Bucking tradition amidst arguably the most thorough example of sprawl in the country, a Phoenix developer is investing in Grant Park—a Latino neighborhood adjacent to downtown.
Developer Feliciano Vera wants to build 800 new apartments and townhouses, with a third of them set aside for low-income units, in addition to 300,000 square feet of commercial and retail space in the Phoenix neighborhood of Grant Park. Although the neighborhood’s median income is well below the poverty line, the neighborhood has a rich history in Latino culture, and locals are prepared to protect it.
Vera believes that the neighborhood is ripe for investment as part of the national trend of urbanization, reports Peter O’Dowd, but some in the neighborhood are concerned about the displacement of residents. O’Dowd quotes Earl Wilcox, who owns a Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood: “There’s really not an embracing of the Mexican-American culture…It’s more the cowboy stuff, the Old West stuff.”
FULL STORY: Can Phoenix un-suburbanize?

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie