Archive for May, 2012

May 31, 2012

“Just Do It” Urbanism

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Last week I was reading an article about the advertising executive who created the incomparable slogan for Nike: “Just Do It.” His revelation came by way of several events that converged and ultimately led to him thinking about Gary Gilmore’s last words before his execution “Let’s do this.” Now that slogan is etched into our collective conscience by way of multi-media advertising and for some, they have been words to live by. Where urban theorists propose methods of operation, agency, and aesthetics, practitioners worry about things like constructability, mobility, cost, and…

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May 28, 2012

The Good and Bad of 7th Avenue and McDowell

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: As a new resident of the Willo neighborhood I’ve been closely following the new developments on the corner of 7th Avenue and McDowell Rd.  A few years back the corner was mostly dead with the only sign of life being My Florist Café and a few other shops barely hanging on. Today, the corner is being revitalized but not without much outcry from certain sections of the community. So lets look at what is good and bad about the corner. The Good The corner is undoubtedly more alive than it’s been…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: Her extended finger was proof enough. Dorina Bustamante was pissed at me. Not that I should have been surprised. She and I have had an ongoing argument about Arcadia for the better part of at least a year. Fortunately for me, the only people that could see her gesture were sitting next to me – fellow presenters at one of Rob Izer and Kirby Hoyt’s Funk Series earlier in the year. Walking in one of its aspirant satellites (Arcadia Lite? South Arcadia? We Really Want to Be Arcadia?) on a recent…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: Sure, the “signature pop-culture event of the southwest” is typically designed for fans, but it’s also a great time to show off that super power you’ve been diligently keeping under wraps.  While everyone else is gaming, watching sci-fi panels, and generally flying their geek flag at full mast, you’ve got bigger problems to handle.  Sure, we all try to go through our day-to-day just maintaining our secret identities, but as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. (Beware, continuing to read presumes that you do indeed possess some sort of…

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Tweet Today’s post is by Stacey Champion. Stacey, based in Phoenix, AZ, is the owner of Champion PR + Consulting, Champion Indoors, LLC, is the organizer of Rogue Green (a monthly sustainability group) and is a community activist and blogger.  She can be reached at champion@cox.net or through Twitter – @ChampPR & @RogueGreen.  She was also recently named as co-chair of the Sustainability Advisory Committee for Mayor Greg Stanton. My Story: In mid-March, I found out about SB1507 from a friend and colleague while in class at the Sonoran Sustainable Building Advisor Program (which I ironically, was able to attend tuition-free through a Federal green jobs training…

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May 15, 2012

Confessions of an SB1507 Opponent

by: Mick Dalrymple

Tweet Today’s article is by Mick Dalrymple. Mick is a local green building and sustainability expert and filmmaker who has lived in Arizona for 38 years. Since writing and reading this article, he has vowed to get more humor back into his life. The Arizona Legislature recently ended its 50th session, to the great relief of many. The session paralleled the spectacular train wreck scene in 8MM, except that aliens (or at least bills from outer space) popped out of the train continuously throughout the entire crash and burn extravaganza. SB1507, a.k.a. the “anti-sustainability bill”, was but one grotesque example….

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Tweet Today’s post is by Feliciano Vera: “We should hold a wake, y’know.  I mean, the body is still warm and everything.  May help with closure,” read the text from my friend. Word about the closure of the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market spread like wildfire last Friday.  Occupying nearly every casual conversation I had over the weekend, the news nearly derailed work originally scheduled for the week – how do we save the market?  What happened?  Who was to blame? I never pretended to have the answers, other than to say consistently that…

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Tweet Recently I interviewed Jim McPherson and J. Seth Anderson about their new book – Downtown Phoenix – published by Arcadia Publishing about the history of downtown Phoenix. (Suad Mahmuljin, the third co-author of the book, could not be present for the interview.) Below is our conversation:   Photo Credit: A shot of my autographed copy of Downtown Phoenix. Photo by the author.

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May 02, 2012

A Field Guide to Activating Place

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: A while back I was asked to present at the Phoenix Urban Research Lab (PURL) during the Phoenix Urban Design Week at an event called “PURL Jam” wherein 20 slides were to be shown each with a 20 second time limit. The topic was “Activating Space.” After procrastinating for weeks as I usually do, I finally came upon an idea I thought worthy of 400 seconds of the audiences’ time. The concept was based on one of my favorite contemporary artists, Mark Dion. I’d seen one of his pieces a few…

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Tweet Today’s post is by City of Phoenix Traffic Engineer Kerry Wilcoxon giving us an update on plans for the Bicycle Boulevard and an extension of the Central Avenue Road Diet. Note that the extension of the Central Avenue Road Diet is still under evaluation, so if you are in favor of it, please contact your council person and express your support! Fillmore Bicycle Boulevard The Bicycle Boulevard is intended to provide an east west connection between Washington and I-10 from the Grand Canal to 15th Avenue. When completed this would allow bicyclists to travel from Tempe to Glendale through…

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