In a boom defying the national bust, Oklahoma City is witnessing approximately $2 billion worth of public and private development. The state capital�s major weapon against the Great Recession is its 17-year-old Metropolitan Area Projects program, designed to put the city back on the map through civic renewal that attracts private investment.
Last December, voters approved the $777-million third phase of the capital improvement program, called MAPS 3. In three votes since 1993, voters have committed $1.8 billion to the downtown revitalization.