Blanchard Street Design Workshop

BLANCHARD Street Design Workshop City of Blanchard Oklahoma Municipal League OU Institute for Quality Communities OU Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design

Blanchard Street Design Workshop In early 2017, the City of Blanchard received a grant through the Oklahoma Municipal League to receive matching funds and complete an assistance project with the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities. City officials were seeking ideas for improving Main Street, especially the intersection with Broadway Street, where a historic flag pole is positioned in the center of the intersection.

In Spring 2018, 17 students in the Environmental Design Practicum took on the project as part of their course work. After several weeks of studying street design concepts and ideas about how to demonstrate potential improvements through tactical urbanism, students were ready to look in detail at Blanchard.

On February 8, the class traveled to Blanchard for a meeting with local civic leaders, city officials, and stakeholders. Teams of students also split up to walk along the street interviewing business owners. Finally, teams collected measurements, photographs, and data about Main Street and the surrounding blocks. The class discussed the most important topics from the site visit in order to think about what their projects should address. Overall, they defined three main priorities, shown on the facing page.

On March 1, five teams were ready to present their proposals to city officials for review. City officials and other reviewers provided excellent comments to refine the proposals. On March 15, students returned to Blanchard armed with prepared projects and supplies for assembling their projects in the street.

Using temporary materials to demonstrate the projects allowed the students to explain their work to a group of stakeholders while evaluating how it worked for regular users of the street. The rest of the document presents an evaluation of these five proposals.

Make downtown a place where people want to stay and hang out.

People in Blanchard consistently express that they want downtown to be a walkable, active place that helps grow Blanchard’s economy. That means the sidewalks and storefronts should be comfortable and attractive, while the business mix should offer diverse opportunities to spend time during weekdays, nights, and weekends. The street should be safe for pedestrians with slow driving.

Keep downtown a great place to accommodate events.

Downtown is known for its year-round calendar of events and parades, from May Days to the Pumpkin Fest. Holidays and celebrations are important parts of community in Blanchard. Some special conditions for events and holidays include the Christmas Tree lighting installation on the flagpole, space for booths and food vendors along the street, and space for carnival vendors along the street and in city-owned vacant lots.

Celebrate the flagpole and make the intersection more intuitive.

The flagpole might be confusing, but it’s certainly a part of Blanchard’s personality. The intersection could be more intuitive with clear communication about what drivers should do.

Flagpole Roundabout Goal

Results

My group noticed that cars driving at this intersection did not know how to correctly go about driving around the flagpole. We observed and watched as cars cut in front of the flag and turn differently. Another problem regarding this intersection was speeding. Most cars continually would go at least 10 mph over the speed limit for Main Street.

After assembling the project we stepped back and observed the reactions as traffic started to make its way down main street. To our delight, the roundabout seemed to significantly slow down traffic without completely stopping.

Method Traffic cones formed the roundabout’s shape with an 8’ diameter, and duct tape arrows on the ground helped to enforce the circular movement. In addition, we made DIY roundabout traffic signs to further inform the drivers on how to approach the intersection. We made these signs with paper templates overlaid on sturdy plastic boards, which were then connected to PVC pipes held upright with quick concrete in a large bucket.

Team Athena Black Cassidy Middleton Daniel Woodruff Isabelle Preston

The roundabout solution helped drivers drive around the flagpole instead of cut across it, and it also slowed down speeders. Cars yielded to other cars correctly, and that will also help pedestrians feel safer while crossing the street at this intersection.

Presenting our ideas to the city leaders was intimidating but their positive response and ideas they had for the group was encouraging. Should the city of Blanchard choose to install this permanently, we believe that accident numbers would decrease at this intersection and people visiting Blanchard would be able better comprehend how to navigate the flag pole.

Sidewalk Parklets Goal

Results

During our initial site visit we noticed a lack of seating options as well as a lack of any reason for people to stay and linger downtown on a normal day. Our goal in creating these parklets was to demonstrate how an unused dead space could be transformed into a usable asset for Main Street. This can help to draw the citizens to the downtown area and increase the amount of time one actually spends in the area.

The green paint not only served as a means to define our parklet boundaries but also as an attention grabber. The seating options we chose were appropriately sized for the space and did not overcrowd the area. Just introducing a couple benches seemed to bring people out and together to sit and talk.

Method We painted the pavement with temporary paint in a crosshatch pattern. Our paint was a mixture of green tempera paint, water and cornstarch that we mixed on site. We used DIY cinder block benches and lawn chairs as the seating options for the area. We also used the site WikiBlocks to create lawn games to incorporate that the sites can be used for a variety of functions.

Team Audrey Yu Bethany Grissom Jennifer Connett

Our parklet spaces felt like they could be built permanently, without being unsafe or unrealistic. Cars driving by didn’t seem to slow down too much from our projects, but it didn’t feel unsafe to sit in the parklets.

There was enough distance between car and pedestrian.

Barricades or bollards would be a useful addition to add a sense of security to users of the space.

For a permanent parklet, we recommend incorporating some plants into the design to create a softer, more welcoming environment, as well as a space that is more visually distinct.

My Vision for Blanchard...

Goal

Results

The City of Blanchard expressed that their primary need was to find a way to get people walking down Main Street.

Therefore, we wanted to create an interactive piece of artwork to make a blank wall more interesting. The design itself came from a series of murals called “Before I Die” by Candy Chang. We wanted the community to be involved in shaping Blanchard so the board was labeled “My Vision for Blanchard Is…”

While installing the board, we decided that it was really unlikely that people would want to crouch down to write on the board. We came up with the idea to prop it up against the nearest railing, which helped elevate the board to eye level. Any permanent installation should consider including places where people of all ages and heights can easily reach the blank lines for writing.

