This week's article by the Atlantic looks at how Oklahoma City might be the future of a post-recession America. Here are some selected paragraphs, for the full article go here: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/09/why-oklahoma-city-could-represent-the-future-of-america/62897/


by Derek Thompson
The Atlantic

The last time the United States suffered a recession this deep and painful, it was the Great Depression. That was the era of the Dust Bowl, the California pilgrimages out of Oklahoma that John Steinbeck etched into America's memory with The Grapes of Wrath. Eighty years later, California's housing market has run dry and Oklahoma is building river parks. As families gravitate back to the heartland, with its cheap homes and lower unemployment, the migration patterns of the Great Depression have turned backward. "It's the Wrath of Grapes," says Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

...

Unemployment in Oklahoma City is 6.7 percent, three percentage points below the national average. It has the fourth most resilient housing market in the country, according the Brookings Institution.

...

That's when the mayor offered an fascinating re-casting of the new economy: "The 20th century perspective was that people went where the jobs were," he said. "Today the jobs are going to go where the people are. Highly talented young people are coming to us because of the low cost of living. People want to work here."

...

What's more, Oklahoma has the highest entrepreneur levels of any state, according to a recent report from the Kauffman Foundation.

The city's progress over the last five years has been pretty incredible to watch as a resident of the metropolitan area, and it is good to have outside sources verify that it's not just hometown pride that is blinding us:

Money/Fortune Best Large Metro to Launch a Business, 2010 #1
Portfolio.com Best Places for Young Adults, 2010 #1
KPMG Business Cost Survey, 2010 #1
Forbes Best Places to Find a Job, 2010 #7
Brookings Institution Strongest Performing Metro Areas, 2010
Huffington Post Cities That Are Beating the Recession, 2010 #4
Marcus & Millichap Top Retail Markets, 2010 #13

Also a good [propaganda] video on attention from national media from the OKC Chamber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10BE8WCeomo

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4980157427_bf957dc85d_b.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QJCmVrtNDjI/THiYTydz1aI/AAAAAAAACdA/aMBDIZk5hUs/s1600/IMG_5318.JPG

http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/files/2009/07/mtp.jpg

Wow, you need to update the development threads Shane with more pics of the boathouses... I totally forgot about those.

Yup, I tend to agree: OKC is the future of American cities. And the present, and the recent past as well.

Click here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=511419).
Highlight:
It´s weird! The houses are good. The neighbourhood looks safe controled and organized. People may leave decently in those houses and areas. BUT – This is so boring and too mechanic!
Just tantalizing. Generic architecture beyond alienation! But, what to say... I like it!

OKC has some great momentum going into this decade and there are other cities with similar strengths. But the credit crunch is stunting progress in so many places that getting new ideas off the ground or expanding operations has become very difficult. Thanks to over 30 years of mergers and acquisitions, most large banks and corporations are the big national and multinational ones that look to Wall St. or to the top banks for their cue to jump back into these communities and invest. Having oil and gas companies has helped OKC recession-proof its economy but for so many other cities at the cusp of breakout growth, the same miserable news prevails.

Yup, I tend to agree: OKC is the future of American cities. And the present, and the recent past as well.

Click here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=511419).
Highlight:

The difference between now and then is that now you could as easily have a thread of images of the large new urban neighborhoods being created around downtown, or the renovated urban storefronts throughout the inner city filled with local fashion and art retailers, and unique local restaurants, that have opened and thrived in the last 3 years. Sidewalk construction, streetcar planning, the total rebuilding of all downtown streets according to pedestrian- and bike-friendly urbanist principles. We are a suburban pit where many of our leaders have grasped the idea that urbanism is an economic necessity of the future, and this has helped us keep and grow a lot of companies that may have left or never come in the first place.

The difference between now and then is that now you could as easily have a thread of images of the large new urban neighborhoods being created around downtown, or the renovated urban storefronts throughout the inner city filled with local fashion and art retailers, and unique local restaurants, that have opened and thrived in the last 3 years. Sidewalk construction, streetcar planning, the total rebuilding of all downtown streets according to pedestrian- and bike-friendly urbanist principles. We are a suburban pit where many of our leaders have grasped the idea that urbanism is an economic necessity of the future, and this has helped us keep and grow a lot of companies that may have left or never come in the first place.

Agree, great to see that OK City has made lots of strides toward becoming more of an urban example over the past decade or so. But it seems less an example of the future, than a good follower of what quite a few other cities have done earlier & thats fine too.

Agree, great to see that OK City has made lots of strides toward becoming more of an urban example over the past decade or so. But it seems less an example of the future, than a good follower of what quite a few other cities have done earlier & thats fine too.

Yeah, I absolutely agree in terms of urban development we really are following great examples. That was just an aside, really. The article is more about how Oklahoma City represents a post-recession economic future of US cities - financially conservative, cost-effective, and innovative in economic development.

Yeah, I absolutely agree in terms of urban development we really are following great examples. That was just an aside, really. The article is more about how Oklahoma City represents a post-recession economic future of US cities - financially conservative, cost-effective, and innovative in economic development.

Yep, and national leaders need to focus much more on cities like OKC that have a strong positive message for this economy and less on the losers and laggards that seem never to get it right. The recovery begins with cities like OKC and Houston and even the smaller ones like Fargo and Las Cruces that are ADDING JOBS and growing again. The formula is simple: quit doing stupid things that restrain growth and expansion, reward the banks that are lending to businesses and be realistic about where wages need to be. You can't get anyone interested in hiring new people when they have to pay extortionate wages and give out benefits like Halloween candy. That era is over, possibly for good.