Creating Friendly Alleys in Phoenix

A pilot program in Phoenix looks to add art, lighting, seating and other amenities to beautify and make use of the city's alleyways.

1 minute read

November 14, 2016, 1:00 PM PST

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


In an effort to make alleys safer and more welcoming, the Phoenix City Council has launched a new alley program. The program would spur "Alley Activations," which according to a story Jen Kinney in Next City, "Will allow property owners to apply to add art, lighting, seating and even food service to the city’s alleyways,".

"The program was pushed by Councilman Michael Nowakowski, who says he was responding to complaints about drug deals in the alleyways and drawing inspiration from similar efforts in cities such as Vancouver and Los Angeles," Kinney reports. Much of the work for maintaining these alleys falls on the property owners themselves, who are responsible for a $500 activation fee and for maintaining the improvements that go into the alleys.

Monday, November 7, 2016 in Next City

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

November 7 - Los Angeles Times

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.