The Red Fork district that I've been photographing is in the running for a Main Street Program urban
renewal project. I'm not sure what all is involved, but it is a good sign that the community is
hoping to improve the area. The store at the back used to be a drug store, and is now the home of a
successful business that repairs restaurant fixtures and appliances. It sits along old Route 66 in
Tulsa.
This area has lost a lot of local business and is in need of some guidance more than anything. It's a vicious cycle. People go across town to shop because the stores are "better," so locally owned businesses dry up. Once things start to go downhill, it's hard to get them moving in the other direction. The world may have gotten smaller with the information age, but the local areas have merged, gotten bigger apparently, and disappeared. Growing up here, if you lived in Red Fork, that's where you shopped. If you lived in Carbondale, you shopped there. Now everyone goes "across the river" to Tulsa to shop, although its all the same city.
Guest
20-Feb-2007 00:04
What does "improve" mean in the "urban" sense, Bob? Great shot! I think we're converging in our material.
Guest
19-Feb-2007 22:33
Powerful composition and beautiful light. Excellent shot ~
