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Mar 01

A Mallrat Repents

By Yuri Artibise 28 Day Challenge, Reviews, urbanism View Comments

I have a confession to make. I was a mallrat.

I spent endless hours of my tween and teen years hanging out in and malls.  I loved movies featuring mall scenes like Can’t Buy Me Love, Weird Science and Back to the Future (all of which I saw in a mall theater). As a kid growing up in the suburbs it was the ‘cool thing’ to do. Even though my hometown had a pretty decent downtown, I viewed it as a place for ‘suits’ and tourists. Ironically, it wasn’t until a new downtown mall opened that I started exploring city life outside of it.

38308d1237576568 how do you remember phoenix stories park central mall 07 A Mallrat RepentsA few years later, I moved away to college, and discovered the joys of a small town’s main street. I then spent a few years in the urban mecca of Vancouver, and several more in the eastern city of Ottawa. I began taking city life for granted. I enjoyed hanging out at locally owned coffee shops and bars and finding unique items at local businesses. I discovered the writings of Jane Jacobs. I only stepped foot in malls on an occasional basis, usually to catch a movie at the Cineplex or to buy something of a gift registry for a wedding or baby shower. I started going to the grand old movie theaters whenever possible. I had become an urbanite.

Thus, moving to Phoenix was a culture shock. It is next to impossible to avoid malls here. Even the downtown urban infill projects that the city is lauding have more in common with a suburban mall than an urban main street. This is why a film I saw yesterday at the Phoenix Art Museum resonated with me in such a strong way.

The film was Malls R Us. It was co-presented by No Festival Required, as part of its almost monthly series of documentaries and ‘indie’ films. It was sponsored by CityCircles, a new resource for exploring the city by light rail.

Malls R Us is a provocative documentary that looks at North America’s love affair will the mall. Produced by Helene Klodawsky, the film takes us through the history of the mall from its unassuming beginnings of the mall in suburban Minneapolis in the 1950s to todays mega-projects in Dubai and India. Helene attempts to portray a balanced picture of the mall and its place in our culture and communities. Despite this attempt at neutrality, I left the theater with an even stronger revulsion for malls and the damage they represent, not only to our built form, but our social interaction as well.

Part of the reason that movie resonated so deeply with me is its portrayal of places and people I’m familiar, with. The movie opens with a panoramic shot of the Sonaran Desert, complete with saguaro cacti.  One of the main protagonists of the film is a Canadian film developer who whose wants to develop the world first ‘green’ mall on a parcel of environmentally sensitive land in the outskirts of Montreal. His search for tenants take him to Cabela’s, the outdoor megastore in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb. This closed the circle for me as a Canadian living in Phoenix.

I won’t go any deeper into what the movie reveals, because I strongly urge you to see it yourself.  But I did want to leave you something to think about. I understand that special places that malls occupy in our memories. I certainly have many happy memories myself. But like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, as we grow up, we need to stop over- romanticizing and realize that full truth behind these memories. I hear all the time what a special place malls like Park Central, Christown Spectrum and Biltmore Fashion Center have in the hearts of long time residents.

What we tend to forget though, is just as malls like Metrocenter and Scottsdale Fashion Center lead to the demise of malls like Christown Spectrum and Park Central; Park Central and Christown led to the demise of downtown Phoenix. So feel free to reminisce, but don’t mourn too much. It is only with the demise (and hopefully adaptive reuse) of such malls, that our downtown core can reach it’s potential as a vital hub for the city.

Perhaps now with the difficulties that CityNorth is having, politicians and developers will wake up and realize that the era of the North American mall is over. Too bad it is just beginning in place like Kazakhstan and India.

Related Site: Deadmalls.com

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

A Mallrat Repents

Thanks for being a regular reader of my site!

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Feb 17

What is Placemaking?

By Yuri Artibise 28 Day Challenge, Personal Brand, Who am I?, urbanism View Comments

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

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:

  1. The design of places
  2. The experiences that make possible, and
  3. 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.

place diagram What is Placemaking?

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 CollegeDowntown Phoenix ASU campus on August 20, 2009. And here  ‘Urban Experience’ orientation at the is the link to my Ignite Phoenix 5 presentation on ‘Urban Space’.

This is day 9 in my 28 Day Blogging Challenge. 19 days to go.

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Jan 14

Jane Jacobs, Gentrifier?

