It was inevitable. :)<br /><br />btw, I love the topic of your post. It would be quite meaningful for a number of city leaders to read it and to start a dialogue about bringing families downtown.<br /><br />Although, my personal take is that families will continue to be a minority stake in downtown Tulsa long-term. We just do the single-family detached house with lawn and privacy fence so well here. There&#39;s tons of inventory, both new and historic and everything in between. Options abound for raising kiddos in that environment.<br /><br />But that doesn&#39;t mean that downtown shouldn&#39;t become more family-friendly over time. The interesting study would be the expectation level of the community as to what amenities that would require. Manhattan isn&#39;t &quot;kid-friendly&quot; by our lots-of-grass, playground equipment and SUV parking mindset. Would we have to &quot;suburbanize&quot; our urban area too much to meet the family-friendly expectations of the community? You either want an urban lifestyle or you don&#39;t. And don&#39;t forget, Maple Park, Woodward Park and 41st &amp; Riverside are a 10 minute drive or less from downtown.<br /><br />A good kid-friendly park AND dog park right in the heart of downtown, walkable from the loft apartment buildings, would be a wonderful addition to the emerging urban village downtown. Better public transportation is another critical step. But living downtown with kids will require a certain stepping out the comfort zone we&#39;re used to here. You either want it or you don&#39;t.