Activate Chickasha Final Report

1 Emily Fitzsimmons, Alaine Nguyen, Sonia Ramirez, Dean Sayers, Auriuse Tahmasebi Shane Hampton EN D 3993 001 2 May 2019

ACTIVATE CHICKASHA Parking is an essential part of most cities and towns that many people take for granted. It serves as one of the key elements to allow mobility and activity within a town or city yet is one of the factors that not many stop and think about. As an issue brought up to our Practicum class this semester, we were introduced to Chickasha, Ok. Chickasha is a city just under one hour southwest of Norman and served as the host to our group’s project “Activate Chickasha.”

Based on our theme to “Activate Chickasha,” our group focused on three main points that would survey, identify issues and create solutions for all the parking within our assigned area and go as follows: activating people, activating space, and activating community. For the first point, activating the people of Chickasha is meant to strengthen the infrastructure to include alternative transportation such as walking and biking, which would allow for better physical and mental health. The second point, which addresses space, includes providing clear signage and directions throughout and around the downtown area. With better direction, the downtown would be less confusing and more accessible to visitors. Lastly, our overall goal is to enhance the community, creating a more welcoming downtown and encouraging exploration and interaction with the city.

In order to carry out our plan, the first step was to see the city for ourselves. Our class took a trip to Chickasha, where we got to survey our area in order to create the base data needed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of parking as well as the factors that affect it. Our area consisted of seven square blocks and was located just southwest to the city’s main street; W.

2 Chickasha Ave. as seen below.

While walking within our area, the main factors we were on the lookout for included the type of parking allowed, how many spots were available, the number of cars parked, and any signage that addressed that particular area. The graphic below demonstrates the data we collected based on the type of parking available. However, there were significant statistics that caught our attention and served as the base to solutions our team created. First and foremost, we realized it was difficult to record some of the data since there were parking lots that remained unmarked and unorganized in a way that would not efficiently serve the city’s needs. They were recorded as blue on our survey. Next, after collecting all data and transferring it to its proper recording channel, these are some of the findings: Only one of the blocks in the survey areas exceeded a 50% occupancy rate and was the farthest away from the downtown strip. On the other hand, some of the blocks had less than a 1% occupancy rate, which meant that only one car was parked on that block at the time of the survey. Lastly, the average occupancy rate was only 22.7% for the entire survey area. These statistics indicate that there is in fact much parking available to the

3 city’s downtown and surrounding area. The parking just that wasn’t put to use at its full potential; and Activating Chickasha would be one of the possible solutions.

Activate People One of our main foci was to activate people. This means that we wanted the community to be motivated to live a healthier lifestyle and overall embrace where they live. Strengthening infrastructure for alternative transportation, such as walking and biking, helps to stimulate exercise and improve physical and mental health. Having accessible options benefits both the community and the environment as well.

In Chickasha, there is a lack of a sense of community because many people are, in a way, forced to drive. Pressure to drive escalates without infrastructure for alternative transportation, such as biking or even ADA-approved sidewalks. In turn, this increases parking occupancy, especially with many single-occupancy vehicles in use. Keeping people confined to their cars

4 also prevents them from taking more time to explore and personally interact with downtown, thus decreasing potential commerce. This brings an overall negative impact on Chickasha’s economy. Chickasha’s lack of alternative transportation is seen through the insufficient amount of bike lanes and bike racks. Currently, there are no bike lanes in Chickasha and only one bike rack, which is located near the local YMCA.

Corner of W. Chickasha Ave. and 8th St.

Our solution for this issue would be to add bike lanes and multiple bike racks that benefit the community. By painting bike lanes, Chickasha can be easily connected together. Placing the bike lanes would allow students attending the local college, The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, to travel to Downtown Chickasha and help to bring revenue into the community at a local level. Installing at least one bike rack per block ensures bikers will be able to leave their bikes safely unattended to enjoy the beauty that Chickasha offers.

Corner of W. Chickasha Ave. and S. 6th St.

5 Activate Space Parking in a downtown city anywhere in the United States can be troublesome. With large buildings clumped together and the parking lots placed in between, behind, or occasionally even across the street from their corresponding building makes it confusing and worrisome for drivers to find a parking spot. In downtown cities, there can be 20 to 30 different signs with their own unique restrictions. In downtown Houston, they had this issue with their parking signs, stating they found over 100 different parking signs in their city, albeit a very large downtown.

