El Reno, Oklahoma is one of many cities rediscovering their history in order to claim their future. Instead of tearing down grand old buildings, rich in history and with stories still untold, they are restoring, re-tasking, and reshaping the environment of their downtown area. Communities across the country are finding that the sprawled, decentralization of much of urban life disconnected communities, fragmented development, and frayed citizen participation. The post-modern and so-called progressive mind-sent of the mid-20th century was high on destruction but low on preservation of what was truly important to a community. Kudos to El Reno, Oklahoma for recognizing the value of its past as a crucial element to grasp their future.
