Phoenix

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

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The 'Mountain Lion' Cities Rising in the U.S. West

An economist identifies the growth in nine U.S. cities—scattered from Utah to Texas, Arizona, Washington, and Idaho—as similar to the economic power generated in parts of Asia.

August 31, 2021 - Full Stack Economics

Tall buildings in Downtown Phoenix.

Arizona's Tallest Building Will Soon Be Vacant

The tallest building in the Grand Canyon State will enter a new era.

July 21, 2021 - KJZZ

Phoenix Bike SHare

Bikelash Wins in Phoenix

Neighborhood opposition overwhelmed a plan to reduce the number of vehicles lanes on North Central Avenue to make space for a new bike lane, despite evidence of the benefits of the proposed street reconfiguration.

June 22, 2021 - Phoenix New Times

Highway 93

Unsustainable Sprawl Testing Water Supplies in the Valley of the Sun

As more and more people move to the suburbs blossoming in the Phoenix metro area, local water officials are increasingly concerned about the region's ability to keep up with demand.

June 9, 2021 - High Country News

Department Store

Phoenix Mall Sold for Mixed-Use Redevelopment

The former Paradise Valley Mall will undergo a conversion to a mixed-use community with homes, offices, and stores.

April 7, 2021 - CNBC

University of Chicago

The Miseducation of Cities

A review of the provocative new book by Davarian L. Baldwin, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower.

March 22, 2021 - Josh Stephens

Freeway Interchange Construction

Massive Widening Planned for Interstate 10 in Maricopa County

The Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a developer for the Broadway Curve Improvement Project, which would widen Interstate 10, spanning multiple jurisdictions adjacent to Phoenix.

November 11, 2020 - Transport Topics

Arizona Canal

Phoenix Takes a New Approach on Homelessness

Phoenix is centering housing—affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and eviction protections—in a new planning framework designed to reduce the number of homeless people living on the streets of the city.

November 4, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Autonomous Vehicles

Waymo One Now Offering Fully Autonomous Rides to the General Public

Is this the "Kitty Hawk moment" driverless car companies have been seeking?

October 9, 2020 - Waymo

Valley Metro

Phoenix's Valley Metro Works on Three Light Rail Project During Pandemic Lull

Construction continues on three Phoenix light rail projects set to be completed in 2024.

September 24, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Moving Van

Phoenix Eviction and Foreclosure Rates Doubled the National Average—Then the Pandemic Hit

A new report looks at pre-existing foreclosure and eviction rates to predict where the worst outcomes of the pandemic's economic downturn for homeowners and renters are likely to happen.

September 15, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Bhaji Bazaar

Phoenix Reshapes Local Food Distribution System During Pandemic

As tons of local produce runs the risk of over-ripening and perishing in Phoenix, Local First Arizona Foundation develops an organization structure to collect, prepare, and distribute local food.

August 19, 2020 - Next City

Maricopa County, Arizona

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood

A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?

August 11, 2020 - Arizona Republic

Valley Metro Rail

6 Potential Bus Rapid Transit Routes Under Consideration in Phoenix

The city of Phoenix is readying a public process to add several new bus rapid transit corridors to city streets, in accordance with the Phoenix Transportation 2050 plan.

March 3, 2020 - KJZZ

Arizona Sprawl

Phoenix, No Longer an Affordable Housing Haven

Fast-rising rents in Phoenix mean housing costs are out of reach for more residents, and the city is no longer considered a place where affordable housing is easy to find.

December 29, 2019 - The Mercury News

Jaguar Self-Driving Car

Year One of Waymo

Waymo, like Google a company of Alphabet Inc., has been offering self-driving ride-hailing service to the public for a year, providing 100,000 rides in the Phoenix area in the process.

December 10, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

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.

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

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100 Most Influential Urbanists

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Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.