The downtown Houston project’s main focus is to make their city easier to navigate and park, as Mayor Annise Parker suggests when stating, “The goal is to have people comfortable coming downtown, knowing where they can park and not having a nasty surprise with their car being towed.”1 When people do not know where they can park, it makes parking more difficult to find, often giving the perception that there is a lack of free or public parking.

This same issue is apparent in Chickasha, Oklahoma, where we collected data, took pictures, and analyzed the parking problem in the downtown. While we found out that there was a very low occupancy rate for parking spots, there seemed to be an issue we had not realized yet.

Driving around the downtown area, we began noticing that the parking signs around the main streets were very confusing and often dull and worn down. As a driver in a car, it was very difficult to read what the many different parking signs were indicating, which can cause confusion and sometimes even unnecessary parking tickets. Additionally, some businesses and other buildings downtown have parking lots that are out of sight from the street or behind the building, making the parking lot hard to locate without proper parking signage and wayfinding.

To fix this issue, we propose taking an inventory of all the parking and wayfinding signs

1

Shay, Miya. “Downtown Parking Signs Cause Confusion.” ABC News. 15 May 2013. Accessed 2 May 2019. https://abc13.com/archive/9103859/

6 in downtown Chickasha, noting all the signs that either need to be replaced or repaired. By doing this, we can better understand where the confusion is coming from and what signs have deteriorated, and, as a result, we can fix the issues. We also propose standardizing parking signage in Chickasha, requiring that certain parking restrictions must have the same design for the sign. This standardization will help drivers become more comfortable and confident in where they can park, as they recognize and understand the parking restriction more when the signs are familiar and straight-forward.

Another way we can help pedestrians after they have parked is by implementing wayfinding maps on various blocks that attract the most foot traffic as well as near parking lots that are near the outskirts of downtown. This will help people who must park farther away from their destination feel comfortable and confident that they will be able to find their location quickly. Not only does this benefit a person walking from the parking lot to their destination, but it also helps them locate their car afterwards. Ensuring confidence in people that if they park a little farther than usual, they will still be able to easily find their car. This will make the parking a little more attractive.

Implementing a plan to replace, repair and simplify parking signage is not enough to fix the larger parking problem in Chickasha, though. In some cases, there are parking lots near and around businesses and other buildings that are plain, with no parking lines or other indicators.

Parking in these lots is often unorganized and does not utilize the space of the lot to its maximum potential. One case in Chickasha, near a family clinic on the corner of 5th Street and Kansas Street, is a parking lot with no parking lines or parking curbs. By implementing parking lines, or if paint will not stick to the surface, parking curbs, the space can be better utilized for the maximum number of spots available.

7 One feasible suggestion we propose is the use of the yellow, plastic parking curbs, with the option of blue for handicap parking. The yellow parking curbs will be more visible and will indicate parking availability better. Organizing parking lots can help increase the number of available spots possible by utilizing the most space within the area. While researching the costs for the parking stops, we found two relatively cheap options for parking curbs. The first suggested option is the yellow, plastic parking curb, which a full skid lot of 30 units bought at wholesale would cost $61 per curb pre-tax, installation fee included. The second suggested option is the black and yellow, rubber parking curb, which a full skid lot of 49 units bought at wholesale would cost $67 per curb pre-tax, installation fee included. The benefit of the rubber curb is that it can conform to any surface, meaning the surface does not need to be smoothed for it to be installed. Both options have a color choice of blue for handicap parking. The purchase suggestions can be seen below.2

2

“6’ Economy Solid Plastic Parking Curb.” Traffic Safety Store. https://www.trafficsafetystore.com/parkingblocks/plastic-economy-6#PBE6YL. Accessed 7 March 2019.

8 By organizing downtown Chickasha’s parking signage and their parking lots, we believe the parking problem can be fixed in a significant way. By making it less confusing and more comfortable for drivers to locate available parking spots with clear, simple parking signage and attractive, organized parking lots, we believe the perception of parking in Chickasha will be more positive. Additionally, we believe making it easier for pedestrians to find their way around downtown with wayfinding maps will help people feel more comfortable with parking farther away from their destination and walking. The wayfinding maps will make walking to their destination easier as well as help them locate their car and the parking lot when they are done.

