To support Tulsa’s efforts to preserve and expand its housing supply across a range of housing types, Smart Growth America—in collaboration with Housing Forward and The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation—conducted a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis to assess the structural and systemic factors contributing to the current housing gap. Our recommendations, grounded in smart growth principles, aim to help Tulsa meet its housing goals and support a more prosperous, resilient future.
Tulsa, Oklahoma is currently facing a housing shortage, and analysts in the state indicate that the state would need to build 4,000 homes immediately and 12,900 homes over 10 years in order to meet growth and housing needs. This is exacerbated by not just the lack of homes but also the type of housing units available in the city. In the past ten years, the majority of building permits issued were for single-family residences in a city where ⅓ of Tulsans are cost-burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
To better understand the barriers that prevent Tulsa from building more housing, we evaluated the zoning code, interviewed dozens of city, county, and local officials and community members, and carefully witnessed and reviewed the city’s permitting process. Our findings focus on three main areas that can help alleviate Tulsa’s housing shortage:
- Removing various regulatory barriers in the zoning code toward enabling more housing types in more places.
- Streamlining portions of the development process to make permitting more predictable and reliable for developers.
- Incorporating public input through the process.
Critically, we find that the city should ensure to have long-term place-based housing goals that align infrastructure investments towards specific parts of the community in support of future growth. The place-based housing strategy is informed by the SGA team’s economic land use study. Based on our economic land use analysis, more density would not only resolve the housing demand issue but also result in cost savings ranging from approximately $80 million to over $200 million. The only hurdle is the current bureaucratic regulations, such as zoning and overall social views on density/diverse housing typologies in a designated area.
We summarize our findings into six major areas of improvement:
- Simplify and align the existing zoning code to the comprehensive plan (Planittulsa).
- Eliminate unnecessary regulatory barriers and expedite discretionary review.
- Streamline the permitting process and ensure procedural consistency for faster and more predictable results.
- Foster strong partnerships and communication among stakeholders (developers, city departments, and community members).
- Develop a structured, city-managed community engagement framework with clear objectives and dedicated staff.
- Implement targeted place-based housing strategies to steer public infrastructure investment and incentives to specific geographic areas.
Our recommendations for the City of Tulsa go beyond building more housing. By adopting smart growth principles—emphasizing community input and needs as well as focusing on zoning and permitting revisions—the city can effectively construct various housing typologies that have historically been blocked to create more prosperous communities.
See our recommendations in the full report.