By Teriza West, FOX23 News
TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa has been selected to join the Love Your Block initiative to launch “resident-led projects” designed to improve cities.
The initiative is led by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. Tulsa is one of 25 local governments from across 20 states to join the latest version of this program.
The City of Tulsa will get $70,000 to engage Tulsans to come up with ideas to reclaim public space, clear vacant lots, and better their communities. The city will also have the support from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and a Love Your Block Fellow.
“The Love Your Block Initiative builds off the momentum of ongoing engagement and projects like the Riverwood Neighborhood Improvement Strategy, enacting Alert Neighbors programs that empower residents and building trust with the officers in the community,” said Tulsa City Council Chair Karen Gilbert, member of the Riverwood Neighborhood Improvement Strategy management team. “These initiatives are all part of a strategy to bring people together to build a safer future for Riverwood.”
“Tulsa’s Love Your Block Initiative will be a game-changer for Riverwood residents and community members,” said Archie. “It will help to build capacity in neighborhood leadership and support grassroots efforts and community-led projects.”
Tulsa joins Albuquerque, New Mexico; Aurora, Illinois; Birmingham, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Deerfield Beach, Florida; Dubuque, Iowa; Eugene, Oregon; Everett, Washington; Frederick, Maryland; Greensboro, North Carolina; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Harlingen, Texas; Hoboken, New Jersey; Newark, New Jersey; Jersey City; New Jersey; Honolulu, Hawaii; La Crosse, Wisconsin; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Lansing, Michigan; Macon, Georgia; South Fulton, Georgia; and Wilmington, Delaware.
The cities chosen are now part of a national program, founded in 2009, that has helped 50 local governments across 33 states engage with over 88,000 residents to clear over seven million pounds of trash, create roughly 800 art displays, and clean nearly 550,000 square feet of graffiti.
