Public Involvement

PLANiTULSA is fortunate to have had such a large turnout at the public workshops over the course of the past year. At these workshops, Tulsans gave valuable feedback on how you think the city should grow. The team worked hard to develop future growth scenarios based on your feedback. 

The Workshops

PLANiTULSA hosted three citywide workshops and seven small area workshops.

About the Process

Thousands of you have shared your opinions through surveys, interviews, and citywide workshops.

Interviews and Outreach

The city conducted in-depth interviews, a public opinion survey, and extensive citizen outreach to gain insight into your perceptions and priorities. Tulsans overwhelmingly agree that the city needs a "basic services agenda" prioritizing improvements to Tulsa's transportation networks, educational system, and health care. People want new types of jobs, transportation options, and targeted attention in areas in need of revitalization. People want a plan that provides resources and services equitably throughout the city. Finally, Tulsans also agreed that a new plan based on citizen participation and fair implementation will go a long way toward improving Tulsa.

Public Workshops

In the past several months more than 1,500 Tulsans packed school gymnasiums, churches and the BOK center to design maps and scenarios for how Tulsa might look in the future. There were 11 interactive workshops that included seven neighborhood workshops, three citywide events, and one citywide transportation workshop. City of Tulsa officials and staff heard first hand from local residents about how they would fix some vexing issues, such as loss of regional growth.

Citywide Workshops

Participants at the citywide workshops created maps that showed areas they would like to see grow and change, as well as other areas they want to preserve, during the next 30 years. Workshop participants painted a picture of a future Tulsa with vibrant streets and corridors that contained a lively mix of housing, retail, jobs, parks and a healthy downtown.

The map above represents the raw data input from the workshops. Input from more than 120 workshop maps was combined and placed into one comprehensive map to show workshop participants' collective thoughts about future growth patterns and wishes.

Small Area Workshops

At seven Tulsa neighborhood workshops, people worked in groups to develop specific ideas about how to improve their immediate community. They created visionary neighborhood maps showing their preferred locations for single-family homes, apartments, bus stops, small shops, restaurants, parks and offices.

Here's What Tulsans Said

• Locate shopping, restaurants and services closer to homes
• Increase downtown activity
• Concentrate new growth in the city's core
• Build new housing on smaller lots or create new multi-family housing
• Build new communities in vacant areas with pedestrian-friendly streets, retail and jobs nearby
• Connect outer areas, such as Broken Arrow, to downtown by rail or transit
• Preserve and beautify existing neighborhoods
• Connect the riverfront with pedestrian paths and bike trails
• Create new jobs in main employment locations
• Invest in transportation infrastructure for cars, transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians