For our last entry on Downtown Tulsa Cubic interns Stephanee Rice, Meggie Clemens, and Troy Gerard decided to hit the streets to see what the locals had to say. We visited each district, and recorded participants opinions of the district they were in, opinions of downtown as a whole, whether downtown should be segmented or unified, and what they would call a new downtown Tulsa.
Each district is definable through the phrases used to describe the district, but when it came to defining downtown, Tulsans came together to define a greater good. The Greenwood district is described by several as being, “the most historic district in downtown.” This connection is most likely for the Tulsa Race riots, which holds landmark history to not only Tulsa, but the nation as well. Greenwood is also said to be, “diverse, growing and ample to renovate.” Participants in the Greenwood district described downtown as a whole as “hip, art deco, busy, restorative, confusing (streets), and eclectic.”
The Brady district has another set of followers with a generally younger demographic. While not as developed as the Blue Dome district, the Brady district still has it’s set of avid fans. Participants of our survey in the Brady district described it as being “amazing, cool, laidback, hipster, and artsy.” Most fans are drawn in for the music and nightlife, which rivals the Blue Dome district. With skepticism arousing about the return of D-fest to the Blue Dome district, Brady will most likely take over for the main music seen of downtown with it’s unique venues, and local music. Interviewees in the Brady district characterized downtown as “growing, original and escaping.”
The Blue Dome district is one of the more populated districts with a wide variety of food and bar entertainment. Participants in this district seemed especially welcoming and happy to be there. Blue Dome district was described as being, “inviting, progressive, eccentric, and local.” This particular district is probably the most renovated and developed within the past 5 years, and is sure to be both a local and visitors hotspot. People here said overall downtown is “unique, momentous, instantaneous, and flavor.”
The Business District is a concrete dragon that lives from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but after 5 it will feel like a ghost town. Of course the business district is home to the many businesses we have here in downtown and this district is best to be said “strictly business.” After surveying the people in the business district, their attitudes were very different from the other districts, “Needs to be more user friendly” and “Not suiting the people that work there” were some common statements. Participants in this district said downtown was “fragmented and needs work.”
The BOK District is the newest addition to downtown providing Tulsa with a hotspot venue for entertainment. Usually visitors of this district usually have one objective in mind, an event at the BOK center. The people in the BOK District describe the area as “new, eventful and architectural.” Downtown as a whole was said to be “up and coming, competitive and great.”
In keeping up with our local rivals, Okahoma City who created Bricktown, we asked our participants if they had any ideas for renaming downtown Tulsa. Six participants believe the name should not change and “downtown” should be kept. A few respondents disagreed and wanted a name that is historically tied to Tulsa that better unites downtown. Our respondents conjured up two names, Heartbeat of Tulsa and the Warehouse district; both of these reflect what downtown is and gives unbounded opportunities for development. What do you think downtown should be called?
As for downtown being segmented or united, sixty percent of respondents believed downtown should be connected as a whole and marketed as a location rather than separate districts. The other forty percent of respondents liked the separation and individuality of each district and thought they should be marketed individually. Just like Oklahoma, downtown Tulsa appears to have houses divided on uniting or separating downtown. Which side do you think Tulsa should go?
While downtown is still growing and ever changing, it has come a long way in ten years and has a lot of potential for next ten years. If you are from Tulsa or just visiting, Cubic would love to hear from you if you have any words of your own for downtown or what the new downtown could be named.
Shopping online has limited our senses. Four senses of traditional shopping are now limited to one, vision. Websites must focus on the visual aspects of clothes, because without it they would have nothing. The goal is for vision to create a full user experience by allowing features like close up views of the fabric and different angles of the clothes without physically touching or wearing the clothes. A short description of the clothes is made in attempt to compensate for the inability to stimulate other senses with a hope to persuade the shopper to make the final “check out” with full bags.
