Veteran urban planner joins redevelopment program in Tulsa

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jan 11, 2008

A Tulsa native and former dean of the University of Georgia College of Environmental Design has returned to the city as a special advisor for urban planning.

Jack Crowley began duties this week as special advisor on urban planning to Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor. He will also be on the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa faculty as a visiting professor in the College of Agriculture. "Jack's national expertise and knowledge will help Tulsa's vision become a reality," said Gerard Clancy, OU- Tulsa president. Crowley's first priority will be to coordinate the Tulsa's downtown revitalization efforts. Other duties will include planning for the city's mass transit efforts and providing support for the development of PlanIt Tulsa, a new comprehensive plan.

"Tulsa's downtown is ready for a renaissance," Crowley said. "The last time Tulsa commissioned a comprehensive plan for the city, Richard Nixon was president of the United States." "So much has changed since that time," he said. "Technology, lifestyles and work patterns have evolved. It is time Tulsa planned for the next generation."

Crowley served as dean of the College of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia from 1996 to 2006. During the same time, he worked as a consultant for Tulsa-based Williams. His career as a planner began with work in Lawton and Seminole. He also worked as the chief planner for the Oklahoma State Park System, executive director of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Crowley also served for seven years as vice president of Williams Realty in Tulsa. Crowley received undergraduate degrees in architecture, business and art history, a master of regional and city planning, all from the University of Oklahoma. He earned a doctorate in 1977 in urban geography from OU.

"To take advantage of the opportunities for Tulsa, an experienced urban planning guide is vital," Taylor said. "With the development of the comprehensive plan, the multitude of redevelopment opportunities and the fast pace at which downtown revitalization must occur, we need urban planning to have a strong voice at the table."