Reinvent Phoenix

About Reinvent Phoenix

Reinvent PHX is a collaborative partnership between the City of Phoenix, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Arizona State University, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives and numerous other organizations committed to developing walkable, opportunity-rich communities connected to light rail. Reinvent PHX will create action plans for districts along the light rail system. The plans will establish a community-based vision for the future and identify investment strategies to improve the quality of life for all residents. This process will establish a new, transit-oriented model for urban planning and development along the city's light rail system.

Challenges

Phoenix is a desert city with a long history of conventional engineering resulting in very wide streets with very poor walkability or bikability or placemaking. The car and hard infrastructure for the car have dominated the urban landscape.

Solutions

The City of Phoenix broke the mold by building a first class modern light rail system. ReInvent Phoenix consisted of a very large planning effort to implement good urban planning for the redevelopment of the neighborhoods around the light rail corridor. Street retrofits addressed road diets, green infrastructure, the introduction of street trees to address the walk appeal and urban heat island affects. Considerable interaction with public works and utilities was required to start to change the standards that left no room for street trees and walkable streets. As well, there was an opportunity to plan an Eco-District in the Gateway District near the international airport.

Project Images