OKC MAPS PROJECTS – 25 YEARS
entertainment venues. The presence of each of these components would serve to create a vibrant urban locality that offered both employment opportunities and lifestyle amenities. Downtown Revitalization . In the 25 years since the onset of the initial MAPS projects, Oklahoma City and its residents have enjoyed transformative change in the quality of life downtown. The reconstruction of the area and the subsequent turnaround in the City’s trajectory has been substantial and consistent. All three rounds of MAPS projects have contributed to the resurgence of downtown. The initial MAPS projects established many of the civic landmarks now recognized as key components of commerce, government, and civic life in Oklahoma City. The initial MAPS projects are now being integrated more deeply into the city’s development plans for downtown through synergies with MAPS 3 projects. MAPS for Kids played only an indirect role in the revival of downtown but represents a key step in improving educational outcomes in the city’s primary school district. MAPS for Kids was intended to serve as a catalyst in raising educational outcomes in the public schools by revitalizing an increasingly dilapidated education infrastructure. The key direct contribution of MAPS for Kids to downtown is the construction of a new charter elementary school that fills a critical gap for families with young children who choose to live downtown. Several MAPS 3 projects are now completed, and the extent of their future contribution is already being realized. Many of the MAPS 3 projects represent vital aspects of the city’s long-range plan for downtown revitalization that started in the early 1990s. The increased focus of MAPS 3 on lifestyle amenities such as Scissortail Park, wellness centers, and biking trails underscores the range of items beyond traditional infrastructure that characterize today’s great cities in which to live and work. Prior Evaluations . Because of the key role played by public funding and the substantial financial commitment of taxpayers in the region, ongoing evaluation of the outcome of the MAPS projects is fundamental to public oversight. This report extends the most recent evaluation of the MAPS projects titled Impact Analysis of Oklahoma City’s MAPS and Other Significant Central City Investments prepared by Larkin Warner and Eric Long. The initial release of the report in 2003 was followed by updates in both 2005 and 2009. The 2009 MAPS report focused primarily on the influence of the initial round of MAPS projects and accompanying private investment activity in the downtown Oklahoma City area. The report also discussed the early stages of planning and implementation of the MAPS for Kids projects underway at the time. Measuring Change . Since the release of the 2009 report nearly a decade ago, much has changed surrounding both the MAPS projects and the resulting development of Oklahoma City, particularly in downtown. The original MAPS projects continue to mature, MAPS for Kids projects are now largely completed, and a significant new round of projects approved under the MAPS 3 initiative is now underway. The City recently solicited public recommendations for potential MAPS 4 projects. This report extends the 2009 MAPS report by updating outcomes for the early MAPS projects and providing an initial examination of the more recent MAPS efforts. The time frame of the report focuses primarily on the period since 2009, which captures the era of the MAPS 3 initiative.
2
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online