Tulsa is establishing a permanent program to bring improvements to neighborhoods following initial positive results — and city officials want to bring more residents into the fold.
A pilot program aimed to implement changes in specific neighborhoods based on insights found in the original Neighborhood Conditions Index, which launched in 2023. The NCI provided data into how land was used and graded areas of the city on things such as housing, neighborhoods, economic development, transportation, public services, parks and more.
“What once was the Neighborhood Conditions Index is now the Neighborhood Conditions Index Collaborative,” Mayor Monroe Nichols told reporters Monday. “It is a long-term commitment we have here at the city to making sure that we continue to engage neighbors, so that they ultimately control the destiny in the places in which they live.”
Since late 2023, the city has created a resource center for residents wanting to improve their neighborhoods, hosted educational sessions and launched an online platform to help community leaders coordinate events.
The pilot program focused on collaboration with residents in the Sequoyah neighborhood in northeast Tulsa, Charles Page west of downtown and Suburban Hills in the far north end of the city. This led to the implementation of new traffic signs, speed humps, neighborhood clean-up events and cost-free spay/neuter clinics.
Monroe credited District 3 Councilor Jackie Dutton for her participation in the pilot program, as well as community leaders who took part in workshops. The Sequoyah neighborhood is located in Dutton’s district, which covers much of northeast Tulsa.
“I attended meetings and watched as neighbors worked with city departments to list the tasks that should be addressed, from animal control to public safety, and by the end of the program, the Sequoyah neighborhood accomplished every single goal,” Dutton said.
Carla Wagoner, a representative of Suburban Hills, said although the pilot program is finished, her neighborhood will still have access to NCI resources. Through the program, she said she learned the value of communicating and coordinating with other neighborhoods.
Can your neighborhood be next?
Representatives of neighborhood associations, homeowner associations, block groups, and tenant associations registered with the City of Tulsa are eligible to apply for the NCI Collaborative. Business associations, nonprofit organizations and informal groups cannot apply on their own.
Associations must also be located within two priority zones mapped by the city. Check the eligibility of your neighborhood here.
The city will accept applications through Aug. 14, with an informational session set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 18 at Martin Regional Library. City officials will announce selected neighborhoods in October, with neighborhood meetings taking place in 2027.
Nichols also announced the city is exploring proposing a vacancy improvement program that will take advantage of new state law to foreclose vacant, abandoned and dilapidated properties and turn them into housing.
Discussion to create a local ordinance to move the program forward is expected to be on a City Council committee agenda Wednesday.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