Activate Community Our final recommendations revolve around the third part of the theme: Activate Community. We want to create a more welcoming downtown that will encourage people to explore the various parts of Chickasha and to display what the town has to offer. To accomplish that, we must address the parking obstacle within the community. Parking is acknowledged as an area of study that has challenges in downtown Chickasha with its ratio of people to parking spots. When we visited the downtown to observe its parking ratio and surroundings, we observed copious amounts of parking, yet their rates of occupancy were particularly low. These excess parking lots take up space for potential cultural, economic, and social activities. This issue provides a sense of waste management to downtown Chickasha. To replace that emptiness in excess parking, we’ve conceptualized recommendations through our work in field research aas well as pre-existing knowledge. The result is a more playful and meaningful downtown. We brainstormed ideas of setting up concrete games on the sidewalks, placing food trucks near busy corners, building historical sites for tourism, and opening air markets for everyone’s enjoyment.

9 Creating a much more adventurous and colorful look to downtown Chickasha would attract more people into the area. With these recommendations, we believe that we can make a greater downtown Chickasha for its community once we activate it.

As stated before, these suggestions function to make visitors feel more comfortable downtown so that they will be more likely to explore the area, bring revenue to downtown businesses, and interact with each other. To achieve that, we strongly advise increasing walkability in downtown Chickasha. Creating a walkable space is valuable because people are then able to park farther away from their destination, particularly in off-street parking. As a result, on-street parking becomes free for those stopping for quick errands. This would be especially beneficial to Chickasha during events such as the Festival of Lights. Additionally, this encourages visitors to explore downtown. Instead of walking ten feet from their car to the destination, people are compelled to observe their surroundings during a longer walk to and from their vehicle. Accordingly, visitors will actually see other business and be drawn to enter, bringing more revenue to downtown.

However, this is not the case in Chickasha; in fact, our group noticed several major impediments to walkability. First, in all seven of the blocks we studied, there were perhaps three benches. If people are expected to walk downtown for long periods of time, they need a place to rest. That is not an option in downtown Chickasha right now. Secondly, downtown is lacking in curb appeal, which makes pedestrians feel less welcome and comfortable. Lastly, there were several areas of sidewalk that were damaged in such a way that decreases accessibility. In response to these issues, we recommend installing benches throughout Chickasha, particularly in the downtown area. Ideally, there should be at least one seating area per block, preferably more.

To improve curb appeal, we highly suggest sidewalk trees, plant beds, and potted plants; this will

10 not only create shade but also diminish the concrete domination that occurs in urban areas.

Additionally, outdoor art creates an interesting space, thus increasing walkability, so we suggest installing art pieces, such as bike rack art and murals. Such art should incorporate Chickasha culture and citizens in its style and formation. Lastly, not to be overlooked is cleanliness: Power washing the sidewalks as well as introducing trash and recycling bins will produce a more organized, pleasing space. Collectively, these factors would meet many of the requirements for a walkable space, including accessibility, comfort, and attractiveness.

At present, the second major issue in downtown Chickasha is the absence of urban life.

For any city, a lively downtown is critical to a municipality’s economic and social well-being.

Establishing a destination within a city helps create shared experiences and commonality that can, in turn, nurture community relations. Producing such a lively urban space also encourages people to visit and linger during their free time, which gives time for those personal connections as well as stops at multiple downtown businesses. But, during our site visit to Chickasha, we saw little life in the downtown. Namely, there were very few pedestrians; in fact, most of the passersby we observed were students in our class. In addition to the walkability issues discussed above, this low pedestrian population further reduces downtown comfort: People typically feel more comfortable in public spaces that have other people present. Moreover, the lack of pedestrians stems potential economic and cultural opportunities. Increasing walkability through the earlier suggestions will help draw visitors and, therefore, spark downtown life. But, in W. Chickasha Ave. .

11 addition to those recommendations, we propose incorporating game settings throughout Chickasha. Painted sidewalk games, such as hopscotch, tic-tac-toe, and dots, as well as provided sidewalk chalk would serve as free, fun activities for families, college students, and other visitors to enjoy. Such games would stimulate communal action and conversation, thus activating community.

S 5th St., just off of W. Chickasha Ave.

To conclude, parking and the factors associated with it is an often overlooked but critical issue in most cities and towns. Chickasha’s request to produce more parking has not gone unmet, but it has also brought attention to other problems in the downtown area. After thorough data collection and analysis, this group has formulated our own plan, which seeks to “Activate People,” “Activate Space,” and “Activate Community.” Through this scheme, Chickasha would gain infrastructure for alternative transportation, more organized parking, clear directions for

12 drivers and pedestrians, as well as a comfortable, animated, and enjoyable downtown space.

Combined, these elements will “Activate Chickasha.