Think Big For Tulsa's Future

New research out Tuesday says people in Tulsa are worried about the city's future. The research was conducted as part of PlaniTulsa, the quest to come up with a new comprehensive plan for Tulsa's next thirty years.

News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren found the preliminary results show Tulsans are ready for change in some expected and unexpected ways.

"The roads are an issue," said Jonathan Gibson, Tulsa resident.

When it comes to Tulsa's plan for the next thirty years, there are some issues almost everyone agrees should be top priorities.

"Definitely our school system," said Gibson.

New research shows there are three top priorities for Tulsans: street repair, education and health care.

"Last time Tulsa updated its comprehensive plan was 1978, the disco era," said Robin Rather with PlaniTulsa.

Robin Rather put the research results together, showing what more than 1,000 Tulsans say they want for the city's future. Those results were presented in a public forum at OSU Tulsa where young people showed their concern for the future.

The research shows young people also have ideas for the future including more entertainment venues, more local retail, adding bike lanes and sidewalks.

"Of course those are the kinds of things that give a city its vibrancy, part of what makes it a cool town, part of what keeps young people here and attracts younger professionals from other places to come here," said Rather.

According to the research, Rather says almost all Tulsans, young and old, want to start improving the city's future where improvements are needed most: in North Tulsa.

"And so even though people feel kind of disconnected from each other they really do have a tremendous amount of consensus when they think about the future and what they want," said Rather.

When it comes to more ideas, she says keep them coming.

"I would love to see some recreation for our young kids right now because we're losing a lot of our babies," said Kelly Brown, Tulsa resident.

"I'd also like a comprehensive plan for downtown, for its improvement and revitalization. Because a strong downtown means a strong city everywhere," said Steve Nightingale, Tulsa resident.

The comprehensive plan will be a guide for city leaders to follow as they plan Tulsa's future. You can tell the PlaniTulsa group what you think by taking a survey online.