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CityScape: Suburbanizing Downtown Phoenix

Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that I’m not a fan of CityScape. I was initially excited by the project and had high hopes that the city finally ‘got’ it. However, as the months went by the buildings went up, my excitement turned to guarded skepticism. This week any hopes I once had were dashed by the following three strikes:

Strike #1: Urban Form

I recently walked around the exterior of CityScape, Phoenix’s supposedly ‘exciting urban infill’ development. During this walk my suspensions were confirmed: far from being an authentic urban development that takes into account the surrounding urban fabric, it is yet another typical suburban development. I guess I was naïve to expect anything different from a project conceived in a Scottsdale business park and designed by an Seattle architect.

CityScape’s idea of urban form is to place a large-scale suburban pharmacy on one corner of the development and an elevator lobby on another corner. So much for encouraging an active street life or pedestrian activity downtown.

While I have no problems with the CVS Pharmacy, I do wish the design took up less street frontage (perhaps placing it on the second floor?). This would free up valuable street frontage for smaller scale businesses that would attract customers and window shoppers, enhancing the urban vitality of the development. Instead we got something like most other CVS’s with large blank walls and faux windows, punctuated by a small entry way or two.

Strike #2: Public Space

The supposed ‘park’ to replace the publicly owned Patriots Park, is not really a park, but an outdoor arcade on private property surrounded by buildings. Basically, this ‘park’ is designed for the office dwellers and patrons of the complex, NOT the citizens and residents of downtown Phoenix. Besides, we already have several downtown park spaces that are chronically under used, why do we need another?

Strike #3: Grocery Store

On Monday, we learned that the long promised grocery store in downtown Phoenix was not actually a grocery store, but rather a high-end food boutique. While I don’t have a problem with Oakville Grocery per se (especially if it keeps its promise to stock locally produced goods), I do take issue with is the conceit that it is a ‘grocery store’ that will meet the needs of downtown residents. There is only so much demand for handmade cheeses and gourmet sandwiches in downtown (and besides the Phoenix Public Market already offers these items and more.)

What is really needed downtown is a place to pick up toilet paper, laundry detergent, such as Fresh and Easy or even Trader Joes. However, I realize the difficulty in luring other grocers, particularly since the promised residential part of Cityscape is delayed indefinitely. This means that the population needed to support a real grocery store just isn’t there.

As a result of these three strikes, and several others, CityScape represents yet another failed attempt to revitalize downtown. It is basically a morphing of downtown’s last two failed ‘urban infill’ attempts: Collier Center and Arizona Center. Both these were supposed to enhance downtown’s urban fabric. Both failed miserably at this goal.

CityScapeAlex3 225x300 CityScape: Suburbanizing Downtown Phoenix

A Seattle-style tower in the dessert

The various civic ‘leaders’ who continue to push such misguided projects need to wake up. Instead of facilitating a downtown that ALL residents can enjoy, they have continued on the futile quest to keep suburbanites and tourists downtown after ball games or conventions by creating a suburban haven in the middle of the city.

These so-called leaders need to realize that what’s needed downtown isn’t foisting another new mega-project on us. Rather, we as a broad-based community need to radically rethink how we approach development. Until that happen, Phoenix will never realize the potential of being ‘Arizona’s Urban Heart.”

Developments such as Cityscape don’t take us closer to a true downtown; they move us further away. In Phoenix’s desperate attempt to attract suburban tourists, downtown is morphing into a suburb itself.

This is day 16 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 12 days to go.

Gentrification is Good

One of my pet peeve about many fellow urbanists and city dwellers is their disdain for gentrification. Like Gordon Gecko’s notorious “Greed is Good’ speech” in the 1987 movie Wall Street, I’m here to say ‘Gentrification is Good”

At its most basic level, gentrification reflects the transformation of long neglected places like downtown Phoenix into vibrant and successful areas. It begins with the arrival of artists and hipsters attracted by low rents. The pioneers then cultivate a scene that begins to attract middle class professionals.

According to Sharon Zukin’s recent book, Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places, gentrification depends on transforming neighborhoods so that the professional class sees them as “gritty” and “authentic.” Historical building, warehouses and the like provide a foundation for the “authentic” urban experience that attracts upper-middle class people tired of strip malls and chain store.

Since I’ve come to Phoenix, I’ve noticed increasing tensions downtown’s development. Some critics of what is going on are labeling it ‘gentrification.’ To me this label is misapplied.

Using coffee as an example, both the many locations of Starbucks as well as the independent coffee shops such as Fair Trade Cafe, Royal at the Market, Conspire and the new downtown locations of Lola Coffebar and Cartel Coffee Lab have contributed to the revitalization. Many people lump all this development together under the banner gentrification. They are wrong. The multiple Starbucks clones reflects a homogenization of downtown that is distinct from gentrification.

lola coffee bar gold spot 5 Gentrification is Good

Lola Downtown. Photograph from Arizona-Coffee.com

A Starbucks is a Starbucks is a Starbucks, whether you are in a Chandler strip mall, Taylor Place at ASU downtown, or for that matter, Hong Kong. On the other hand the independent coffee shops show a more positive ‘gentrification’ of downtown. Even though many of the ‘independent’ coffee houses are the second or third locations in the Valley, their downtown outlets reflect the flavor of the surrounding neighborhood rather that that of a corporate brand.

There is a distinct difference in decor and more importantly vibe between, say Lola Uptown and Lola Downtown that is lacking when you visit one of the many Starbucks or Subways around town. Yes the surroundings may be familiar from one place to the next, but each site is different enough to offer authentic experience. Besides, it’s at these independent cafés where the young urban hipsters and “gentry” are found, not in Starbucks.

I’m not immune to the consistency of Starbucks, or the affordability of Subway. Vigilant readers may spot me in one of these establishments on occasion. This post isn’t meant to judge such business or their customers, rather to point out the different impacts after all, if downtown Phoenix is to be successful we need to greatly increase its population of both residents and visitors, which means opening our arms to ALL walks of life. My problem isn’t with Starbucks or Subway, and it isn’t just with downtown Phoenix. In fact it is a global phenomenon of the same stores, selling the same stuff and the same coffee. One Starbucks is cool. Four within a ¼ mile rover each other is overkill.

Stay tuned for more posts along this line of thinking. As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and questions in the comments section.

This is day 10 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 18 days to go.

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What is Placemaking?

After asking me what a policy wonk is, the next most popular question I get is: What is a placemaker?

Placemaking is another ‘wonkish’ term that has means different things to different people. To give you a broad idea, here are a few definitions from a survey conducted by the Project for Public Spaces:

“Placemaking is a dynamic human function: it is an act of liberation, of staking claim, and of beautification; it is true human empowerment.”

“Placemaking is the art of creating public ‘places of the soul,’ that uplift and help us connect to each other.”

Placemaking is “making a Public Space a Living Space.”

The concept of placemaking originated in the 1960’s when urban visionaries like Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte espoused what were then (and may still be) radical ideas about designing cities that catered to people, not just to cars and shopping centers. Jacobs and Whyte felt it was important to create and support lively neighborhoods and inviting public spaces. In particular, Jacobs advocated residents taking ownership of their streets through the now-famous idea of “eyes on the street.” Whyte focused on seemingly minor details of urban spaces (such as movable chairs, water, and food) as important to creating vibrant public spaces.

At its most basic, placemaking is making livable places by thinking through:

The design of places
The experiences that make possible, and
The consequences they have in our lives.

Bases on my studying of the works of Jacobs, Whyte and others (as well as a lucky few discussions I had with Jane in person), I have adopted this manta of placemaking: “creating a sense of place and a place of sense”

Cities used to be social places designed for people. Placemaking was the natural order of things. Unfortunately, over the past 50 years, our cities and neighborhoods have become conduits for cars and commerce and the people who actually live in the them have been all but forgotten.

I consider myself a placemaker, because I’m passionate about returning the streets of downtown Phoenix to the residents of the Valley. I give life to this passion in many ways. I hold my own events highlighting the potential of public spaces, including Jane’s Walk Phoenix, Park(ing) Day or Urban Breakfast. I’m a member of groups like RadiatePhx and Get Your Phx that connect me with other people to share ideas and support each other in our endeavors. I also take part in organizations that push for creating a sustainable downtown as the Downtown Voices Coalition.

My goal is to help people realize that we are all responsible for the success of the places we live. By retaking control of the public spaces and holding our own events and making our own changes, not matter how small, we can be the leading edge of systemic changes that will force the politicians and bureaucrats to take note and begin designing cities for people again.

The Place Diagram, form the Program for Public Spaces

For more of my thinking on this topic, here is a link to a presentation on placemaking I gave to ASU’s Barrett Honor College Urban Experience orientation at Downtown Phoenix ASU campus in august 2010. Here is a more recent presentation I gave at a Public Allies Arizona professional development workshop in December 2010. And here is the link to my Ignite Phoenix 5 presentation on ‘Urban Space’. For even more, check out all my posts tagged with placemaking.

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10 Reasons Why Civic Space Park Doesn’t Work

Last week, I wrote a post on Schelling points, or nodes of unconscious coordination, where people spontaneous identify as important meeting points in a city. When I asked if Phoenixhad such a place, there was no consensus, but several people did name the potential of Civic Space Park to become one. However, the park’s inability to draw larger crowds—other than when there are formally planned events—was also raised.

This got me thinking of why—despite being a great park on paper—Civic Space Park has yet to live up to its promise as a great urban space for downtown Phoenix. On the surface, the park is well designed for activity. It has a fountain for children and a café for teens and adults. It is easily accessible by public transit (both light rail and several buses), and is across the street from ASU downtown, the Westward Ho senior residences and several office buildings. It features, not one but three historic buildings (AE England, US Post Office, and Metro Office Building), and boasts some impressive public art. It features public restrooms, shade structures and trees and bike racks. It provides movable seating that allows people to decide where they want to sit in the space.

While I mused that perhaps it is simply that Phoenicians prefer to hide behind block walls than interact in public spaces, other than at ‘official events’, upon greater reflection, this isn’t the case. Several other urban parks in central Phoenix are well used most of the year, notably Encanto (recently named one of America’s Best City Parks by Forbes) and Steele Indian School Parks, so if it isn’t the people, why other than the odd student and homeless person, is it dead 90% of the time?

Here are ten reasons that I came up with (with suggestions from Facebook and Twitter):

The park is disconnected from its surrounding. The light rail tracks landscaping and fencing act as a barriers for people to casually enter or exit that park. This limits its popularity as an impromptu gathering place.
There is little parking in the immediate vicinity. While this shouldn’t be a major issue, given its proximity to transit and well-populated buildings, etc, we are in Phoenix after all, where cars still dominate.
It suffers from a malady common to several city parks: it is over landscaped. While there are a lot of places to sit, there are few open spaces to play. Popular park pastimes, such as Frisbee, soccer, etc, are inhibited by the unnecessary berms, mounds and other extraneous design flourishes. While these may add visual interest, they inhibit the discourage play.
The café, Fair Trade Civic Space, which never felt inviting, now has reduced its hours, The fact that it is hidden away in the ‘basement’ and is not visible from the street further limits its appeal and accessibility.
The A.E. England Building, while a great restoration, it under-utilized, leaving one of the most prominent features vacant the majority of the time. (Perhaps the café and meeting spaces should have been flipped.) The Post Office has yet to be integrated into the park, and there are no plans to include the Metro Office Building)
A heavy security presence. While there to deter homeless people, it also makes it feel uninviting for other users. Also the security is over zealous at times (i.e. telling people that they can’t WALK their bikes through the park)
Lack of a playground for children. Other than the fountain, which is often turned off, there are few areas for kids to play. Further, given the lay out of the park, it is hard for parents to keep an eye on their children as the run around corners, etc. As well, dogs—another great park demographic—are not welcome.
The grouping of the shade structures on the south side of the park, with little shade provided throughout the rest. The trees planted on the north side will take several years to mature (if they even make it; it looks like a few have already died.)
It is hard to convene public gatherings. There are no publicly available large tables, or other amenities for medium to large groups of people.
The name. Is there anything less inspiring than the bureaucratic ‘Civic Space Park’? (I have a sneaking suspicion that this moniker is but a placeholder until it is named ‘Phil Gordon’ Park.

Do you have anything to add? Want to come to the park’s defense? Leave a comment.

This is day 8 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 20 days to go.

10 Responses to “10 Reasons Why Civic Space Park Doesn’t Work”

Tyler Hurst says:

February 16, 2010 at 10:21 am

I’d love to use it more, but there just isn’t any reason to.
Jose Gonzalez says:

February 16, 2010 at 10:32 am

I think your reasons are pretty spot on.

Outside of tweaking some of what you mentioned, I guess it might take good programming to get people there and hopefully have them think of it as a place they can visit outside of special events.

Also, I agree that the name is pretty uninviting. So, I will start calling it Jellyfish Park since it sounds silly and fun.
Wes Novack says:

February 16, 2010 at 10:44 am

You make some great points. Perhaps people choose to visit Encanto and Steele Indian school parkmore often due to:
1) The incumbent advantage. Encanto & Steele park are long-standing public spaces. They are more well known. People know what to expect there.
2) Habit & tradition. This ties in with #1. If a certain group holds a monthly meeting at Encanto or Steele park and they have for years, they’re not likely to change to a new park just because one popped up.
3) Space. You mentioned this in your post and I think it’s a BIG one. Encanto and Steele parks just have much more open space to accommodate a broader range of activities and groups. And parkingspace, as you mentioned.
4) Water/ponds. Civic space lacks this. Perhaps this is a draw for more people.

I don’t live downtown, but even if I did, I don’t see any compelling reasons to choose Civic Spacepark as a meeting ground. I hear they’ve been doing live music shows there, which is something that would interest me, but your post isn’t about events, just meeting places.
Matthew Petro says:

February 16, 2010 at 10:47 am

One of the problems with Civic Space Park is that it’s crammed between 1st Ave and Central, with both traffic and light rail running along its east and west sides. I think this connects it too much with the activity on the street and diminishes the relaxing park atmosphere which it should have. Good parks are respites from the hustle and bustle of urban life…they get people away from the street and provide an opportunity to play. Not only are there the issues you mentioned (overlandscaping and lack of a playground), but connecting the park to streets on two sides makes it seem less restful.
J Seth Anderson says:

February 16, 2010 at 11:15 am

I agree that the name is atrocious and hope that it is renamed sooner rather than later. (And I’d prefer it not be named after a person, but something more grand. The media referred to the Echelman sculpture as “Sky Bloom” and even though that’s not the actual title, I still think “Sky Bloom Park” sounds cool.)
You makes some great points but I think the major obstacle is that there are just not enough people who live downtown. Without an established neighborhood what’s the point of neighborhood park?
Overall I quite like it though. I’ve been to some fun and very crowded events there. But like most things in Phoenix, the park has a lot of potential that it hasn’t lived up to.
andrewkfromaz says:

February 16, 2010 at 12:17 pm

I think it’s a well-designed park, and that they did well with the space they had to work with. A big part of what’s currently “wrong” with the park is external issues: the nearest residential buildings are mostly vacant, ASU’s campus is not yet built out, and so on. I think none of the flaws you mentioned (though I do think they are fairly accurate) are true deal-breakers. Once the surrounding areas come into their own and flourish, the park will bustle with activity.

I am hugely disappointed w/ Fair Trade. If they’re not going to make any better use of the space than that, they need to close down and let someone in who will be more of a draw.
Steve Weiss says:

February 16, 2010 at 12:22 pm

Issues with parking and the meeting hall nature of A.E. England are good points. I like the idea of Fair trade or some other biz being above-ground. Maybe A.E. England could have been that Phoenix Museum of the Arts or even shared studio artspaces the City once sought during the last bond selection process. This would have cost much less than the heavy adaption inside.

The park was a gift to ASU to go along with their coming soon Student Union in the Post Office. It was built for this purpose, and to assuage the city residents for eliminating the center-of-the-city already built but woefully underfunded/poorly build and managed/never activated Patriot’s Park to make a mall with upscale bowling.

The park is tiny. I’m not so much disappointed with the shade(give it time)or the landscaping, and it was incredibly smart to have Echelman’s sculpture not take up ground-space. I like the sustainible ideas of the park. It’s the only park in Phoenix that will always have green grass. I dig coming over to it at night and playing next to the color pillars or laying under the sculpture. After 8 pm you can park at any of the 3 metered parking spaces,for free.

A first read made me wince with your use of “it’s” when you should be using “its”…”it’s” is a contraction of “it is”…easy thing to learn, hard to ignore.
Khamis says:

February 16, 2010 at 12:25 pm

Yuri I think you missed one major point. It doesn’t have to do with the design of the park, but it’s equal in importance. The lack of diverse uses around the park. Who lives within 1/2 mile. And the people that do live within 1/2 mile likely have closer (Roosevelt, the strange linear Portland Parkway) parks with some of the things you’re saying Civic Space lacks. The only people that use civic space are students more or less. There isn’t much use besides that going on around it, and until there is… (say redevelopment north of the Y along the west side of central) then I don’t see it becoming a huge success.

But of course things like the visibility of FT need to improve. I wonder why the city hasn’t put a HUGE sign with an arrow, or maybe a super graphic on A.E. that points peds to the shops down there. They’re new, people aren’t going to suddenly know to go down, but they will… people go down random alleys in Seattle because there are signs that announce there are shops down them, also they’ve been around, but there are still signs. The A-frames aren’t cutting it.

I also disagree with free parking being provided for what is suppose to be an urban park, in a pocketpark footprint. There are plenty of meters around the area.
Wes Novack says:

February 16, 2010 at 2:16 pm

@J Seth Anderson: Sky Bloom Park sounds awesome!
Yuri Artibise says:

February 16, 2010 at 4:48 pm

Thanks for all the great feedback and insights. I’ll remark on them later tonight when I have some time.

(And Steve, thanks for the comments regarding ‘its/it’s’ It makes me wince too, They should be fixed now… A downside of writing at 2am is my editing is worse than normal.)

Comments { 9 }

I ❤ Phoenix, Volume I

Another Valentine’s Day is upon us. While I’m not a huge fan of the Hallmark Holiday, I do appreciate the opportunity to think about my loved ones for a day. And it’s always nice to have an extra excuse to shower a little extra attention on my wife Linda.

For, me however, Valentine’s day is linked to another important event: It was three years ago today that I made the move to Phoenix, and as long as I live here, it will be a reminder of this momentous life shift. I have joked that while Linda is my wife, Phoenix is my mistress. On reflection, this isn’t really too much of a joke. When we first moved here, we wanted to give living in the US a try (I have always been am America-phile) combined with a desire to escape winter. (Believe me there is no better time to move to Phoenix than February!), and a love for the city’s mid-century architecture. While I knew that Phoenix was an auto-dominated city best known for sprawl and golf course, two things I abhor, I saw enough of a glimmer downtown Phoenix to make the gamble and move down here.

The past three years has been a whirlwind relationship. If you give Phoenix a chance, it can grab you in completely unexpected ways. When I first moved here I was a naïve Canadian with a 9-5 job at ASU and few friends. Three years later, I am a passionate Phoenicians, without a job, but with a robust circle of friends and an engagement calendar so fat, I need a secretary to manage! While I remain frustrated by many aspects of living in what I have referred to as an ‘urban desert’ the city and people has given me the opportunity to realize my true calling. While I have always been an urbanist at heart, I had always lived in vibrant urban neighborhoods so I had never had to think of it something that requires effort. Being an urbanist in Phoenix definitely requires effort. However, like the most demanding mistress, there is something about the city that compels me to put in the effort to make the relationship work.

As many of you know, I write occasionally for the Downtown Phoenix Journal. In honor to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, the staff was asked to share 14 things we love about downtown Phoenix. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, and my third anniversary as a Phoenician, here’s a list of 14 things I ‘heart’ about downtown Phoenix:

Business meetings at Lola Downtown
Chatting up tourists on the Metro Light Rail
Co-working at Lux Coffeebar
Buying unique housewarming gifts at Frances
Lusting after jewelry by Heidi Abrahamson
Discussing ‘infill development’ at After Hours Gallery
Having breakfast for lunch at Matt’s Big Breakfast
Stretching out on the grass at Roosevelt Park (3rd Ave, south of Roosevelt)
Searching for ghosts at the Hotel San Carlos
Winding down with a cookie and coffee at Royal at the Market
Losing myself in James Turrell’s light sculpture “Mohl ip” at the Phoenix Art Museum
Participating in the Critical Mass bike ride
Noshing on chilquiles verdes at Gallo Blanco Café at the Clarendon Hotel
Sampling the rotating tap at The Roosevelt Tavern

This is day 6 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 22 more to go.

james turrell: the wolfsburg project at the kunstmuseum, germany (designboom.com)
the valentine’s day schmaltz ended today (gapingvoid.com)

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DPJ Article: The ‘Coolest’ House in Phoenix

Originally posted in the Downtown Phoenix Journal on February 9, 2010.

Much has been made about the potential of using the sun’s energy to provide clean energy in the Valley of the Sun. While the bulk of this attention has focused on solar power, one local company is taking advantage of the sun’s energy in a different manner: geothermal power.

The Carter W. Gibbs historical home

GeOasis has developed a unique solution to meeting the Valley’s home cooling and heating needs using the solar energy stored just below our feet. The temperature just below the earth’s surface remains a consistent 70º year round. By dispersing heat into or retracting heat from this steady source, geothermal equipment is not forced to battle with Mother Nature. In the winter, this heat is transferred through underground pipes, concentrated and delivered throughout the home. During summer, the excess heat in a home is removed and delivered back to the cooler earth, completing the cycle. By contrast, a conventional air-to-air system has to move heat from a home into an already high outdoor temperature. This is much less efficient than a geothermal system that is able to dispel heat into the 70º soil.

One of GeoOasis’ first installations was an unexpected choice: a historic Tudor home in Central Phoenix’s Alvarado neighborhood, nestled behind the Heard Museum. The Carter Gibbs house was built in the late 1920s by owner Carter W. Gibbs and builder Neil H. Gates. Its design is strongly influenced by a combination of the English Tudor and French Chalet styles of the era. The house is listed on the city of Phoenix historic preservation site and the National Register of Historic Places.

The 12-room, 6,000-square-foot, three-story house could not be lived in during the blistering Arizona summers. Temperatures did not drop below 86º in the first-floor living areas, and soared well above 100º in the second- and third-floor bedrooms. The owner, Sid Rosen, considers himself a caretaker for the preservation of the historical house. Rosen has invested over two decades of time and effort to maintaining, restoring and preserving this piece of Arizona history, working with some of world’s leading preservation and renovation professionals. While he was able to retain the historical character of the house, including a unique slate tile roof, finding a sustainable way to cool it was another matter. Despite searching for years, and investing in top-of-the-line energy-efficient systems, Rosen was never able to achieve his goal of maintaining a comfortable indoor environment in the extreme heat of a Phoenix summer. In the spring of 2009, he found a solution when he met Bryce Johnson, CEO and founder of GeOasis.

he application shown use the home's basement. This can alternatively use a garage or be a package unit on the roof.

Since the installation of the geothermal hybrid system developed and installed by GeOasis, the Carter Gibbs house is now livable year round. Better yet, it has realized cost savings of over 65% compared to traditional cooling systems and with a significantly lower carbon footprint. Moreover, the installation of the system was done in a way that enhanced the historical characteristics of the house.

“One of our foremost goals, apart from achieving the desired temperature reduction for the home and lowering the cost factor, was to not to disturb the home’s original historic character and to remove all eyesores of prior energy systems,” says Johnson.

Rosen is now able to host his numerous and important charitable, civic, historical and social events year round, including his 70th birthday celebration, held just days after the system was installed in June 2009. In addition, he is happy to be a step closer to his ultimate goal of achieving national energy independence, through conservation and sustainable efforts.

“GeOasis allowed me to reclaim my home during the hot Phoenix summer,” Rosen says. “I feel good that I have reduced my personal energy dependence and am proud to be contributing to the USA’s future energy independence.”

Bryce Johnson at GeoOasis can be reached by email or at 602.507.4746. Tours of the Carter Gibbs house are offered on a limited basis. To arrange a viewing, contact Cornelia Stumpf by email or at 602.628.4934.

DPJ Article: The ‘Coolest’ House in Phoenix

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‘Schelling’ the City

The other day I asked a simple question on Twitter and Facebook:

“If someone told you to meet then in Downtown Phoenix and gave no further details, where would you go?

I based this question on a presentation by Adam Greenfield at dConstruct09 in September entitled Elements Of A Networked Urbanism. During this presentation he asked a similar question of New York City, where the correct answer traditionally has been the clock in Grand Central. This what is referring to as a ‘focal’ or Schelling point. Named after Professor Thomas Schelling, the 2005 Nobel Prize recipient, a Schelling point is “that which gives a group of like-minded individuals their common purpose.” Groups with strong Schelling points are able to “coordinate their actions with minimal communication.”

3572441144 01a6ebd88e ‘Schelling’ the City

Image from mistdog on Flickr

Mr. Greenfield calls such places ‘nodes of unconscious coordination” that people in cities around the word have historically used to make sense of urban place. Most urban places have one. In Tokyo it’s the statue of the dog in Hachiko Square. In London it is under the clock in Waterloo Station. According to Adam, most cities have Schelling points, because, without effective communication between people (i.e., cell phones), meeting places ultimately converge on a couple of high visibility—and usually iconic—destinations.

There is nothing inherent about Grand Central Station that makes a particularly desirable meeting place. In fact its crowded and often hectic nature may actually be a detriment; it may likely be easier to meet someone at a quiet bar, or the public library reading room. Nevertheless, the popular notoriety of Grand Central Station as a meeting place raises its prominence and makes it a natural “focal point.”

As an ‘incurable urbanist’ I was taken by this concept, and wondered if any place in Phoenix could be considered a legitimate Schelling point, hence the question I posted. Here are the responses:

Civic Space Park
Lux Coffee
Phoenix Art Museum
Chase Field
US Airways Center
Central and Adams, by the ‘crazy preacher’
Central and Washington (point ‘zero’ in the street numbering grid)
4^th and McKinley
Phoenix Public Market and have a glass of wine till they found me! (My personal favorite)
Phoenix City Hall
Cibo
Carly’s
Fair Trade Café/Central and Roosevelt
Revolver Records
Lost Leaf

3992203564 af07c9f8b8 ‘Schelling’ the City

Civic Space Park

While Civic Space Park was the most popular answer, due largely you the controversial and highly visible ‘floating jellyfish sculpture, the numerous responses reflects the fact that Phoenix is an auto dominated, sprawling city, that has long neglected it’s downtown. As a result the city doesn’t have traditional gathering points like in cities established before the automobile.

What I found most interesting, however, is that several people responded that they simply would go anywhere without more information. While, in part, this reflects the lack of a vibrant urban core on another level, the response highlights the rise of ‘ubiquitous computing’ promoted by the prevalence of ‘smart phones.’ This was the point of Greenburg’s entire presentation: that when everybody (and everything is networked, you no longer need unconscious co-ordination. Rather you can simply post on Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, BrightKite, etc that I’m and the Corner of Washington and 7^th St, or I’m at Lux Coffeebar, or Gangplank, or Rula Bula, and this functions as a ‘flocking’ or ‘shoaling’ point: a place where people converge.

This not only has impacts for how people interact with each other, but also with their cities and neighborhoods. Social activity is increasingly less about specific times and places and more about converging at locations where have announced their presence or have expressed as their destination. As a result, what we’ve long understood as the nature of community as a loose connection of people within a neighborhood or interest group is morphing to a much more conscious social network.

This is not the first time I’ve mused about this topic (see my Ignite Phoenix 5 presentation on Slideshare or YouTube), nor will it be the last. I’m still not 100% sure of the final outcomes of this shift, but I feel that it will be huge. Stay tuned for further updates as my research and thinking progresses. In the meantime, please let me know what you think in the comment section.

This is day 2 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 26 more to go.

You Are Here: Geolocation is the Trend for 2010 (myventurepad.com)
Dennis Crowley (Foursquare): Check-ins Will Be “Commodity by the End of the Year.” (blogs.praized.com)
Google Buzz: adding algorithmic authority and relevancy to social media (digiphile.wordpress.com)

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DPJ Article: Three New 'R's: Rezone, Reuse and Revitalize — The City of Phoenix's Adaptive Reuse Program

Originally posted in the Downtown Phoenix Journal on December 22, 2009.

Over the past two years, amidst all the new buildings popping up, Downtown Phoenix has quietly become a leader in promoting adaptive reuse. Adaptive reuse is the process of tailoring old structures for purposes other than those initially intended. As old buildings outlive their original purposes, adaptive reuse offers a process to modify these buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features. As a result, an old warehouse may become an apartment building, or a rundown church may find new life as a restaurant.

A prime candidate for adaptive reuse: the city-owned (ca. 1909) Leighton G. Knipe House at 1025 N. 2nd Street.

By taking buildings that are either historical, dated or in older, established areas of the city and ensuring their presence long into the future, adaptive reuse is one of the ultimate expressions of sustainability. Not only does this take advantage of materials that are already there (which is environmental and economical), but it also respects a city’s history and plays an important role in community revitalization. Adaptive reuse also demonstrates that old buildings make great places for new ideas. As the famous urbanist Jane Jacobs said, “Old ideas can use new buildings, but new ideas need old buildings.”

The city’s Adaptive Reuse Program began as a pilot program in April 2008 to streamline the process of modifying older buildings for new business uses. In addition to adopting the International Existing Building Code, the city offers guidance, expedited time frames and reduced costs to individuals and companies looking to “recycle” older buildings for new business uses. Program participants can save between two weeks to three months time and $2,000 to $40,000 during the development process. In September 2009, the program won a “Crescordia” in the “Livable Communities” category at Valley Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards. The Crescordia, named for a Greek term meaning “to grow in harmony,” is the highest honor awarded in each category.

This issue is important to the city, because as Mark Leonard, Director of the Phoenix Development Services Department explains, “Adaptive reuse preserves our history, helps small business owners be successful, creates unique restaurant and business settings for all of us to experience and it’s environmentally friendly.” Mayor Gordon concurs, noting in a 2008 speech, “Historic buildings are a critical part of what makes the Phoenix skyline truly our own, truly unique.”

The interior of The Lost Leaf

One example of adaptive reuse that will be familiar to many DPJ readers is modifying a historic, single-family residence for use as a restaurant or business. Some notable participants in the program include Tuck Shop (2245 N. 12th St. in Coronado), The Lost Leaf (914 N. 5th St. in Evans Churchill), The Paisley Violin (1030 NW Grand Ave.) and Hula’s Modern Tiki (4700 N. Central Ave. in Uptown). In total, the program has supported 30 total adaptive reuse projects in the past 18 months, although a few of them did not proceed past plan review due to the economy.

Earlier this month, based on the recommendations of a Development Services Ad Hoc Task Force, council unanimously approved expanding the Adaptive Reuse Program. During its deliberations, the task force looked at the existing program’s experience to date, as well as best practices from other cities, and came up with what may be the most comprehensive adaptive reuse plan in the country.

The expanded plan now includes buildings constructed prior to the year 2000, increases the size limits from 5,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet and allows for occupancy change flexibility. This expansion of the program provided increased opportunities to rezone, reuse and revitalize vacant strip malls, big box centers and other blighted community areas and keep them out of the landfill.

Special thanks to Jim McPherson (Arizona Preservation Foundation), Kimber Lanning (Local First AZ) and Denee McKinley (City of Phoenix Office of Customer Advocacy) for their assistance in researching this article.

