My latest for Phxated.com:

It’s not much of a stretch to say that most of downtown Phoenix is owned or operated by commercial interests. They are abetted by City Hall’s current inhabitants seemingly insatiable appetite to leave a legacy, no matter how vapid.

As a result, Phoenix’s urban ‘public’ areas are being increasingly privatized and do not support the values usually associate with public spaces: the experience of community, the sharing of ideas, the fostering of creative efforts, the collaboration of cultures, and, equally important, the pursuit of fun.

Indeed, downtown has (d)evolved to the point where is supports pedestrianism only as far as office workers seeking lunch, or conventioneers and sports fans seeking a drink after a game or event. Street life in Phoenix is heavily regulated, from patios to public expression. Heck, participants in 2010’s No Pants Day were even kicked out of the faux-public space of the Arizona Center for wearing boxer shots. It should come as no surprise then, that the words “busker,” “performer,” and “panhandler” continue to be confused by city officials. Don’t even get me started on our treatment of the homeless.

Even where fun managed to evolve naturally, such as along Roosevelt Row, the authentic expression of community doesn’t last long. A few years ago, vendors began to spring up on the (admittedly privately owned) empty lots next to the galleries and bars. Within a few months, the city started to crack down. Eventually the vendors were allowed back, but instead of allowing the vendors to operate on the city owned vacant lots, however, local businesses were asked to pay to have roads closed down, hire police officers to watch the crowds,and rent port-a-potties. In other words, sanitize the area.

Now Roosevelt Row is avoided by the majority of the locals on First Fridays. The true urbanites have found refuge in other parts of the city. For the most part, the ‘Row’ has been left to suburban tourists and high school kids settling for a poor reproduction of authentic urbanism.

By privatizing and sterilizing our city’s shared spaces, the City is doing far more than merely addressing downtown noise complaints and preserving order. It is stifling essential aspects of our urban mix. Our streets and public spaces are more than simply a way to get from point a to b. They are valuable threads of our urban fabric, and more importantly of our self-expression. They need to be free and open to all residents for a range of activities, not just what the NIMBY’s and corporate interests deem proper.

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