Phoenix
'High Tech Highway' Emerging in Phoenix
In an area more known for retirement communities and fixed incomes—Phoenix's Easy Valley—corridor of high tech companies has emerged along the Loop 101.
Phoenix Wants to Triple its Light Rail Mileage
Hot on the heals of studies about residents ditching their cars and a new complete streets ordinance, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is setting lofty goals for new transit capacity.
Arizona Residents Ditching Cars, Taking Transit
A new report finds that residents of Arizona are driving less—much, much less. Arizonans drive less that they did in the 1990s, in fact. Despite these trends, the state government has not adjusted its traffic forecasting models.
Study: Air Conditioning is Warming Phoenix
A study investigates the effect of air conditioning systems on air temperature and electricity demand. The study's findings: the release of waste heat (via AC systems) exacerbates the nocturnal urban heat island, thus increasing cooling demands.
Phoenix Approves Complete Streets Ordinance
Phoenix's new complete streets ordinance, approved on an 8-1 vote, is a first step toward changing the city's reputation for car-centric planning.
Revisiting Master Planned Communities in Arizona—Ten Years Later
In recovery mode following the most recent housing crisis—two Phoenix-area master-planned communities are continuing to grow.
Long Road Ahead for Las Vegas-Phoenix Interstate Connection
The planners of the 1950s didn’t foresee the growth of the Southwest’s two largest cities. Upgrading the freeway connection between the cities, however, remains a tough task.
Infill Proposal in Phoenix Raises Gentrification Concerns
Bucking tradition amidst arguably the most thorough example of sprawl in the country, a Phoenix developer is investing in Grant Park—a Latino neighborhood adjacent to downtown.
Why Phoenix's Housing Recovery Is Bad News for Some
As one of the cities most effected by the housing crash, one would think the recovery of Phoenix's real estate market would be cause for widespread celebration. But a confluence of factors is making it hard for many to find a place to live.
BART Unions Give Notice: Strike on Monday
Same drill, round two. After almost a month of apparently fruitless negotiations, the unions gave a 72-hour notice of going on strike. Unless an agreement is reached, 200,000 Bay Area rail riders will need to find alternatives for the Monday commute
To Compete, Phoenix Must Grow Up, Not Out
As Wellington 'Duke' Reiter notes, for the past several decades Phoenix has shown it expertise in horizontal growth. But, as development heats up again after the Great Recession, he says the city's growth must be managed to increase density.
America's Hottest Housing Markets
As the housing market recovered nationwide, home values rose 5.1% across the U.S. between February 2012 and February 2013. In 10 of the major markets analyzed by Zillow, values rose more than 13%. In five of those, home values rose more than 20%.
“Reinvent Phoenix” Seeks to Cultivate Change Along the City's Light Rail Corridor
A multi-agency planning effort is hoping to boost Phoenix's sustainability by creating a new model for urban development around the city's emerging transit corridor.
Phoenix Confronts the Challenges of Inland Climate Change
Much attention has been paid recently to the challenges that a changing climate are bringing to coastal communities. But "inland empires" aren't immune. Phoenix's struggles with heat, drought, and violent winds are a presage of things to come.
In a City Enamored with the New, Preservation is a Hard Sell
Recent headlines over the fight to protect a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his son in Phoenix touch upon the city's larger struggle to protect its dwindling cache of historic buildings, reports Fernanda Santos.
Making the Grass Greener, By Any Means Necessary
With drought conditions not seen in the U.S. since the middle of the last century, the battle to maintain the lushest lawn in the neighborhood has heated up. The Dirt bloggers report on the growing trend of lawn painting.
If You Can't Stand the Heat....Stay Out of Phoenix
Already the hottest major American city, Peter O'Dowd describes how planners in Phoenix are preparing for the increased sizzle brought on by global warming.
A Wish List for Enlivening Downtown Phoenix
Edward Jensen responds to a recent attention grabbing op-ed in The Arizona Republic with his own list of priorities to help enliven the core of the sixth-largest city in the country.
Phoenix Struggles to Fill Its Big Vacant Boxes
Phoenix has a sizable dilemma, how to fill the growing number of closed supermarkets, electronics superstores and mega bookstores that continue to weigh down the area's real-estate market, reports Max Jarman.
The Secrets to Stadium Success
Eric Jaffe looks to a new study published in the Journal of Urbanism comparing the triumphs and failures of new baseball fields in Denver and Phoenix for lessons on how to build a successful downtown stadium.
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.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
