Posts Tagged ‘phoenix’

July 11, 2011

Getting to Know Phoenix’s Roosevelt Neighborhood

by: Ryan Glass

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass. Last month I discussed the ideas behind meeting all your needs in a hyper-local environment, specifically with transit-oriented development areas in mind. At the end, I challenged everyone to give it a whirl: “See if you can get everything you need, and some things you don’t really need, without ever getting in your car. I bet you’ll like what you find, and your local business-owners will love the support. “ Feeling a need to put my money where my mouth is, what follows is a case-study in doing just that within…

June 22, 2011

Is it time for Phoenix to Change its City Government?

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by Blooming Rock contributing writer Will Novak: With the Phoenix Mayoral elections coming up in the fall and debates happening around town between the candidates, one begins to ponder about Phoenix City Government. The vast majority of Phoenicians don’t bother to vote for Mayor, perhaps in part due to the fact that currently the Mayor of Phoenix is little more than a glorified Council Member. Now is the time to consider switching our City Government to a system that will allow for a bold Mayor with great vision to lead Phoenix. Phoenix’s current system of City…

June 15, 2011

Oasis, Mirage and Vastness: The Valley’s Search for Exceptionalism

by: Kevin Kellogg

Tweet Today’s post is by Blooming Rock contributing writer Kevin Kellogg: I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal these words appear: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and…

May 30, 2011

Michael Pinto on How Architects Can Save the World

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In March, I had the pleasure of seeing architect Michael Pinto speak at the Taliesin West Spring Lecture series. Michael’s office, Osborn Architects, is based in Los Angeles, a city that faces a lot of the same problems as Phoenix, except magnified and sometimes it’s a little bit further ahead in addressing those problems. The reason I decided to interview Michael was that I could tell that he takes a much broader approach to architecture than just designing beautiful buildings. He actually thinks that architects can change the world for the better. And so I was hooked. Michael proved…

May 11, 2011

APS Shade Tree Program!

by: Doreen Pollack

Tweet My friend Doreen Pollack, who is the Garden Goddess, an expert in community and residential gardens and someone who serves on the board of the Valley Permaculture Guild, now is coordinating the APS Shade Tree Program. When she told me that you could get up to 3 shade trees FOR FREE from APS, I wanted to hear more and I thought you would too! So she crafted this small announcement about the program. Planting shade trees in your yard can save you up to $50 per year on your energy bill by blocking the sun’s rays and reducing your…

May 08, 2011

Photos from Jane’s Walk Phoenix – Call 16

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This morning’s Jane’s Walk on Calle 16 (on 16th Street between McDowell and Thomas) was phenomenal. We learned so much about the mural project from artist and co-founder of Calle 16 Hugo Medina. He showed us how the mural project is helping the people of this neighborhood take pride in where they live, how it’s helping to get locals involved in doing something larger then themselves, how it’s helping mentor young artists into established socially-minded artists and how it’s really the beginning of a movement to show off the talent and creativity that we have here in Arizona. Also…

May 04, 2011

Jane’s Walk – Calle 16

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Gennaro’s mural on Calle 16, photo from Arte + Gennaro A few months ago Yuri Artibise, urbanist and Arizona state coordinator of Jane’s Walk, a series of free neighborhood walking tours, asked me if I would help organize a Jane’s Walk on Calle 16. Of course I was delighted and said yes because Calle 16 is MY neighborhood. But I was also a little sad because part of the reason Yuri asked for my help was because he was moving from Phoenix to Vancouver. Yuri and his wife Linda left last weekend and have reached their destination safely. We…

May 03, 2011

Bryan White of Green House Farm, an Architect of Buildings and of Dirt

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Bryan White, sitting in his back yard urban farm with his chicken Polka Dottie Bryan White is an architect gone wild. He and his wife Miro are the owners of an urban farm in the back yard of their home on Osborn and 24th St., in the heart of the city, called Green House Farm. I visited Bryan a while back to interview him and I have to tell you, it was the most pleasant interview I’ve done as of yet. We sat in his back yard, a mini farm, enjoyed the gentle breeze of the spring afternoon, watched…

May 02, 2011

PHXexposed

by: Keith Mulvin

Tweet Today’s post is by Keith Mulvin. I love it when Keith’s kind, smiling face greets me at the Phoenix Public Market and when I run into him at various local events, coffee shops and other hangouts. Keith G. Mulvin was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He has a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning from the School of Design at Arizona State University. He currently works at the Phoenix Public Market. Keith is dedicated to Phoenix and is being the change he wants to see, with a coffee cup in his hand….

April 26, 2011

How we can fit all the growth of the next decade on less than 1% of our land and save 400 million gallons of gas doing it.

by: Kevin Kellogg

Tweet Today’s post is by architect/urban planner/thought leader Kevin Kellogg, who, I feel lucky to say, is a regular contributor on the Blooming Rock blog. While the history of Phoenix points to low density, suburban sprawl as the continued norm, it is possible to grow both economically and accommodate more population in a sustainable way by focusing the future growth onto vacant land around light rail stations. Much as the 1985 highway plan has enabled sprawling subdivisions around freeway off-ramps, the light rail line presents a transformative investment that could shape new types of urban places for the Valley: a…