Phoenix

North view

Is This a Way Forward for Urban Farming?

Pulling in community members and a network of local nonprofits, Phoenix's "Spaces of Opportunity" is an attempt to make urban farming something more than a catchphrase.

February 7, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Phoenix Light Rail

Feds Clear the Way for Phoenix's Light Rail Extension

A light rail extension that will reach South Phoenix took a crucial step forward last week.

January 19, 2017 - KJZZ

Highway Living

The Housing Market Recovery Extends to Phoenix

Experts expect the Phoenix region, a hot bed for the negative effects of the housing crash of the Great Recession, to become one of the nation's strongest housing markets in 2017.

December 27, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Uber's Self-Driving Cars Leave Hometown for Warmer, and Friendlier Climates

California's loss is Arizona's gain. That's how Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey see's Uber's decision on Thursday to haul their fleet of self-driving Volvos from San Francisco to Arizona after the company refused to secure the necessary operating permits.

December 27, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Broadway Los Angeles

Top Housing Markets In 2017: Phoenix, Los Angeles, Boston

The National Association of Realtors weigh in on 2017 housing forecast.

December 7, 2016 - Modern Cities

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.

November 14, 2016 - Next City

Phoenix Freeway Interchange

Friday Funny: Sprawl Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Imagine a built environment that starts from a central location of Scottsdale, Arizona, sprawling outwards until it covers 70 percent of all land on Earth.

October 7, 2016 - The Onion

Palm Tree

Phoenix Planning for a New Approach to its Urban Forest

A city famous for tall palm trees wants to find some shade.

July 28, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Downtown Phoenix Skyline

Phoenix Seeks an Urban Future

Phoenix, once described as 'the world’s least sustainable city' is focusing growth on its downtown and investing in light rail and bike share to attract high tech companies and workers.

June 20, 2016 - The New York Times

APA Conference

Scraping Social Media to Analyze Public Engagement

Planners are increasingly using social media for public engagement. How can you analyze what people are saying? NodeXL is an easy to use free tool for scraping and analyzing social media. I use this tool to report from the APA National Conference.

April 4, 2016 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Phoenix Light Rail

Light Rail Leading the Way in the Sun Belt

Cities traditionally thought of as car-centric are putting ambitious light rail plans at the center of ambitious plans for transit.

September 16, 2015 - Houston Chronicle

Phoenix Transportation Sales Tax Measure Wins On Tuesday's Ballot

Phoenix voters, by 55 percent according to preliminary results, chose to increase their sales tax from .4 to .7 percent on Tuesday, continuing until 2051 to pay for $17 billion in transportation improvements.

August 27, 2015 - AZ Central

Open 7 Months Ahead of Schedule: Mesa, Arizona's Light Rail Extension

The Valley Metro Rail system launched a new light rail extension over the weekend that connects the city of Mesa into Phoenix, Tempe and to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

August 24, 2015 - East Valley Tribune

Downtown Phoenix Skyline

Support for Rail Heats Up in Phoenix

A seven-year-old light rail line has beaten ridership projections and transformed neighborhoods in Phoenix. Now, one of the nation's most sprawling cities considers where to expand the system—and how to pay for it.

August 17, 2015 - Governing Magazine

Phoenix Sales Tax Measure Key to County's Transit Future

On August 25, voters in Phoenix and Maricopa County will determine the outcome of Proposition 104, a transportation sales tax measure that would raise $17 billion for a wide variety of transportation improvements, including extended light rail.

July 29, 2015 - ABC 15 (Phoenix)

Tribal Community Sues Over Phoenix-Area Freeway Plans

The 'South Mountain Freeway' would build a 22-mile freeway extension between Laveen and Chandler. The route's proximity to sacred tribal land has prompted a lawsuit, even after years of planning.

July 4, 2015 - The Arizona Republic

Looking for Successful Places in Metropolitan Phoenix

The Phoenix region, as a relatively young metropolitan area, has sprawled as it's grown and for much of its expansion has overlooked placemaking considerations. A recent feature in The Arizona Republic highlights the places that standout.

July 2, 2015 - The Arizona Republic

Phoenix Mayor Advocates Self-Reliance Due to Federal Gridlock

Frustrated with Congress' inability to fund a six-year transportation bill, Mayor Greg Stanton is backing an August sales tax measure to expand light rail. Stanton also discusses climate change and water rights in the article and accompanying videos

June 29, 2015 - The Washington Post

Water Wars Follow the Race to Solve the Southwest's Drought

An op-ed in the New York Times provides a firsthand account of the growing concern over water in a state that has yet to set limits on its explosive growth.

March 16, 2015 - New York Times

Phoenix's $30 Billion Wish List for Transportation Spending

Phoenix's transit tax, Transit 2000, will expire in 2020. City leaders have prepared a 30-year plan for transportation to sell the idea of a renewed sales tax. Now taxpayers will have to decide if it’s the right kind of list for the city's future.

February 9, 2015 - The Arizona Republic

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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