Phoenix

People ride bikes past outdoor restaurant patio with misters in Culdesac car-free development, Tempe, Arizona.

Car-Free Arizona Suburb Gains Residents

The project, dubbed Culdesac, offers EV rentals, free light rail passes, and other perks instead of private parking.

March 6, 2024 - Fast Company

Group of officials cutting purple ribbon.

Phoenix Light Rail Extension Opens Two Years Early

Valley Metro’s Northwest light rail extension brings the Phoenix light rail system to a total of 30 miles.

January 30, 2024 - ABC 15 (Phoenix)

White Waymo self-driving car in parking lot in Chandler, Arizona.

Waymo to Begin Autonomous Rides on Phoenix Freeways

The company’s autonomous cars will start testing freeway rides with employees as passengers.

January 9, 2024 - The Arizona Republic

Phoenix

Phoenix Approves Speed Limit Reductions

The city lowered speed limits on 15 street segments to improve traffic safety and bring them in line with regulations.

December 10, 2023 - KTAR

Close-up of accessible stop button on public bus.

Phoenix Transit Riders Face Accessibility Challenges

Disability advocates want the city’s transit agencies to expand the scope of their accessibility efforts to include a broader range of needs.

November 26, 2023 - AZ Big Media

Suburban Phoenix single-family homes in a cul-de-sac, one with large saguaro cactus in front yard

Phoenix Approves ADUs

The city hopes backyard ‘casitas’ can help alleviate the housing crisis.

September 11, 2023 - The Center Square

Maricopa County, Arizona

Phoenix Could Ease Parking Requirements to Support Transit, Affordable Housing

In addition to lower citywide parking requirements on residential properties, a proposed law in Phoenix would lower minimum parking requirements even further for affordable housing developments near the city’s light rail system.

July 20, 2023 - Arizona Central

Google street view of vacant lot in Phoenix, Arizona with palm trees in foreground

Phoenix Moves to Build Affordable Housing on City-Owned Land

The city has so far issued two requests for proposals from developers to build mixed-income housing on city-owned lots.

July 10, 2023 - Arizona Republic

Blue and green Waymo logo on black square mounted on grey concrete background

Waymo Expansion Makes Phoenix ‘World’s Largest Self-Driving Car Zone’

The company’s autonomous taxis will soon be available in most parts of the metro area including Tempe, Mesa, and a new airport pick-up location.

May 8, 2023 - Arizona Republic

Valley Metro Rail

Phoenix Planning First Bus Rapid Transit Route

The city of Phoenix is gathering public feedback on a proposed bus rapid transit route, the city’s first, on 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

April 25, 2023 - Daily Independent

Tents belonging to unhoused people near freeway onramp in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix Ordered to Sweep City’s Biggest Unhoused Community

A county judge ruled the city must evict people living in an encampment after local businesses and residents sued.

April 6, 2023 - Arizona Republic

Arizona

Evictions on the Rise in Phoenix

Landlords in the Arizona metropolis filed the most evictions since 2008 last month.

October 17, 2022 - Arizona Republic

Phoenix Freeway Interchange

Arizona Governor Vetoes Phoenix-Area Transportation Tax Vote, Shocking Local Leaders

Arizona state law requires Maricopa County to request approval from the state before it can send a transportation tax to the voters for approval.

July 11, 2022 - Axios Phoenix

Vacant Union Station in Phoenix, Arizona

Owner of Phoenix’s Union Station Eyeing Redevelopment

The new owner of the historic Union Station in Phoenix has plans to transform the site into a mixed-use events venue.

June 15, 2022 - My Plainview

Arizona Sprawl

How South Phoenix's Legacy of Housing Discrimination Impacts Residents Today

Redlined for decades, south Phoenix is experiencing a resurgence that could push local residents even farther out as housing costs spike.

April 20, 2022 - azcentral.com

Irrigiation Channel

Booming Arizona Must Confront its Water Problem

Even as more people and companies flock to the state for its climate and economic opportunities, Arizona's water supplies are facing historic shortages.

March 22, 2022 - Circle of Blue

Phoenix Light Rail

Neighbors Oppose Transit-Adjacent Gated Development

Phoenix housing advocates are pushing back against a developer's plan to build a gated, luxury townhome community—complete with private garages—in an area designated for higher density.

March 4, 2022 - Phoenix New Times

Downtown Phoenix

To Combat Rising Heat Deaths, Phoenix Creates Heat Response and Mitigation Office

As more extreme temperatures lead to an alarming rise in heat-related deaths across the country, Phoenix is taking action with the nation's first public heat response office.

December 26, 2021 - High Country News

A vacant department store in Coolidge, Arizona.

Looking to Vacant Retail Spaces for Needed Housing Supply

The Phoenix City Council has taken the first steps toward zoning reforms that can balance out the oversupply of retail spaces at one end of the market and the lack of housing units at the other.

November 8, 2021 - AZ Central

Rendering of Culdesac Tempe development

Nation's First 'Zero-Driving Community' Takes Shape in Tempe

Slated to open in 2022, Culdesac Tempe contractually forbids personal vehicles from parking within a quarter-mile radius of the project site.

September 19, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

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