INTRODUCTION
Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the United States by population and area, is very much a function of the 20th century technologies that enabled its rapid post WWII growth and inhabitation of an arid desert environment. While frequently cited for seemingly endless suburban sprawl, the metro area is in a state of transformation and is beginning to densify in line with other emergent urban centers. For decades, vacant land has made up a sizable portion of Phoenix’s land mass — up to 43 percent in the year 2000, according to a study by the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. This is especially true of the Phoenix downtown area, a location which has enjoyed positive, if not game-changing, developments over the past decade including light rail, a new university campus, thousands of new housing units, and an increasingly attractive business environment. The area also features a celebrated and long-standing arts and culture core with an emerging live music scene.
Nevertheless, opportunities and challenges abound when creating a resilient city in the Sonoran Desert, a location with limited water resources, extreme temperatures, and the occasionally dramatic dust storm. Added to the region’s dramatic environmental setting are the significant demographic changes brought by a vital immigrant community ready to contribute their talents and perspective to the building of a great city.
