Arizona
When People Run Away From Their Home
Municipal officials, real estate professionals, and neighborhood residents are struggling with the new suburban phenomenon of home abandonment.
What Happened To Phoenix?
The once "model city" that promised good jobs and inexpensive housing now offers clog roads, poor schools and rising crime.
Historic Homes Get Second Life In Phoenix
Preservationists have successfully moved over one hundred homes out of the path of the city's downtown redevelopment.
A Taco Stand in Every Neighborhood
A trip to Baja California -- with its ubiquitous taco stands -- inspires one resident of a New Urbanist community to deal with his neighborhood's lack of eateries by developing a plan for a taco stand.
Phoenix From An Architect's Point Of View
The city may be notorious as one of the fastest-growing and car-dependent urban places in the nations, but as a long-time Phoenix architect points out, the city is rich with history and architecture.
Census Reports Population Growth Continues in South and West; NYC The Big Exception
The U.S. Census released its new population estimates as of 7/1/06 showing that southern and western cities continued their rapid population growth. However, the city that added the most population since 2000 was NYC with a gain of 205,750 residents.
Arizona Mayors Call For Commuter Rail
Mayors in Arizona are voicing concerns over the state's growth and are calling for rapid development of commuter rail in the Tempe region to help handle the rising population's strain on transportation infrastructure.
No Water, No Growth
Arizona legislators have passed a bill limiting urban and rural growth in areas where water is in low supply. Final approval is expected from the governor.
Friday Funny: When A Planner Becomes A NIMBY
A planner's perspective on the wisdom of infill development can change when the lot next door is under construction.
Land Use Measures Face Hurdles Before Ballot
Lawmakers in Arizona are hoping to get two land-use measures on the ballot that would allow the state to sell off trust land to conservationists, and make right-of-way lands available for road construction.
Locals Oppose Towers Along Border
This report from NPR details local opposition to a Department of Homeland Security plan to erect watch towers along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Developers Say Impact Fees Create Uneven Burden
The city of Tucson, Arizona, is considering charging impact fees on new developments to pay for public services, but many developers and business owners say the burden is too heavy.
The Link Between Impact Fees And Growth
The city of Tuscon, Arizona is considering adding new impact fees to cover the cost of municipal services, but the new fees might stymie growth and encourage sprawl.
Airport Accessibility A High Priority In Scottsdale
To help keep its airport a major revenue generator, the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, is considering a variety of plans to improve accessibility. Most of the plans on the table revolve around building roads, but bus rapid transit is also proposed.
Booming Town Seeks Water From Reluctant Neighbor
An 11-year drought in the Southwest U.S. has a growing small town in Nevada looking to pump water from nearby Beaver Dam, Arizona. Many in the Arizona town are upset over the proposed water-snatch, which they say limits their own ability to develop.
Opposition Growing To Public Subsidies For Retail Mega-Projects
Proposed state legislation in Arizona will punish cities that offer subsidies to retail projects. Kansas City's new mayor was elected on an anti-TIF platform. Increasingly, public financing for urban revitalization is coming under attack.
Dust Busting For Air Quality
With one of the worst air quality ratings in the nation, metropolitan Phoenix is looking to reduce its pollution. Part of a new clean air plan targets the construction industry, which produces much of the dust that affects air quality.
Homeowners' Association Thwarts Efforts At Energy Conservation
An Arizona home owner's association fines a resident for installing a solar-powered heater arguing that the appearance of the device violates the subdivision's deed restrictions.
Glass Skywalk Extended Over Grand Canyon
Tourists who pay $74.95 will soon be able to enjoy a walk 'over' the Grand Canyon, with the money providing needed income for the Hualapai Indian Tribe.
Phoenix's Black Residents Trade Sense Of Community For American Dream
As middle and upper class black families increasingly move to the suburbs of Phoenix, they must cope with the loss of cultural connections that existed in historically black neighborhoods.
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
