Archive for the ‘urbanism’ Category

February 15, 2011

Feliciano Vera on Phoenix’s Geography of Isolation and the Importance of Having Conversations

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Below is the second half of my interview with Feliciano Vera, partner at Habitat Metro, the development company behind Portland Place, The Oasis Motel redevelopment and now the Lexington Hotel redevelopment. If you missed the first half, make sure to catch it here! Blooming Rock: How has the economy impacted you? I know Habitat Metro started in 2007 when everything was flying high. How has it changed you? Feliciano Vera: It’s reinforced our discipline in terms of our basic business discipline and our focus on opportunities and work that passes basic economic muster. We have to be able to…

February 14, 2011

Feliciano Vera of Habitat Metro on Downtown Oriented Development in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Feliciano Vera, a partner with Tim Sprague and John Hill in the local development firm Habitat Metro. Habitat Metro developed Portland Place and is now redeveloping The Oasis Motel on Grand Avenue. Just recently, they announced that they acquired the Lexington Hotel on Central Avenue and plan to rehabilitate it into a chic, boutique hotel. Can’t wait! Feliciano grew up in South Phoenix then set off to Harvard after high school. Fortunately, he not only came back to Phoenix, he also started giving back to the city. If you…

February 07, 2011

An Interview with Josiah Cain of Design Ecology

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Josiah Cain and his firm Design Ecology, based in Petaluma, California, do something I had never heard of before. They design living built environments. The work they do includes things like living roofs, living walls, rain harvesting, natural swimming pools, graywater recycling, stormwater management, urban agriculture and sustainable landscapes. Josiah and his multi-disciplinary team are breaking new ground in adding to the things we build an element of natural nourishment, whereas traditional buildings normally deplete their natural environment without giving anything back. I’m so excited to hear Josiah speak at Rogue Green this Thursday! See the end of this…

February 02, 2011

Valley Metro’s 25th Annual Rideshare Month

by: Suzanne Day

Tweet Today’s post is by Suzanne Day about the upcoming program for Rideshare Month put on by Valley Metro. Suzanne is a Business Service Representative of Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority in Phoenix, Arizona. Suzanne has worked in Transportation Demand Management since 1990. Prior to working for Valley Metro, she was the Executive Director of the Central Avenue Transportation Management Association in Phoenix. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from Arizona State University. A lifelong Phoenix resident, Suzanne enjoys hiking, cooking, and a relaxing commute on the bus. She served on the Maricopa Association of…

January 31, 2011

In Search of the Perfect Shade Tree

by: Lysistrata Hall

Tweet This is a special guest post by Lysistrata “Lyssa” Hall, a Landscape Architect I with the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department and one of the principal authors of the Tree and Shade Master Plan. Lyssa is an Arizona native that was born and raised in Jerome, Arizona. So often, I am asked what is the perfect shade tree for Phoenix? There really isn’t one perfect tree that can be planted in every place and meet everyone’s needs. Trees are living organisms that have diverse growing habits and needs, so it is critical that we apply the concepts…

January 26, 2011

How Phoenix became a City of Freeways and not Rail Transit

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Believe it or not Phoenix was one of the last major cities in the country to complete its freeway system. By the 1960s Phoenix still didn’t have many freeways other than the 1-17. Starting to learn lessons from other parts of the country, especially LA, many in Phoenix weren’t sure that adding freeways would be a good answer to our people-moving dilemma. “…by the later 1960s, people in many cities were beginning to see that near total reliance on the automobile for transportation imposed significant unanticipated costs. Many people now regretted the decisions to bulldoze older neighborhoods that resulted…

January 25, 2011

How Far has Phoenix Transportation Come since 1974?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Well, not very far. We may, in fact, have taken a few steps backwards. While I was doing some research for another article I’m writing, I ran into a very telling story written by Pam Hait called “Transportation” in the August 1974 Phoenix Magazine. Below are two excerpts from it that I found fascinating: “Bicycle paths also made giant strides as Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix all initiated bike-only paths and lanes. Cities now request that developers build adequate room for bicycle paths into their subdivision plans. Bikers converged on Phoenix City Hall this year, and made the most of…

January 24, 2011

Car Free Stories: The Virtue of the Bell and the Hazards of Intersections

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This is the second installment in my Car Free Stories series. Check out the first here. Recently I got a bell for my bike and what a transformative experience it’s been! Before, when people were in front of me on a sidewalk, I yelled (respectfully), “excuse me! excuse me!”. Nine times out of ten this wouldn’t work and I’d just have to slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass the seemingly deaf pedestrian. Now that I have a bell, I’ll ring it once and the astute ones will hear it and get out of the way. I…

January 19, 2011

Will Native American, Hispanic Cultures Be Included in the Arizona Centennial?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is the third and final installment of my interview with the Executive Director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation, Karen Churchard. If you missed them, make sure to read part I and part II of the interview. In today’s post, we find out how the Native American and Hispanic populations will be recognized and included in the Centennial, how we can all participate, and finally why the Centennial is coming at such a good time. Blooming Rock: How are the tribal communities going to be included in the Centennial? Karen Churchard: On Centennial Way, we’re doing a…

January 18, 2011

What the City of Phoenix is Doing for the Centennial

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today’s post is part II of my interview with Karen Churchard, the Executive Director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation regarding what the State is planning this year and next for our Centennial. If you missed part I, make sure to catch it here. I’ll be posting the third and final segment of the interview tomorrow. Today’s installment is about the events that we can expect to see this year in anticipation of the Centennial and also how the City of Phoenix, specifically, is planning to participate. Blooming Rock: What are some of the things that are happening now…