Arizona
Poverty Less Rural Than 50 Years Ago
It used to be that the nation's rural areas suffered from the highest poverty rates. Today, nearly half of the American poor live in mid-sized counties.
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.
With Texas Sprawl: Fewer Places to Roam
An outdoors enthusiast laments the explosive sprawl that is quickly sucking up places to hunt and fish in the state of Texas.
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.
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.
Building a Better Suburb
Suburbs are changing. Instead of "green lawns, sprawling backyards, and lots of parking for cars," now there are "agri-hoods."
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.
Restoring the First Cross Country Interstate in the Southern States*
Partly absorbed by 1-10 and party given over the ravages of time—the Old Spanish Trail was the first to highway to connect the East Coast to the West Coast through the southern states.
Swords Into Ploughshares: Guns Transformed Into Rebar for Bridges and Freeways
Guns taken off the streets by California police agencies have become a new source of materials for steel reinforcement on bridges and freeways around the Southwest.
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.
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.
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.
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
Cities Lose Supreme Court Case on Sign Regulation
The Supreme Court, in two separate opinions, unanimously ruled on June 18 against an Arizona town's sign regulation that denied the placement of a street sign based on its content. At question was a sign directing passers-by to a church service.
What Droughts Say About Planners and Water Officials
When water policy and land use planning operate in separate spheres, it's more difficult to design for efficient resource use. Better communication is needed in the drought-stricken southwest.
The Lake Mead Water Crisis Explained
The water level in Lake Mead dropped to an all-time low at the end of April, falling below 1080 feet above sea level for the first time in 78 years.
'Most Endangered River' in the United States: the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
American Rivers' list of the "Most Endangered" U.S. rivers provides an annual reminder of the abuse waterways bear in the name of the country's economy and culture.
Developer Owned Utilities Struggle to Manage the Cost of Water in Northern Arizona
The Arizona Daily Sun details the curious case of subdivision development, private utilities, and skyrocketing utility rates that linger as an effect of the last development cycle of boom and bust.
New State Symbol of Arizona: The Disposable Plastic Bag?
The legislature passed a bill on April 2 that bans local governments from banning single-use plastic bags as well as other disposable containers under the premise that it's bad for the state economy, though only one city in the state has such a law.
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.
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.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
