Rivers as Commodity: Adapting Floodways as Tourist Retail Corridors
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Rivers as Commodity: Adapting Floodways as Tourist Retail Corridors Kevin Romig © 2008 Department of Geography James and Marilyn Lovell Center for Environmental Geography Texas State University Research Objectives 1.To identify key elements in the success of adapting floodways as tourist clusters. 2.Compare and contrast two regional examples: San Antonio River Walk and Bricktown Canal in Oklahoma City. 3.Examine scales that specific landscape patterns become visible at the two canals. Methods 1.Landscape appraisal 2.Land-use inventory 3.Archival Research Business Inventory River Walk Businesses Along Canal Bricktown Businesses Along Canal Biga Restaurant Bass Pro Shop Homewood Suites Residence Inn by Marriott Westin Hotel Sonic Office Building Hotel Contessa Falcone's Pizza Little Rhein Steak House Sonic Restaurant Hilton Hotel Toby Keith's Bar Ibiza Bar Earl's Rib Place Dirty Nelly's Irish Pub Marble Slab Creamery Casa Rio Harkins Theaters Republic of Texas Restaurant Starbucks Café Ole Redpin Bowling Lounge Mr. Ice Cream Stumpy Burger Michelino's Skky Bar Boudro's Bistro Rok Bar Rio Rio National Guard Recruiting Lone Star Steakhouse Hooters Original Mexican Restaurant Drink Z Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory Rave Bricktown Dance Club Santa Fe Connection Dungeon 3D Coyote Ugly Saloon Hall of Fame Bar & Grille CVS Pharmacy 9 News Bricktown Studio Saltgrass Steakhouse Margarita Mama's Haagen Dasz Chelino's Restaurant Rainforest Café Jazmo's Bourbon St. Café Paesano's Cullem's Landing Hard Rock Café Mad Dog's British Pub Landry's Seafood House Joe's Crab Shack County Line BBQ Starbucks Nerve Ana Club Dick's Last Resort Rita's on the River Las Canarias Restaurant Waxy O'Connors Irish Pub Colego Bar Pesca Fish Watermark Spa La Mansion Hotel Iron Cactus Restaurant Agave Room Bar The Esquire Tavern Drury Inn Texas Land and Cattle Restaurant Stephania's Italian Dining & Dancing Hyatt Hotel Business Type River Walk Bricktown Hotels 7 1 Restaurants 22 7 Bars 8 5 Clubs 3 3 Sources: Arreola, Daniel D. 1996. Urban Ethnic Landscape Identity. Geographical Review. 85: 518-533. Barron, Kelly. 2006. Bricktown: A Place to Visit. The Titan. A1. Fisher, Lewis F. 2007. River Walk: The Epic Story of San Antonio’s River. SA: Maverick Press. Goss, John. 1999. Once Upon-a-Time in a Commodity World: An Unofficial Guide to the Mall of America. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 89:45-75. Kimmel, Jim. 2006. The San Marcos, A River’s Story. College Station: Texas A&M Press. Both canals have water pumped into their system, but Bricktown is more obvious about it with the pipe giving life to the canal at the beginning whereas River Walk once was wet, but because of aquifer conditions now needs engineering to maintain water flow. The Alamo is a major tourist attraction adjacent to the River Walk whereas Bricktown Ballpark, home of the AAA Texas Rangers affiliate is the draw and inspiration for the Bricktown Canal. Both locales use native materials in much of the construction as Texas limestone is the material of choice along River Walk and Oklahoma red brick is common in most buildings along the Bricktown Canal. The landscape maturity of River Walk is evident in these comparative photos of the two canals. While River Walk tries to maintain a unique San Antonio cultural feel, through time corporate chains like Hard Rock Café have located along its banks. At Bricktown, native Oklahoman, Toby Keith, uses his name to bring notoriety to this bar and grille to enhance the local sense of place. Both canals are very successful. Adaptive re-use is a common technique along both corridors as seen in the photo of River Walk (left) and the addition of more retail establishments, whereas Bricktown canal still has open space (right) available along its banks, but Bricktown is the fastest growing entertainment district in the Southwest and open space is quickly diminishing. Different eras are not only visible in the superior ADA compliance of Bricktown, but also in the mural art’s political correctness. This mural (R) at Bricktown depicts three Native American woman in a serene landscape while the River Walk mural (L) recounts tails of more hostile times and a characterization of a mean-spirited Mexican sniper. The contrasting eras of major construction are