Restrictions in North Tulsa are part of a backlash against the dollar stores flooding communities that are food deserts in need of real grocery stores.

Victor Luckerson writes about a law in Tulsa, Oklahoma that would curb the spread of dollar stores. The problem is especially acute in North Tulsa, which has nine dollar stores but not a single grocery store. The landscape has changed dramatically for an area once home to a thriving African American neighborhood filled with small businesses, known as Black Wall Street.
Starting in the late 1960s, Walmart lead to the demise of these businesses, along with the grocery stores that came later. Dollar stores came to North Tulsa to fill the void, as they have in communities across the country. And while these stores offer cheap products, they are not providing access to the healthy, fresh foods that residents need.
"The chains draw an ever-growing percentage of their sales from food, much of it high in calories and low in nutrients, like the Doritos in the central aisle at the store on Pine Street [in North Tulsa]. Stores that were once conveniences are now the only places to buy food in some communities," says Luckerson.
The efforts of a city councilperson representing North Tulsa resulted in a six-month moratorium on the construction of dollar stores in 2017. "In April 2018, the Council went further, requiring 'small-box' discount retailers in most of Ms. [Vanessa] Hall-Harper’s district to be built at least a mile apart, unless they carry at least 500 square feet of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats," writes Luckerson.
Other cities are looking to the Tulsa law as a model for taking back control of their economic development futures. And Luckerson says what is happening around dollar stores is part of a larger phenomenon of city leaders "pushing back against America’s winner-take-all economy — from New York City’s protests against Amazon to new laws in California and Boston limiting the expansion of app-based services like Uber and Airbnb."
FULL STORY: How a City Fought Runaway Capitalism and Won

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont