Tulsa, Oklahoma Downtown Walkability Analysis
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA DOWNTOWN WALKABILITY ANALYSIS SUBMITTED March 27, 2017 SPECK & ASSOCIATES LLC with Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. BUILDINGS BLOCKS STREETS NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICTS CORRIDORS TOWNS CITIES REGIONS G.T. Bynum OFFICE OF THE MAYOR LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT March 23, 2017 Re: City of Tulsa, OK Walkability Assessment Downtown Tulsa is a desirable destination; home to centers of culture and employment and increasingly a complete urban neighborhood including residential, commercial, and recreational uses. The rebirth of Downtown has been due in part to the forward thinking leaders throughout our City. We are grateful for the continued support from public and private sectors, as well as our philanthropic community in leading the way to creating an even more vibrant, exciting, and viable downtown. The revitalization of downtown kick started with Vision 2025 capital program investments like ONEOK Field and the BOK Center, and continues to benefit the greater Tulsa community. Reinvestment in historic buildings such as the Mayo Hotel, Atlas Life, and the Tulsa Club; turning an underutilized block into the world class Guthrie Green; and planting nearly 1,000 trees are all key examples of continued public-private partnerships that will shape our City for decades to come. These and other projects continue to spur economic development, bringing new businesses, residents, and visitors to live, work, and thrive in downtown Tulsa. In 2010, with the adoption of PLANiTULSA and the Downtown Area Master Plan, Tulsans identified transportation priorities such as "provide multiple transportation choices to all Tulsans." This Walkability Study by Jeff Speck was commissioned to help guide the implementation of that shared priority which focuses on enhanced walkability. In becoming more walkable, we will create more affordable downtown living, reduce transportation costs, and provide easy access to nearby amenities that promote financial stability. Jeff Speck's recommendations include narrower vehicle lanes, addition of bike lanes, and a more pedestrian focused downtown that will make our streets safer for all. Improving the built environment for world-class events, restaurants, and activities in downtown Tulsa offers tremendous opportunity for population growth, attracting those that value a safe, comfortable, and engaging downtown streetscape. Implementation of many study recommendations has already begun, including the introduction of back-in angled parking, adding bike lanes, and revisiting a holistic downtown parking system. With guidelines for best practices stated throughout the study, we can continue to expand on these achievements realizing continued positive changes for our downtown streets, sidewalks, and pedestrians. 175 E. 2nd St. • Tulsa, OK 74103 • Office 918.596.7411 • Fax 918.596.9010 Email: [email protected] www.cityoftulsa.org G.T. Bynum OFFICE OF THE MAYOR The joint efforts of the City, County, public and private supporters, and local businesses have fueled Tulsa's downtown growth. We look forward to working together to implement more of these great ideas for a more walkable downtown. Kathy Taylor G.T. Bynum Chief of Economic Development Mayor Libby Billings Nick Doctor Chairman Chief of Community Downtown Coordinating Council Development and Policy Justin McLaughlin Jeff Scott Executive Director Former Chairman and Project Leader Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce Downtown Coordinating Council Dawn Warrick Paul Zachary Director of Planning and Development Director, City of Tulsa Engineering City of Tulsa Ray Driskel Thomas L. Baker Chief Executive Director Tulsa Fire Department Downtown Coordinating Council 175 E. 2nd St. • Tulsa, OK 74103 • Office 918.596.7411 • Fax 918.596.9010 Email: [email protected] www.cityoftulsa.org TULSA, OKLAHOMA DOWNTOWN WALKABILITY ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS Table of Contents OVERVIEW 4 The Purpose of This Document 4 Approach 5 PROLOGUE: THREE ARGUMENTS FOR THE WALKABLE CITY 8 The Economic Argument 8 The Epidemiological Argument 11 The Environmental Argument 13 PART I. WHAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO WALK? 17 A Safe Walk 18 1. Avoiding One-Ways 23 2. The Proper Number of Driving Lanes 27 3. Lanes of Proper Width 35 4. Including Bike Lanes 38 5. Providing Continuous On-Street Parking and Street Trees 40 6. Limiting Sidewalk Curb Cuts 42 7. Replacing Unwarranted Signals with All-Way Stop Signs 43 8. Providing Proper Crosswalks, Signals, and Lighting 45 9. Avoiding Swooping Geometries 46 Epilogue: The OKC Experience 47 A Useful Walk 49 A Comfortable Walk 52 An Interesting Walk 54 PART II. A SAFE WALK 55 A Strategy for Street Redesign 55 1. Avoiding One-Ways in Tulsa 56 2. The Proper Number of Driving Lanes in Tulsa 62 3. Lanes of Proper Width in Tulsa 65 4. Including Bike Lanes in Tulsa 69 5. Providing On-Street Parking and Street Trees in Tulsa 75 6. Limiting Sidewalk Curb Cuts in Tulsa 81 7. Replacing Unwarranted Signals with Stop Signs in Tulsa 83 8. Providing Proper Crosswalks, Signals & Lighting in Tulsa 87 9. Avoiding