From Non-Place to Beloved Space in Just Three and a Half Days
(Source: Better Block.)
The before-and-after photos of 36th Street North in Tulsa’s Phoenix District in Oklahoma speak for themselves. On one panel, an abandoned lot identified by patchy grass, a parking lot to one side, and a sidewalk that ends abruptly conspire to make this parcel entirely unexceptional. Arguably, it’s a non-place.
On the other, shipping containers, wooden picnic tables, string lights, and food trucks mingle to generate the atmosphere of a block party. Complete with live music, a dance floor, and a dozen vendors, 36th Street North was transformed into a place worth planning your day around. The after images were taken the weekend of September 8, the launch of Better Block Tulsa.
A consortium of local business owners and a North Tulsa neighborhood association coordinated with the non-profit Better Block to reimagine an otherwise underutilized parcel of land in the heart of the Phoenix District. “The Phoenix District Better Block initiative is not just a two-day transformation but a lasting vision for the community’s future,” the website for the pop-up transformation stated.
The launch featured vendors offering everything from books to brine, live entertainment, and a variety of ways to engage with the transformed lot from sitting to dancing. “There were a lot of vibrant businesses and organizations here in this community years ago,” Cheryl Lawson of EAT36STN and the Phoenix Development Council told the local news. “And we’re just really wanting to be that spark to bring that back and make it even better.”
Lawson actually eyed the space back in 2021 when she launched EAT36STN, a food truck plaza in the same empty lot. Her dream was simple: to revitalize a neighborhood that had a lot to offer but wasn’t given the opportunity to showcase it. EAT36STN’s successes over the years have demonstrated the appetite for her ideas exists, and the launch of Better Block confirmed that there’s demand.
“On our grand opening night alone, we had about 200 folks joining in, and by Saturday, we were buzzing with around 500 people!” she explained. “Before we could even catch our breath from the launch, people were already reaching out, eager to know when the next event would be and how they could be a part of it. It's clear that both the city and its residents see the potential and benefits.”
In the vein of tactical urbanism, the Dallas-based Better Block prioritizes speed and semi-permanence, preferring to test an idea in the physical realm, rather than the theoretical one. Accordingly, the materials they employ—shipping containers, picnic tables, tents, and paint, to name a few—are easy to acquire and maintain. They’re also easy to adapt to any needs the community identifies throughout the program’s length, which in the case of Tulsa is 120 days.
“You know, one of the coolest things about projects like Phoenix District Better Block is how fast and wallet friendly they can be,” Lawson shared. “In our case, we went from an empty lot to a happening spot in just three and a half days. That's right—from Tuesday to a ribbon-cutting party on Friday night!”
While Better Block acts as a guide for partnering places and organizations, the goal is for communities to feel empowered to graduate temporary interventions into permanent places. Lawson hopes that the initiative will fertilize more placemaking in the area so that Better Block’s end date of December 7 marks the beginning of a new reputation for North Tulsa, rather than the conclusion of a beloved project. If nothing else, Better Block has proven over the years that transformation doesn’t have to be expensive and it can start with just a shipping container, a picnic table, and an idea.
Asia (pronounced “ah-sha”) Mieleszko serves as a Staff Writer for Strong Towns. A dilettante urbanist since adolescence, she's excited to convert a lifetime of ad-hoc volunteerism into a career. Her unconventional background includes directing a Ukrainian folk choir, pioneering synaesthetic performances, photographing festivals, designing websites, teaching, and ghostwriting. She can be found wherever Wi-Fi is reliable, typically along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.