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.