Swooping Geometries in Tulsa 90 2 BUILDINGS BLOCKS STREETS NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICTS CORRIDORS TOWNS CITIES REGIONS PART III. STREET RECONFIGURATIONS 94 The Kit of Parts 94 The Downtown Tulsa Street Typology 97 North-South Streets 136 East-West Streets 161 PART IV. A USEFUL WALK 186 Ample Housing in Downtown Tulsa 186 Market-Based Parking in Downtown Tulsa 189 Useful Transit in Downtown Tulsa 194 Wayfinding in Downtown Tulsa 199 PART V. A COMFORTABLE AND INTERESTING WALK 201 A High-Impact Development Strategy 201 Open Spaces 209 The One-Page Zoning Code Overlay 214 Sidewalk Dining and Parklets 218 Successful Urban Retail 220 Remedial Measures 222 PART VI. SETTING PRIORITIES 227 A Schedule for Street Reconfigurations 227 Other Key Priorities 233 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 234 APPENDICES 237 A. A 180° Turnaround B. Letter from Laura Story, P.E. C. Traffic Analysis Methodology TECHNICAL APPENDICES (Available upon request) D. AM Signal Warrant Analysis E. PM Signal Warrant Analysis F. Synchro Worksheets G. Curb Extension Inventory by Street 3 BUILDINGS BLOCKS STREETS NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICTS CORRIDORS TOWNS CITIES REGIONS OVERVIEW The Purpose of This Document This is a downtown walkability analysis, not a downtown master plan. It is not comprehensive, and does not try to be visionary. But, like a master plan, it hopes to have a profoundly positive impact on the physical form, economic success, and social vitality of the city. Specifically, this report, and the effort that led to it, it asked this question: What changes can be made, in the least time and for the least cost, that will have the largest measurable impact on the amount of walking and biking downtown? Downtown Tulsa is the center of a metropolis of more than 400,000 people. Historically a vibrant hub of commercial and political life, it has seen its fortunes shift as a great suburban migration decanted many of its resources to surrounding areas. Now, after several decades of enlightened but limited reinvestment, there is a sense of an upswing. Certain districts are known to be lively at certain times of day, and downtown redevelopment is on the rise. Yet, overall, a sleepy feeling still pervades, and the city’s remarkable collection of art deco towers can’t help but remind the visitor of a time when the downtown was bustling with the life of an earlier boom. Happily, there is every reason to believe that downtown Tulsa is poised for a comeback. National trends, to which Tulsa is certainly not immune, show the beginnings of what is understood to be a tremendous shift of populations back to city centers. With 88 percent of the next 100 million American households expected to be childless, and with 77 percent of millennials saying that they want to live in America’s urban cores, demand for downtown housing in Tulsa is about to skyrocket—but only if downtown can provide a truly urban lifestyle that distinguishes it from its surrounding suburbs. And central to that lifestyle—its very essence—is walkability. Polling among both millennials an empty nesters indicates a strong preference for mixed-use neighborhoods in which automobile use is an option rather than a universal mandate. Based on these indicators, the question is not whether people and businesses will be moving downtown, but whether they will be moving to downtown Tulsa. The answer to that question will depend in part on whether Tulsa provides a downtown environment that welcomes and supports walking. It can be said with some objectivity that there is still much work to be done in this regard. Most streets in downtown Tulsa are engineered to invite driving speeds considerably higher than those posted. One-way roads with the characteristics of freeways rush commuters in and out of downtown. Bicycle facilities are almost nonexistent. Unlike many cities with far less to offer, downtown Tulsa suffers from traffic patterns and behaviors that almost certainly impede its development of a robust street life. 4 BUILDINGS BLOCKS STREETS NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICTS CORRIDORS TOWNS CITIES REGIONS Acknowledging these circumstances, Tulsa’s political and business leaders have asked the question of how their downtown can become more walkable and livable, and—by extension—more safe, healthy, and sustainable. This report attempts to answer that question in a manner that both directs and motivates real change in the short term. Few people will dispute whether its recommendations will lead quickly to more walking, biking, and vitality downtown. Few people will dispute that a more lively downtown will help to create a more successful Tulsa. But many will ask whether this study’s proposals are a high priority. It is hoped that the evidence gathered here will make the urgency of this report’s proposals clear, and overcome the attachment to business as usual that is generally the greatest impediment to the revitalization of American downtowns. Approach By applying a design strategy centered on walkability, this study asserts and attempts to demonstrate how a series of careful planning interventions can exert a profound influence on the livability and vitality of downtown Tulsa.