Buchanan Avenue Workshop

Norman, Oklahoma | Spring 2018
View the Final Report Below

The City of Norman and Campus Corner Merchants Association were awarded a matching grant from the Oklahoma Municipal League, to pursue assistance from the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities. Campus Corner representatives expressed that one street, Buchanan Avenue, has difficulty attracting visitors to linger and shop at the interesting mix of businesses along the street. Compared to neighboring streets, Buchanan gets far less foot traffic and has seen more business turnover in recent years.

The challenge became the focus of the Environmental Design Practicum course at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture in Spring 2018. After working in Blanchard for the first half of the semester, students worked with Campus Corner and City of Norman representatives from March through May. The group of 18 students investigated the challenges of Buchanan Avenue, and highlighted a few strategies designed to improve foot traffic and lingering on the street. The project included building and installing test versions of those improvements on site.

This report includes images of the tests conducted by students and some renderings or photographs showing what could be possible to attract more foot traffic onto Buchanan Avenue.