Downtown Muskogee Illustrated Plan
Professor Lanny Endicott’s Social Work class from Oral Roberts University visited the Urban Design Studio this Saturday. They come every year about this time to learn about the social issues of urban planning. We took advantage of their visit to discuss the Downtown Muskogee Plan with some fresh minds. After a background presentation by the urban design students, the discussion turned to the need for a strategy to develop Muskogee’s human capital. The social work students brainstormed for over an hour with the urban design students and came up with the following outline of items to research and possibly include in the plan:
- Create an Inclusive City and Planning Process
- Change the Community through the Community
- Insure Access to Healthy Food / Grocery Store
- Focus on Crime Prevention / Community Policing
- Confront Racial Divisions and Bias
- Address Mental Health Needs
- Partner with Social Services and Non-Profits
- Create an Identity for Downtown Districts
- Increase Pride and Ownership of the Community
- Connect MLK Jr. Center to Downtown
- Make a Destination for People with Activities and Programs
- Initiate an Urban Homesteading Program
- Improve Housing instead of Tearing It Down
- Engage Commuters to Stay Downtown after Working Hours
- Provide some Green Spaces / Playgrounds
- Rehabilitate the Walking Infrastructure
- Look to the Youth and the Schools for the Future Population
An ambitious list to say the least, some of these items are comprehensive and may beyond what can be accomplished focusing on downtown alone. Nonetheless, this discussion underscored an important principle for us. It is imperative that the downtown plan not be created in a bubble. The near downtown neighborhoods are essential to the success of downtown and their residents need to share in the benefits of its revitalization. A complete plan for the downtown needs to not only address physical infrastructure provided by the government and economic growth for businesses and private property owners, it must also address the needs of citizens so they can thrive and participate in the area’s rebirth.