By Yuri Artibise urbanism View Comments

From: Jane’s Walk Phoenix Please check it out for more information on Jane Jacobs and for details of Jane’s Walk 2010 taking place on May 1 & 2, 2010.

*     *      *

I came across this post on Planetizen. It provides an interesting perspective and touched on an issue that I’ve long wrestled with: authenticity, preservation and organic development. From the article: “just what does authenticity mean, and who is really allowed to claim it?”

Jane Jacobs, Gentrifier?
Posted by: Tim Halbur
11 January 2010 – 9:00am

Prof. Sharon Zukin argues that Jacobs had “a gentrifier’s appreciation of urban authenticity” in her new book, Naked City.

Zukin tackles the issue of gentrification and the people who lay claim to the authenticity of neighborhoods, particularly in New York. She finds no easy answers, but does believe in the quest to preserve authenticity.

In the New York Post: “In the end, New York City development revolves around who successfully claims ownership of a neighborhood. Conflict arises when ‘groups representing the opposing visions claim the same space,’ Zukin says, especially in ‘the conflict over authentic representations of neighborhoods like Red Hook, between old working-class homeowners, public housing project tenants, and gentrifiers.’”

Full Story: Naked City

Source: New York Post, January 10, 2010

suburban city 300x300 Jane Jacobs, Gentrifier?
From my other blog, Jane’s Walk Phoenix

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Jan 13

GOOD.is on Jane Jacobs—’Reading a City’

By Yuri Artibise urbanism View Comments

From GOOD.is, The Slow Issue. Originally posted by Alissa Walker on January 13, 2010 at 7:00 am PST.  Cross-posted on Jane’s Walk Phoenix.

Reading a City

018 reading arch 1 GOOD.is on Jane Jacobs—’Reading a City’

How the built environment instructs us on how to move through it


Greene Street Jane Jacobs wrote about the “ballet” of the street when describing the rhythm of her Greenwich Village neighborhood, which she viewed as a choreographed exchange between resident and sidewalk, and shopkeeper and stoop. Not too far away, Greene Street in New York’s SoHo neighborhood pulses with the same syncopated footsteps and echoes of Jacobs’s legacy. She prevented this entire neighborhood from becoming the Lower Manhattan Expressway—now cars shudder down the street, forced into submission by century-old cobblestones. The former cast-iron warehouses have been fashioned into frilly storefronts for the well-heeled (and often high-heeled) who stop, gape up at their pillared facades; pause; peer into the jewel-like windows; and are rewarded with detail…

More here

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Dec 30

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

By Yuri Artibise Uncategorized View Comments

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.

10116 164053179049 83815914049 3736777 6036277 n 300x225 DPJ Article: Three New Rs: Rezone, Reuse and Revitalize — The City of Phoenixs Adaptive Reuse Program

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:

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 Rs: Rezone, Reuse and Revitalize — The City of Phoenixs Adaptive Reuse Program
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Dec 22

Walk this Way: Jane’s Walk Phoenix is profiled in Sunset

By Yuri Artibise Who am I?, articles, events View Comments

What started with a Twitter conversation with a somewhat incredulous magazine editor (you mean people actually WALK in Phoenix?!?) almost six months ago has finally become a reality. The current (January 2010) issues of Sunset magazine includes a feature on a Jane’s Walk Phoenix. The article covers why I brought the walk to Phoenix as well as some of the encouraging developments in out downtown core. It also mentions Artlink Phoenix’s First Friday Art Walk, the Morin House, Modified Arts; features a photograph of cycling ‘bodega’ HoodRide in Roosevelt Row; and highlights comments from my friends (and walk participants)  Catrina Knoebl and Jeremy Mudd.

sunset%20cover%20small Walk this Way: Janes Walk Phoenix is profiled in Sunset

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Jane’s Walk is an international “street-level celebration” of Jacobs’ legacy and ideas. The walks honor the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. They do so by combining the simple act of walking with personal observations, urban history and local lore. It is a means of knitting people together into strong and resourceful communities through bottom-up approaches and neighborhood involvement. All Jane’s Walk tours are given and taken for free. Anyone who has an interest in the neighborhoods where they live, work or hang out can lead one of these walks.

I hosted the inaugural Jane’s Walk in Phoenix last May (2009). During the walk, about 35 people joined me as we explored and rediscovered the core of downtown Phoenix, including the historic Roosevelt neighborhood, Roosevelt Row and the arts district, ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus, the new Civic Space Park and other key areas of downtown Phoenix. For more information, including background on Jane’s Jacobs, photos from the walk, local coverage of the walk, and various other details, you can visit my Jane’s Walk Phoenix website.

