Creating Friendly Alleys in Phoenix

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.