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Questions and Answers with Grant Humphreys
Developer says his urban projects provide a ‘town center'
Questions and Answers with Grant Humphreys
The Oklahoman
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Published: July 23, 2008
Q: Over the past few years you've become associated with urban developments, starting with the completed Block 42 and plans for the Flatiron, the Downtown Airpark and NW 36 and Walker. Do you consider yourself a "new urbanist,” and if so, what does that mean?
A: We're all about creating a built environment that fosters community, that gives people a nice place to gather, to eat and to enjoy themselves. A place that offers a quality of life where you can stroll a block to buy your morning cup of coffee and the newspaper. The best school of thought that I've discovered is the New Urbanism, and we try to incorporate what we've learned from other projects into what we do. The New Urbanism is really just the ‘old way' of designing a community, but with better management. Picture a classic traditional neighborhood design that people are naturally drawn to, but with a high level of service, maintenance and programming of the public spaces. That's what we're creating.
Q: You're facing some opposition with your planned mixed-use development for NW 36 and Walker. Why not build it in a more suburban area where there is no adjoining neighborhood?
A: When my wife and I moved back to Oklahoma City almost ten years ago, we moved into a bungalow just three blocks from this site. Now we're about to move to Block 42, but we've called this area home for a long time. Compared to the suburbs, there is a vacuum of retail amenities in the inner city. The neighborhoods surrounding this site have such a great character and appeal. And unlike the suburbs, these neighborhoods are designed to be walkable and to connect to a town center. They just lack the town center and that's what we propose to develop. With this mixed-use town center in place, people can leave the car at home and enjoy a walkable lifestyle.
Q: Do you see yourself developing suburban projects in the future?
A: There are plenty of good people developing product in the suburbs, but it's not for me. We choose development projects based on three thresholds: financial, social and ecological. For our company, the suburb development model fails to qualify.
Q: Will there ever be a tipping point where suburban sprawl is outpaced by urban infill development?
A: In the 1940s and '50s, there was an epic shift from traditional urban growth patterns to the suburban model. If you look at Oklahoma City now, the vast majority of development takes place in the greenbelt. We've built a track record of being a sprawl city with few limits to our outward stretch. We've now begun a shift away from sprawl and in favor of urban living.
We're confronted daily with three major issues — the burst of the housing bubble, the rising cost of oil and the growing awareness of our ecological responsibility. All of these issues, while independent of each other, collide in a perfect storm that is changing the way our cities grow. The dream of suburbia has left people wanting and they are looking for a more fulfilling lifestyle. That lifestyle can be found in a walkable urban community.
Business Writer Steve Lackmeyer
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