These photos are not intended to pick on Home Depot but are representative of most big box development. Question: 
What's the difference in these two photos? The top photo is typical of what we see most commonly in Oklahoma commercial development - big box, big parking lot, big runoff. But what of the second photo - same company but a very different approach. Is it geography? Is it rainfall? A unforeseeable landscaper strike? The answer is actually none of the above, but rather Policy. The second photo represents development in a community that asks more, and recieves what they ask for. And not that they ask, but they require, through codification, that their community be cared for in specific ways. I was watching "Cars" with my kids and found motivation from the local lawyer asking "Are we worth having this done right? Is our town worth it?" when the residents were satisfied with status quo. I would like to ask our councilors, our mayor, our public works officials: Is our town worth it? Is our river worth it? Asking for funding for river development is somewhat futile if we won't also take enough pride in our community to say - do more than the minimum. The difference is not what you see, its what you don't see: the policies and codes that say our community is worth the effort.
