For years, residents have been calling for new development in North Tulsa.
Now the research from a recent OU-Tulsa graduate may help them.
Brent Isaacs wasn’t hired by the city or an independent agency.
But, he spent the past year studying North Tulsa and found some of the research surprising, "I didn't realize there had been over 30,000 people leave a fairly small area of North Tulsa in the last 40 or 50 years."
Brent chose this area of town for a school research project while attending OU-Tulsa.
His 70-page report details the gains and losses seen over several years.
Brent found new homes are showing up; while, vacant ones are turning into eye sores.
He suggests better code enforcement, "If you can improve the existing character of the neighborhood housing and in many of the areas of North Tulsa, you will make those areas much more attractive for newer development."
The report isn’t all bad; Brent says he found plenty of potential for North Tulsa’s future.
It’s something Jack Henderson has known for years, "We're trying to create jobs, we're trying to build new homes, have businesses in the area."
The Tulsa City Councilor just found out about the new report and says he’s anxious to get his hands on it, "You better believe I'm going to read every page, I'm going to see what kind of ideas we can pursue and try to make his study become a reality."
What started out as a school project appears to be turning into a tool for change.
By-the-way, Brent aced the research assignment, completing his Master of Science in Architectural Urban Studies.
