How Tulsa Beat Flooding Without Saying 'Climate Change'

An oil town in a red state proves we don't have to talk about climate change to adapt to it.

2 minute read

November 9, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By Katharine Jose


Tulsa Arkansas River

Meagan / Flickr

Tulsa, Oklahoma rarely floods, and not because it doesn't rain.

It rarely floods because Tulsa, the city that gave us James Inhofe, has expended considerable energy to prevent major flooding. It is, as Alan Greenblatt writes in Governing, "a surprising setting for one of the nation’s most extensive climate adaptation efforts."

A politically conservative town with a robust response to climate change is somewhat unusual, but Tulsa's remarkably successful flood control efforts demonstrate a formulaurgency, along with policies articulated in un-political languagethat has worked in places with similar demographics across the U.S.
"In Tulsa," Greenblatt writes, "environmentalists have learned that in a town founded and fueled by the oil economy, the term [climate change] is a surefire way to shut down discussion. They talk instead about 'extreme weather,' emphasizing the need to plan for reoccurring storms."

Or, as Rebecca Harrington found in Dallas, "Take away the charged language and start talking about clean water, clean air, and clean soil, and there’s a lot of agreement."

The search for palatable terms, Henry Grabar wrote last March, has led the writers of policy (and later the federal government) to the word "resilience,"

"In part, because no one knows quite what it means. Planners can use it as a nonpartisan substitute for climate change, enabling communities with skeptical constituents to start raising roads and houses without addressing the elephant in the room."

Ambivalent meanings aside, the results are tangible. What Tulsa has done, Greenblatt writes, "shows that local leadership and investment can do a lot to prevent damage from the predictable threats that are likely to worsen with climate change."

Wednesday, November 1, 2017 in Governing

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight