Sustainability & The Built Environment

In the energy-constrained world of the future, Tulsa will be a major leader in creating high quality places for people to live, work, and play … but with a small footprint on the environment. Here are some concepts that will help Tulsa continue to move forward in this area:

Tulsa already has examples of new high-efficiency buildings, which will serve as valuable models for future development.

Efficient Building Design

New buildings in Tulsa will be designed to be more energy efficient and have a lighter touch on the environment than those of today. Buildings should be designed with Tulsa’s climate in mind, to make use of passive solar heating during the winter, energy-efficient cooling in the summer, and efficient lighting year-round. Many new homes should include sustainable features, such as solar water heaters, non-toxic building materials, and solar energy systems, where applicable. This approach to energy savings and design will help create buildings that are less costly to maintain.

New Neighborhood and Center Design

Tulsa should ensure that new places—neighborhoods or employment areas—also are designed with sustainability in mind. Good street connections, with sidewalks, bike facilities, and other transportation options will be encouraged. Transit centers are near the core of each center, thus connecting them to the rest of the city. New and existing neighborhoods may also benefit from innovations in local- and district-wide energy systems that use geothermal, biomass, or other sources.

Growth and development strategies that embrace sustainable practices will yield financial benefits as well. Well built compact communities will be more fiscally sustainable by reducing maintenance costs and reducing waste over the long term.

New neighborhoods and centers will be designed as complete communities with a variety of uses and transportation options.

Urbanization and Annexation

Unlike many cities that are not constrained by available land, Tulsa will be dedicated to making the most of each new neighborhood and center before expanding the urban realm. The city has about 31,000 acres of vacant land already within its boundaries. The Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority is charged with the management and planning of urban services, and analyzes the costs and benefits of service extensions and annexations. This rigorous process will be continued.

New urban areas should provide an adequate and diverse supply of housing types, convenient retail, services, and employment areas, and seamless connections, including bicycle paths and transit options, with the city’s transportation network.

Tulsa should regularly monitor its need for employment and housing, ensuring that new land is annexed in an orderly manner. While this sometimes can be a contentious process, it is important to make the most of public dollars and to ensure that new annexations serve the city effectively. Through new policies, the city should develop and implement a clear and predictable process to bring new areas into the urban fabric.

Annexing New Land

In 1966, the city of Tulsa began to annex a “fence line”—a strip of land about 100 feet wide—that extends from the city limits into unincorporated areas . Technically, the fence line is a ribbon of incorporated land and currently encompasses about 20,000 acres. It is a form of reserve for future growth, and prevents annexation by other cities.

These areas will eventually be fully incorporated by the city. While PLANiTULSA does not envision a growth management boundary, new annexation areas should be planned with sufficient infrastructure to support mixed-use new communities that will blend seamlessly with the rest of the city.

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