DPJ Article: Three New 'R's: Rezone, Reuse and Revitalize — The City of Phoenix's Adaptive Reuse Program

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DPJ Article: An Unexpected Connection: Jeff Moriarty & the Phoenix Community Alliance

Originally posted in the Downtown Phoenix Journal on December 21, 2009

On Thursday, December 17, the Phoenix Community Alliance (PCA) held its annual membership meeting at the recently renovated Phoenix Country Club. The PCA is a private sector, not-for-profit organization launched in 1983 by local business leaders to create a dynamic Downtown Phoenix. This year, it has 145 corporate members and 70 adjunct members representing a variety of stakeholder organizations.

The PCA advocates for solutions to the critical needs of Central Phoenix and provides technical assistance and support to parties interested in developing in and around Downtown Phoenix. It is involved in several projects, including supporting the Downtown Phoenix Urban Form Project, incubating the Discovery Triangle Corporation and championing the emerging health and bioscience sector. The PCA also helps businesses of all sizes interested in locating in Central Phoenix.

The guest speaker at the luncheon was Jeff Moriarty. Among his many other hats, Moriarty is the President of the Phoenix Innovation Foundation (PIF). The PIF’s mission is to educate and promote the Phoenix metro community through community-based art, science and technology events. It sponsors free, public and community-run events — those whose missions parallel its own — through the donation of logistical and legal support, as well as with some charitable funds.

Jeff Moriarty

During his comments, Moriarty focused on what community means to him and the implications for Phoenix. He discussed his experiences with Ignite Phoenix, and ImprovAZ and his passion for uncovering Phoenix’s “unique personality.” Moriarty also talked about how social media can get around both the “Dilbertarian controls” of traditional corporations and the sprawling geography of Phoenix. Another thread of his discussion was connecting people in unexpected ways to increase community and innovation throughout the Valley. His presentation before the mainly corporate crowd, many of whom had little exposure to social media, was a great example of creating these unconventional connections.

The Phoenix Community Alliance offices are in the historic Security Building at 234 N. Central Ave. in Copper Square. The alliance can be reached at 602.254.7477 or through President Don Keuth. Jeff Moriarty can be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. He blogs here, here and sometimes here.

DPJ Article: An Unexpected Connection: Jeff Moriarty & the Phoenix Community Alliance

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The Evolution of the Gold Spot

Gold Spot is my favorite building in downtown Phoenix. It incorporates many key ‘urbanist principles’, such as, authenticity, adaptive reuse, street presence, mixed use and (relative) density. In addition, it caters to the realities of Phoenix by offered parking (in the back) and plenty of shade, both along the street and in the courtyard behind the building.

First opening for business in September 1925, The ‘Gold Spot Marketing Center’ is significant because it is one of the first (and few remaining) residential shopping centers in the Valle. In the early 1980′s the building finally fell victim to suburban sprawl and inner-city neglect and was shuttered in 1983.

goldspotbefore The Evolution of the Gold Spot

The building before it's renovations. Source: Desert Viking Companies

The Gold Spot sat empty for more than 20 years until Desert Viking Companies bought the property and began redevelopment with an eye toward preservation. Desert Viking carefully restoration the building’s mixture of Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival architectural styles. They restored the masonry to its original condition and reconstructed the storefront based on historic articles and a single old photo. Matches were found for original roof trusses, and a custom glass storefront was designed to include a new recessed corner entry based on the photograph. The original courtyard was also restored.

goldspotold The Evolution of the Gold Spot

The single remaining photograph. Source: Desert Viking Companies

For these efforts, the redevelopment received the 2004 Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor (nominated by the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office), and Arizona’s Environmental Architectural Award. The building was also nominated under the Historic Preservation category for the 2004 Environmental Excellence Awards. In addition, then Governor Napolitano declared July 27 2003 ‘Historic Gold Spot Marketing Center Day.” It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

goldspotafter The Evolution of the Gold Spot

The restored building. Source: Desert Viking Companies

Until a few years ago, it was home to home to Calabria Italian Grocery & Deli. The deli was run by a sister and brother, Maria and Carlo, who learned the ins and outs from their parents, Domenic and Teresa Capogreco who operated an authentic Italian grocery store in Boston where they settled after emigrating from Calabria, Italy.

As an Italian-o-phile I was sad to see Calabria close; however, I’m encouraged by the success of Lola Coffee that took its place as well as the opening of Pita Jungle and the rumored Ace Hardware. Throw in the existing Trini Salon, the recently opened Substance Design Consortium (an architecture firm), and a nearby dry cleaners and you have a dynamic mix of urban uses—exactly what downtown Phoenix needs if it is to continue to attract (and retain) residences.

I would like to give special credit to Desert Viking Companies for the excellent website that provided me with many of the photographs and historic information on the building.