Mayor Kathy Taylor has launched a new program in Tulsa, dubbed PLANiTULSA, a citywide initiative, which aims to give community members the ability to assist in reshaping and furthering the development of our city. For those who complain about what can and should be done around the city to make it better, this is your opportunity to get involved. Thirty-so years ago the city announced a comprehensive idea that was used to assist in development; but our city leaders now believe it’s time to make some changes to that plan.
PLANiTULSA allows for community members to come together and form a common vision. Citizens are being called upon to help determine how they want their city to develop and advance during the next 30 years. “I urge every Tulsan to take an active role as their ideas and suggestions will be amongst the most important elements of the plan and will be crucial to its ultimate success,” Taylor stated in a press release.
Thistulsa is both excited and skeptical about how much involvement our local politicians want from our community. Urban lifestyle in downtown Tulsa had a bit of detail surrounding how much money and where it was going from Vision 2025 and its downtown development budget. In recent years, Tulsa has had an increase in overall development, mostly from the funds presented by Vision 2025. Yet it makes us wonder how much our input as citizens will really have; when we can’t get responses to our inquiries as to where our money has gone.
Its obvious a new plan is needed and should retain the amount of momentum and progress made throughout our city. If properly established, PLANiTULSA could really address the overall needs of our city and its citizens. The development of PLANiTULSA has been in progress throughout 2007 into 2008.
Tulsa officials partnered with Portland, Or. based firm Fregonese Associates, Inc. to assist in the development project.
This project aims to target more than your typical discussions of road conditions, parks, and crime zones. It is a hot topic to assist in overall creating a more diverse Tulsa. Currently there are development projects for shopping districts and plazas all over South Tulsa, but with the help of Fregonese; its hopeful to bring economy and business back to the dead areas of town that were once flourishing with economy.
If you have some suggestions or ideas, be sure to checkout the PLANiTULSA website, www.planitulsa.com.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:21 am
thus far, the planiTulsa process and Fregonese Associates have produced 1) a survey of Tulsan’s opinions about what factors are shaping tulsa’s future growth. 2) interviews with 90 Tulsans from across the cultural, economic, political, etc. spectrum to get more in-depth ideas. 3) two 3-hour workshops this past week where several teams of about 8 people each (i am told that about 500 people showed up to each event) used maps to create their vision for tulsa’s future. a 3rd workshop is being planned for october.
what i have NOT seen is all the results and data from all this input and all these materials. i will continue to seek this stuff and maybe bring it to Thistulsa’s attention when i get it.