Blair Arch

FoxNews' Andy Napolitano '72 in OKC
"Judge Napolitano" was in OKC on August 7, 2008 (along with Rep. Jack Kemp and Gov. Bill Richardson) as celebrity judges of a debate organized at Oklahoma Christian University by the Tommy Franks Leadership Institute.  A group of Princetonians sat down for a long lunch with Andy at the Renaissance Hotel.  Afterwards, the accompanying photograph was taken by Alfson's wife, Ginny Harrison P05.

Left-to-right are David Mercer ’72, Andrew Jarrett ’03, Chuck Morrison ’62, The Judge, Bob Alfson '72 P05, Rob Hamm ’72 P08 P12 and Laura Hamm ’12

The New Urbanism Ivy League Alumni and their guests were invited to the Faculty House on Wednesday 23 for a presentation by the internationally renowned architect, Andrés Duany ’71, one of the originators of what has been recognized by the New York Times as “the most important collective architectural movement in the United States in the past fifty years.”

Duany and his wife / business partner, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk ’72, did their masters work at Yale. The Humphreys Companies had Andrés here in OKC for a week leading a design charette for a project at Lake Eufaula.

Andrés and Liz are two of the founders of New Urbanism (Click on the link to the left for a brief description). With a third architect, they wrote the eminently readable Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. More information is available on the DPZ website.

Intrepid Tulsa '57er Bob Traband made the trip and was kind enough to send along the following:

Thanks again for the opportunity to join your group for the Duany remarks. They were of real interest to me. My notes really don't work for any kind of real summary of his talk, as my interest was centered on development issues. However, here are some points that were interesting.

Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are both founders of the New Urbanism movement that is now front and center in the field of urban development and redevelopment. New Urbanism recognizes the core fact that people are most fascinated by people and therefore like to congregate in groups. Both the young adult and empty nester sectors enjoy the urban, central city environment and they are both key groups for the future. The goal is to take advantage of the infrastructure and buildings that exist and represent the history of a community and turn them into convenient, walkable and mix used neighborhoods. In addition to the desire of many people to live in the new urbanism environment, the movement is also supportive of most aspects of the environmental movement.

The following characteristics are found in some of the cities that have succeeded with a New Urbanism plan:

1. State Capitol
2. Legislators can influence air carrier routing
3. The city is clean and well maintained
4. Government is relatively clean and competent

In addition the following factors are of general importance:

1. Good race relations
2. A strong regional economy
3. A reasonably good public school system

Oklahoma City has many of the characteristics that are needed to facilitate a conversion to a city based on the New Urbanism.

It is important for urban planners to learn from suburban developers who are very efficient in providing convenience, security and a clean environment.

Two areas were mentioned that might deserve some consideration by OKC leaders:

1. Limit the efforts to reproduce suburban style buildings in the city center.
2. Focus on the sectors of downtown with the most potential and concentrate activity.

In addition, thought could be given to the role of the underground shopping and how to produce housing that young professionals can afford.

General comments included the fact that the most important visual point of a building is the ground level and the need for several blocks of attractive frontage. To achieve this probably requires a separate zoning code for central cities and possible use of the A-Street and B-Street concept where services and blank walls are on a secondary street and attractive fronts are on the A street.

Evidence of the popularity of real urban areas is in the form of Austin, Portland, New York, Chicago, Santa Fe and Boulder, as well as the new found popularity of schools like Penn located in a city that has done a nice job of revitalization.

A concept that is gaining acceptance is the idea of the SUBCORE. The idea is that you can rebuild old buildings to their original standards.

Neighborhoods and the return to localism is a trend likely to continue even with the expansion of globalization.

Thanks again. Look forward to seeing you soon. Bob

Class of 2012
Western Oklahoma will contribute at least five(!) freshmen to the class of 2012.  The PC of OKC is proud to welcome the following and congratulates their families:

• Gabrielle Chen, Oklahoma School of Math and Science (interviewed by Bob Alfson)
• Laura Hamm, Edmond Memorial High School (interviewed by Steve Clowney)
• Pauline Ndambuki, Norman North High School (interviewed by Norm Levine)
• Marlene Morgan,  Edmond North High School (interviewed  by Dave Mercer)
• Natalie Webb, home-schooled (from Custer City, Okla.)  (interviewed by Chuck Morrison)

Past front-page articles and pictures are in the archive.

The Princeton Club of Oklahoma City endeavors to include all of Central and Western Oklahoma in its notifications and activities.  A primary raison d'etre is support of the activities of the Alumni Schools Committee.  In 2008, local alums interviewed 100% of the applicants in our geography (Western Oklahoma).