike lanes, street lighting and sidewalks.
Outside the downtown core, however,
sidewalks and trails were almost nonex-
istent. Fully aware of these deficiencies,
city residents approved another temporary
sales tax increase wit
h MAPS 3 in
2008.
The initiative has provided $39.5 million
for 32 miles of walking and biking trails
and $9.1 million for 35 miles of new
sidewalks. Also included are a downtown
streetcar system, a 70-acre public park and
improvements to make the Oklahoma
River a more appealing community des-
tination. In total, MAPS 3 will provide
$777 million in public infrastructure
improvements, many of which focus on
promoting active lifestyles. That this work
was all funded by voter-approved tax
increases speaks volumes about the eager-
ness of locals to make it easy to walk and
bike around their own neighborhoods.
Private developers—with the aid of
some government financing—soon fol-
lowed the city’s lead with new downtown
housing and businesses to accommodate
the needs of the growing number of urban
dwellers. Today thousands of people
live, work, play and shop in downtown
Oklahoma City. Downtown residents and
visitors can drive a car if they want to.
The difference is there are now options.
That’s good news because the city still
ranks sixth-worst in the nation in terms
of obesity ratings, with one in three
residents qualifying as obese, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. And although new trails and
sidewalks are being built, Oklahoma City
is 48th among large cities in walking
and biking scores. There is obviously still
work to do.
Ward 2 City Councilman Ed Shadid
says bolstering walkability is vital for
better physical and mental health. “With
Oklahoma City’s urban sprawl and lack
of walkability, the built-in environment
pushes us to isolation from one another,”
observes Shadid, a spinal surgeon. “When
you have places that not only are walk-
able, but also are destinations that people
want to go to, you foster a sense of com-
munity and community-building.”
Rolling Along
Bikes are an increasingly popular mode of
transportation in Oklahoma City. Yet the
city’s lack of an extensive trail network
poses a problem for many locals seeking
safe and efficient alternatives to the car.
“
Oklahoma City is making progress,
but they have a long way to go because
of decades of decisions regarding land
use and placing cars over other modes of
transportation,” says Kate Brady, associ-
ate planner for bicycle and pedestrian
programs at the Association of Central
Oklahoma Governments (ACOG).
An avid cyclist who rides to work
every day, Brady says many city residents
have a “huge hunger” to bike and walk in
their neighborhoods safely. “It boils down
to whether you have the option of walk-
ing and biking somewhere. If I can bike
my two miles to work, that’s a half-hour
of exercise every day.”
The popularity of biking is demon-
strated by the increased use of Spokies, a
bike-share system operated by Downtown
Oklahoma City Inc. that started last year.
Between May and December 2012, the
program recorded 4,369 rides. By mid-
2013,
more than 5,300 rides had been tak-
en. Spokies notched its busiest month in
At that point, Cornett and the plan-
ning department started examining the
city’s active transportation infrastructure—
its mileage of sidewalks, trails and pedes-
trian-safe corridors. “We found it was
difficult to get around without a car. We
had built an incredible grid, but it was
designed for cars, not people,” Cornett
says. “We are going to live healthier lives
if we spend them outside our cars. When
people walk, they engage with their neigh-
bors and have a higher quality of life.”
Back to the Future
While walkability is the current buzzword
in urban planning, it’s actually the resur-
rection of a decades-old way of life. Prior
to World War II, cities were built with a
mix of homes and businesses, says Jennifer
Gooden, director of Oklahoma City’s
Office of Sustainability.
“
Walkability served as the baseline until
after World War II,” she says. “In the last
decade, we’ve been coming back to that
because it creates an enjoyable place to be. It
is not about getting rid of cars. It’s an option
to get around if you don’t want a car.”
Making communities friendly to walk-
ers and bikers eliminates the need for
expensive gym memberships while creating
more energy-efficient cities that are “beau-
tiful and functional,” Gooden explains.
“
Policymakers are learning it’s good to
have places that are walkable,” she says.
“
We are at a turning point. There is a
A more common sight
in OKC these days.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett
says active transportation is critical to
reversing the dangerous trend toward
obesity in his community.