also visible by the big-box retail in Oklahoma (R) as compared to Casa Rio restaurant which has operated at this location (L) in San Antonio since 1946. Background In 1911, boosters in San Antonio sought a way to develop in downtown and decrease the likelihood of flooding on the great bend of the San Antonio River. After a major flood in 1921, engineers decided to re-rout the River, but allow for controlled flow through the Great Bend. WPA labor in the 1930s helped the River Walk first come to life. More development came with the HemisFair of 1968 when many of the local hotels were built to accommodate visitors. In Oklahoma City, the Bricktown District had been the RR Hub as long red brick buildings warehoused industrial goods. The area declined with trucking industrial districts, but in the 1990s, developers saw an opportunity to use a dry wash as a River Walk type space anchored by a new baseball field to spur downtown redevelopment. Maps of both canals Conclusions Both canals are below street level to offer visitors a feeling of being away from the city while in the City. This also underscores both as being a flood corridor. Future Research 1.While both locations are contrived natural spaces much of their appeal stems from the visual and nautical amenity the floodway course provides to patrons. 2. The Oklahoma City project resembles the pre-Hemisfair River Walk in San Antonio. It remains more of a local destination than regional or national. 3. Both corridors exibit internal geographies at different scales that seek activities from various markets. 4. While the OKC project is clearly influenced by River Walk in SA, the built environment at Bricktown reflects a more modern and inclusive society. 1. Investigate how people interact with “nature” at these locales through qualitative methods. 2. Broaden this topic to view other ways flood corridors are used and managed as economic development projects.
Transcript of Rivers as Commodity: Adapting Floodways as Tourist Retail Corridors
Rivers as Commodity: Adapting Floodways as Tourist Retail CorridorsKevin Romig © 2008
Department of Geography
James and Marilyn Lovell Center for Environmental Geography
Texas State UniversityResearch Objectives1.To identify key elements in the success of adapting
floodways as tourist clusters.2.Compare and contrast two regional examples: San
Antonio River Walk and Bricktown Canal in Oklahoma City.
3.Examine scales that specific landscape patterns become visible at the two canals.
Methods1.Landscape appraisal2.Land-use inventory3.Archival Research
Business Inventory
River Walk Businesses Along Canal Bricktown Businesses Along Canal
Biga Restaurant Bass Pro Shop
Homewood Suites Residence Inn by Marriott
Westin Hotel Sonic Office Building
Hotel Contessa Falcone's Pizza
Little Rhein Steak House Sonic Restaurant
Hilton Hotel Toby Keith's Bar
Ibiza Bar Earl's Rib Place
Dirty Nelly's Irish Pub Marble Slab Creamery
Casa Rio Harkins Theaters
Republic of Texas Restaurant Starbucks
Café Ole Redpin Bowling Lounge
Mr. Ice Cream Stumpy Burger
Michelino's Skky Bar
Boudro's Bistro Rok Bar
Rio Rio National Guard Recruiting
Lone Star Steakhouse Hooters
Original Mexican Restaurant Drink Z
Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory Rave Bricktown Dance Club
Santa Fe Connection Dungeon 3D
Coyote Ugly Saloon Hall of Fame Bar & Grille
CVS Pharmacy 9 News Bricktown Studio
Saltgrass Steakhouse Margarita Mama's
Haagen Dasz Chelino's Restaurant
Rainforest Café Jazmo's Bourbon St. Café
Paesano's
Cullem's Landing
Hard Rock Café
Mad Dog's British Pub
Landry's Seafood House
Joe's Crab Shack
County Line BBQ
Starbucks
Nerve Ana Club
Dick's Last Resort
Rita's on the River
Las Canarias Restaurant
Waxy O'Connors Irish Pub
Colego Bar
Pesca Fish
Watermark Spa
La Mansion Hotel
Iron Cactus Restaurant
Agave Room Bar
The Esquire Tavern
Drury Inn
Texas Land and Cattle Restaurant
Stephania's Italian Dining & Dancing
Hyatt Hotel
Business Type River Walk Bricktown
Hotels 7 1
Restaurants 22 7
Bars 8 5
Clubs 3 3
Sources: Arreola, Daniel D. 1996. Urban Ethnic Landscape Identity. Geographical Review. 85: 518-533.Barron, Kelly. 2006. Bricktown: A Place to Visit. The Titan. A1. Fisher, Lewis F. 2007. River Walk: The Epic Story of San Antonio’s River. SA: Maverick Press.Goss, John. 1999. Once Upon-a-Time in a Commodity World: An Unofficial Guide to the Mall of America. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 89:45-75.
Kimmel, Jim. 2006. The San Marcos, A River’s Story. College Station: Texas A&M Press.
Both canals have water pumped intotheir system, but Bricktown is more
obvious about it with the pipe givinglife to the canal at the beginning
whereas River Walk once was wet, butbecause of aquifer conditions now needs
engineering to maintain water flow.
The Alamo is a major tourist attractionadjacent to the River Walk whereas
Bricktown Ballpark, home of the AAATexas Rangers affiliate is the draw and
inspiration for the Bricktown Canal.
Both locales use native materials in much of theconstruction as Texas limestone is the materialof choice along River Walk and Oklahoma redbrick is common in most buildings along the Bricktown Canal. The landscape maturity of River Walk is evident in these comparative
photos of the two canals.
While River Walk tries to maintain a uniqueSan Antonio cultural feel, through time
corporate chains like Hard Rock Café havelocated along its banks. At Bricktown, native
Oklahoman, Toby Keith, uses his name tobring notoriety to this bar and grille to
enhance the local sense of place.
Both canals are very successful. Adaptive re-useis a common technique along both corridors asseen in the photo of River Walk (left) and the
addition of more retail establishments, whereasBricktown canal still has open space (right)
available along its banks, but Bricktown is thefastest growing entertainment district in the
Southwest and open space is quickly diminishing.
Different eras are not only visible in thesuperior ADA compliance of Bricktown,
but also in the mural art’s political correctness. This mural (R) at Bricktown depicts three
Native American woman in a serene landscape while the River Walk mural (L) recounts tails of more
hostile times and a characterizationof a mean-spirited Mexican sniper.
The contrasting eras of major construction are also visible by
the big-box retail in Oklahoma (R) as compared to Casa Rio restaurant which
has operated at this location (L) in San Antonio since 1946.
BackgroundIn 1911, boosters in San Antonio sought a way to developin downtown and decrease the likelihood of flooding on the great bend of the San Antonio River. After a major flood in 1921, engineers decided to re-rout the River, butallow for controlled flow through the Great Bend. WPAlabor in the 1930s helped the River Walk first come to life. More development came with the HemisFair of 1968 whenmany of the local hotels were built to accommodate visitors. In Oklahoma City, the Bricktown District had been the RRHub as long red brick buildings warehoused industrial goods. The area declined with trucking industrial districts,but in the 1990s, developers saw an opportunity to use adry wash as a River Walk type space anchored by a new baseball field to spur downtown redevelopment.
Maps of both canals
Conclusions
Both canals are below street levelto offer visitors a feeling of
being away from the city whilein the City. This also underscores
both as being a flood corridor.
Future Research
1.While both locations are contrived natural spacesmuch of their appeal stems from the visual and nauticalamenity the floodway course provides to patrons.
2. The Oklahoma City project resembles the pre-Hemisfair River Walk in San Antonio. It remainsmore of a local destination than regional or national.
3. Both corridors exibit internal geographies at different scales that seek activities from various markets.
4. While the OKC project is clearly influenced byRiver Walk in SA, the built environment at Bricktownreflects a more modern and inclusive society.
1. Investigate how people interact with “nature” at these locales through qualitative methods.
2. Broaden this topic to view other ways flood corridors are used and managed as economic development projects.
