Joel Kotkin, an urban planning expert, at the OSU-Tulsa auditorium Wednesday.
FROM JANET PEARSON
World Editorial Writer
Local leaders start new quest to reshape city's path for 21st century
A still-sluggish economy. a city financial crisis and a major employer's bankruptcy have left Tulsans worried about their city's future.
But there is reason for optimism, according to the urban expert brought in last week to help launch Mayor Bill LaFortune's 21st century vision quest.
Tulsa's success will depend not so much on traditional economic development strategies, author and consultant Joel Kotkin said, but rather on the top asset of the technological age: human capital.
There will be no "magic bullet," no corporate white knight who will swoop in and save the city.
"What's going to move Tulsa is Tulsans," said Kotkin, author of "The New Geography: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape" and a columnist for several major U.S. newspapers.
Kotkin, also a senior fellow with the Davenport Institute for Public Policy at Pepperdine University and a senior fellow with the Milken Institute, came here as the guest of R. Brent Johnson, president and CEO of SecureAgent Software, the mayor and other civic leaders.
Johnson said he brought Kotkin to town "because it's so important right now to look at Tulsa's future from many points of a new, and then move forward to put our city on the map in the 21st century."
Tulsa has demonstrated its adaptability by rebounding from the energy bust, Kotkin noted, but its heavy reliance on telecom creates new challenges. But Tulsa can emerge from the Williams Communication Group Inc. bankruptcy crisis stronger than ever by coming up with a plan.
"You should react by saying not that the end is near, but how do we overcome it," Kotkin said. "Those in the telecom industry still have knowledge and skills. Find a way to redeploy them, either in existing companies or by starting new ones." | Tulsa should refine its ability to attract and retain well-educated and highly skilled workers or lose out to other communities with that edge, he said.
"That is the real key issue for Tulsa. . . . All the traditional ideas of economic development, particularly those used here in the Midwest, have failed. I really believe human capital will be much more important in the future, and Tulsa has much to offer in that regard."
But not enough at the moment. Tulsa has major deficiencies -- lack of educational resources, little venture capital, meager research activity, sparse entertainment offerings -- all of which hurt its attractiveness.
Tulsa has amenities that other cities "would die for," Kotkin said. Arts and cultural amenities are extraordinary for a city its size. The city's environment is a big plus.
"You have the good raw material. I think you have to do more to enhance it," he said.
Sooner or later, we must address downtown revitalization, a critical element for success.
Kotkin believes Tulsa has "the base of a great downtown but you don't have a great downtown." But he doesn't think improved convention facilities are necessarily the answer.
"What's needed is for people to be able to walk, shop and do things downtown. A grassroots revival is needed, not a stadium."
Tulsans must admit that its traditional top asset -- a great place to raise a family -- is no longer enough, Kotkin said. High percentages of today's well-educated workers are childless. A community must find ways to appeal to these workers as well as families to attract and retain workers.
Though many are childless, Americans increasingly are embracing anew the fundamental values of family, community and spirituality, after the events of Sept. 11. Four years ago, a third of Americans surveyed said spiritual values were more important than material pursuits; in 2002, that figure rose to 52 percent. This augurs well for places like Tulsa, Kotkin said.
The impetus for change can't come exclusively from Tulsa's leadership. The community has to be behind the new ideas for them to work.
"It is a mistake to try to impose a vision that doesn't grow out of historical reality," Kotkin said. "The ones that work best are those that try to understand why a community is what it is, and take the good with the bad."
Kotkin called on local leaders to survey new college graduates to determine whether they'll settle in Tulsa and if not, why not.
"The biggest challenge for every community is getting more high-paid, skilled workers. Because ultimately, in the digital age, how many smart and well-educated people come to Tulsa is what matters," he said.
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