Special thanks go to editor-at-large Allison Arieff for writing the great article, and photographer David Fenton for the amazing photographs. I would also like to thank all of those who participated in the Jane’s Walk event in May 2009 as well as those who came out for the photo shoot in September; the event and the article would not have been a success without you. Plans are already under way for Jane’s Walk 2010, with an expanded slate of events, including a ‘Jane’s Ride.’

You can check out some scanned pages of the article below, but I strongly suggest you make a trip down to the local magazine rack and pick up a copy for yourself. Sunset is a great publication deserving of your support. Besides, in addition to the feature on Jane’s Walk, this month’s issue has a lot of cool content, including a short profile of Helen and Jan of Sweet Republic ice cream.

sunset1%20small Walk this Way: Janes Walk Phoenix is profiled in Sunset

sunset2%20small Walk this Way: Janes Walk Phoenix is profiled in Sunset

Cross posted on the Jane’s Walk Phoenix website.
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Dec 08

Five Facts About the Most Important Woman You Don’t Know

By Yuri Artibise urbanism View Comments

From: Jane’s Walk Phoenix.

I came across this fact sheet on Jane Jacobs on Amazon.com:

5 FACTS ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN YOU DON’T KNOW
Legendary urbanist, thinker, writer, and activist Jane Jacobs

“Jacobs was a woman of infinite humility, compassion, warmth and generosity of spirit. She reveled in challenging conversation with thoughtful people, listened carefully to citizen testimony at public hearings, never resisted the opportunity to stand up to power and wished only for people to continue the dialogue she started, not duplicate her words… Jacobs’s thought and writing comprise a resounding symphony of lessons and ideas; they compose a life’s work about economic, social and environmental justice.”

—The Nation

jane jacobs2 Five Facts About the Most Important Woman You Don’t Know

  1. Jane Jacobs, with no college degree, and never formally educated or professionally trained in urban planning, came to be the most famous urban planning critic and commentator of the 20th century.
  2. At a time when women were not involved in urban planning or government, as a young upstart journalist, Jacobs faced down legendary titan Robert Moses and successfully blocked his plans to destroy entire sections of Manhattan with massive highways.
  3. Her 1961 seminal work Death and Life of Great American Cities proposed radically new principles for rebuilding cities. At a time when common wisdom called for bulldozing slums and opening up city space, Jacobs’s prescription was ever more diversity, density and dynamism. Her book has been credited with reaching beyond planning issues to influence the spirit of the times.
  4. Critics used adjectives like “triumphant” and “seminal” to describe Death and Life of Great American Cities. Wolf Von Eckardt, writing in The Washington Post, observed that it has “proved more important than all the statistical studies of all our myriad urban centers.”
  5. Jacobs was a community organization pioneer: she organized massive grass-roots efforts to block urban-renewal projects that would have destroyed local neighborhoods. She inspired countless individuals and established the importance of citizen participation in community design.

In 1968, Jacobs was arrested on charges of second-degree riot and criminal mischief for disrupting a public meeting about the construction of a 10-lane elevated expressway, which would have sliced across Lower Manhattan and displaced thousands of families and businesses. The charges were dropped, and the expressway never got built.

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Nov 25

You may be an urbanite if…

By Yuri Artibise Who am I?, urbanism View Comments

You may be an urbanite if you (pick at least 3):

  1. travel in a personal automobile 5 or less times a week.
  2. walk to a local market for groceries
  3. walk to your coffee shop, lunch counter, dive bar or restaurant
  4. walk to the following services: doctor, bank, pharmacist, accountant, barbershop, bike shop, tailor
  5. make a living where you’re living.

On the other hand, if you have (or want) to drive everywhere, you aren’t an urbanite.

Jane Jacobs: the ultimate urbanite

Jane Jacobs: the ultimate urbanite

Full disclosure. The inspiration for this post came from a series of tweets by Steve Mouzon, an architect and author of the Orginal Green, a blog dedicated to describing the sustainability that existed before the ‘Thermostat Age’, and the founder of the New Urban Guild in Miami.

His series of tweets used similar criteria to determine if you live in a sustainable neighborhood. This isn’t a coincidence. Being an urbanite is one of the most sustainable things you can do.

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