Method We spoke to Ron Franz about what is allowed in making a public mural and he provided very useful information. To avoid painting on building surfaces, we decided to paint our mural on a piece of 4x8’ plywood, with multiple blank lines and chalk to write on the chalk paint we applied. We used stencils that allowed a small amount overlay that gave the mural a bit of an artsy look for a downtown area.

Team Brendan Summerville Emily Carter Marshall Stringer Sephra Kolker

We hope that the interactive nature of our board will interest people enough for them to stop and jot down their “vision”. We hope that the city will continue to use our board, even if they hang it up somewhere else, because more than anything we just want our board to be seen, used, and appreciated by people.

In conclusion, if I were to provide the City of Blanchard with any thoughts on how to turn our board into a more permanent solution, I would probably advise them to scale the board up with brightly colored lettering. I think that having more space for people to write their vision for Blanchard would be beneficial.

Blank Wall Mural Goal

Results

The goal of our group’s project was to paint an idea of a possible mural on the side of one of the buildings downtown. The purpose was to help unify the downtown and get the communities involved. The selected building is owned by the City and is in a good location to be visible while entering downtown from the south.

Painting a mural is not easy. There were a lot of things to consider before we could start the project, and the group realized we should at least get a head start on painting the base color, getting the materials, and drawing an outline of the Oklahoma.

Method Because we were on a time crunch, instead of painting on the surface of the building, we had to use plywood sheets. Originally, we wanted to use spray paint but found real paint would look better. Painting the plywood sheets created a real-life rendering of what a mural might look like in this location.

Team Armani Frye Shawndale Pina Stephanie Boothe

We recommend designing a colorful mural for this wall.

Because this could be a big project, we recommend a design that would easily allow people from the community to contribute. The master designers could create an outline of the mural and community members can participate by filling in a section of the mural.

Traffic Calming Crosswalk Goal

Results

The first goal was to slow down traffic by creating a crosswalk and redesigning the intersection. By slowing down the traffic, we aimed not only to increase the safety, but also possibly make drivers more likely to notice or stop at Main Street businesses. We also aimed to create a more pleasant, aesthetically pleasing, environment with the distinctive character of Blanchard.

The design successfully reduced the intersection’s size, and the chalk designs added a welcoming introduction for traffic heading north on main street. However, it was not visible enough to be effective when traffic was released onto the street. Local residents slowed to look or chat with us about the project and design in the crosswalk while other passersby ignored the crosswalk altogether.

Method

If a crosswalk were to be implemented at this location, an intricate white-line design or a colorful painted crosswalk would give drivers the best opportunity of seeing the crosswalk. Making the crosswalk wider than five feet would also be a good idea. Finally, after observing traffic behavior, the group discussed marking the word “SLOW” on the street or another common road symbol to highlight the intersection.

We created the temporary pinch points with tape and mini traffic cones to narrow down the street and produce a new intersection. We also used duct tape to outline a crosswalk providing a safe pathway for the pedestrians to cross the wide street. We then used chalk to add some character to the crosswalk that would welcome the drivers to Blanchard’s Main Street.

Team Bradley Anderson Colt Looper Thant Aung

Next Steps These demonstration projects provide insight into what kinds of improvements might work for downtown Blanchard. The collaborators in Blanchard may continue a discussion about how some of these concepts could be incorporated into a plan to improve Main Street.

Some challenges on Main Street will be easier to address than others. For example, adding public art and seating can occur on existing city-owned buildings and in spaces that require little modification. The 8’ diameter circle around the flagpole has proven to be a safe area to look at additional landscaping or a low-rise wall with lighting or reflective markers. The wide intersection at 2nd Street also leaves room for modifications like the suggestions in this report.

On the other hand, some challenges of Main Street will be more difficult.

Downtown Blanchard’s setting on top of a hill is beautiful, but creates accessibility and safety challenges along the sidewalk with the steep slope.

Grant Opportunity Many of these changes might be eligible for the AARP Community Challenge Grant. Last year, this grant program helped city officials in Shawnee construct a traffic mini-circle in an intersection that is not unlike the one proposed to improve the flagpole intersection in Blanchard. For more information on this grant opportunity, visit: https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/about/info2017/aarp-community-challenge.html

Collaborators Blanchard Community Collaborators Eddie Odle, Mayor Robert Floyd, City Manager Daniel Ofsthun, Assistant City Manager Ryan Conner, City Planner Chris Wittenbach, Parks Director David Miller, Planning Commission Julie Carter, Chamber of Commerce Oklahoma Municipal League Mike Fina, Executive Director Nancee Morris, Operations & Business Development Kay Hunt, Communications Director Cole Poland, Outreach Specialist

University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities Shane Hampton, Executive Director Hope Mander, Associate Director Ron Frantz, Environmental Design Coordinator Environmental Design Practicum Bradley Anderson Thant Aung Athena Black Stephanie Boothe Emily Carter Jennifer Connett Armani Frye Bethany Grissom Sephra Kolker Colt Looper Cassidy Middleton Shawndale Pina Isabelle Preston Marshall Stringer Brendan Summerville Daniel Woodruff Audrey Yu

Report prepared by: OU Institute for Quality Communities OU Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture 830 Van Vleet Oval Gould Hall 165 Norman, OK 73019