City of Tulsa Selected to Join Love Your Block Initiative

City of Tulsa Selected to Join Love Your Block Initiative

10/12/2026

City to Partner with Residents to Further Improve Neighborhoods Citywide

The City of Tulsa has been selected to join Love Your Block, an initiative led by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, to launch resident-led projects to improve their cities.

"When we talk about building a city of opportunity and a city that supports our youth and families - that work ultimately starts in our neighborhoods," Mayor Nichols said. "I'm excited to have Love Your Block here in Tulsa so we can get residents more of the resources and support they need to make positive changes in their neighborhoods."

As one of just 25 new local governments from 20 U.S. states to join the latest edition of the program, the City of Tulsa will receive $70,000 to engage residents in efforts that clear vacant lots, reclaim public space, and better their communities, as well as expert support from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and a dedicated Love Your Block Fellow to support their work and build trust in local government.

"Tulsa's Love Your Block Initiative will be a game-changer for Riverwood residents and community members," District 2 Councilor Anthony Archie said. "It will help to build capacity in neighborhood leadership and support grassroots efforts and community-led projects."

The new 25 Love Your Block city halls include Albuquerque, NM; Aurora, IL; Birmingham, AL; Chattanooga, TN; Columbia, SC; Deerfield Beach, FL; Dubuque, IA; Eugene, OR; Everett, WA; Frederick, MD; Greensboro, NC; Harlingen, TX; Hoboken, NJ; Honolulu, HI; Jersey City, NJ; La Crosse, WI; Lancaster, PA; Lansing, MI; Macon, GA; Mobile, AL; Newark, NJ; South Fulton, GA; Tulsa, OK; Wilmington, DE; and Winston-Salem, NC.

"Community-driven projects such as the reimagining of Johnson Park show what's possible when residents help shape their neighborhood," District 9 Councilor Carol Bush said. "This initiative will give neighbors the tools and support they need to strengthen their communities and lead positive change."

These cities join a broader national program that, since its founding in 2009, has helped 50 local governments engage more than 88,000 residents across 33 states to remove more than 7 million pounds of trash, clean over 550,000 square feet of graffiti, create nearly 800 art displays, and transform the areas residents rely on most.

"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 Council Chair Karen Gilbert, who is also a member of the management team for the Riverwood Neighborhood Improvement Strategy. "These initiatives are all part of a strategy to bring people together to build a safer future for Riverwood."

These results have also been shown to build ties between city halls and their citizens. In fact, a 2021 study by the Urban Institute found that participating Love Your Block municipalities improved social cohesion among residents, increased civic participation, and strengthened relationships between local government and the people it serves.

"Residents often have the clearest view of what their neighborhoods need-and Love Your Block helps mayors and municipalities bring them into the work - and see those ideas through," Francisca M. Rojas, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins. "That translates to tangible improvements communities want - and that they lead - with their city hall's support, and shows what happens when local government invites the public in to solve problems and deliver, together."

For more information on Love Your Block, visit: https://publicinnovation.jhu.edu/programs/love-your-block/