planPHX

2025 GENERAL PLAN

City Council Adopted April 17, 2024

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PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

PRESERVE

SHAPE

BUILD

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT

The City of Phoenix acknowledges that Phoenix is located within the homeland of the O’odham and Piipaash peoples and their ancestors, who have inhabited this landscape from time immemorial to present day. The landscape is sacred and reflects cultural values central to the O’odham and Piipaash way of life and their self-definition. This acknowledgement demonstrates our commitment to work in partnership with the ancestral Indigenous communities to foster understanding, appreciation and respect for this heritage.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRP-MIC) and the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) claim aboriginal title (Original Indian Title) to lands exclusively used and occupied by the Akimel O’odham and Piipash equaling 3,751,000 acres of South-Central Arizona. Ancestral O’odham settlements are located throughout the entirety of present-day Phoenix. This land continues to be spiritually connected to the O’odham of the SRP-MIC and the GRIC, both of which are confederations of two unique cultures with their own languages, customs, cultures, religions and histories. Both the O’odham and the Piipaash are oral history cultures and the song culture of these people are specifically tied to tangible places. These places can be natural landforms like the mountains that surround our valleys, but they also include archaeological sites because they are part of a cultural landscape associated with specific historic, cultural and religious values. Those places are tangible reminders to the O’odham and Piipaash about shared attitudes, goals and practices that characterize who they are, where they belong, and how they related to each other in the past, continuing today and into the future. The City of Phoenix has preserved and continues to steward several Ancestral O’odham sites and landscapes and is committed to honor the vital meaning and intent of this land acknowledgement.

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DEAR FRIENDS:

It has been an honor and great privilege to have a front row seat to observe the PlanPHX Leadership Committee organize, deliberate, and present this update to the Phoenix General Plan. These past ten years have been extraordinarily brisk, but also impactful in our commitment to achieving our Plan. Since we began this process in January 2023, we have held these overarching goals:

• Continue the success of PlanPHX 2015 with appropriate updates and focus.
• Engage a robust listening process, by creating an accessible and open process to contribute.
• Emphasize the commonality that reflects all aspects of our community interest and goals.

With the leadership and support of our City Council, and the diligent work of our Leadership Committee and Department staff, we met our goals, with clarity and purpose.

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Our intent was not to start over. Indeed, the current plan establishes a visionary look at the values of our City and follows a strategic approach to future challenges and growth. Our updates are clear and provide purposeful direction to the years ahead. Three aspects of strategy are most important: First, that we can show how planning in Phoenix is not isolated but works together in a symphony of reports, standards, and overlays. Second, that our plan endeavors to assure all voices and opinions find direction. Third, we set the framework for important planning conversations to occur by establishing guidelines for success.

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We conducted broad conversations in every part of our City and hosted topic forums. We heard from neighborhoods, businesses of all scales, families, educators, and youth. Our three significant core principles remain and have sharpened focus to match our growth as a City. We have overlaid a lens of planning equity, which we believe allows greater clarity, and establishes Phoenix as a place where we value people and understand there is not always one single solution.

Our most significant statement is the large degree of support surrounding the continuation of 5 Core Values which form the basis of this Plan proposal. We believe this creates a platform for planning that is unique, and visionary. This cycle, we have chosen to continue emphasis of Downtown as the core of our City and heart of Arizona. With new direction, we describe it is time to examine planning with consideration of cores, centers and corridors, the next logical pattern for evolving the Village model in a growing City.

"Phoenix is a City of opportunity, connectivity and innovation. PlanPHX is our commitment to build from that embedded optimism."

We present this information not as a Code, but as a story we have consistently heard from the citizens of Phoenix, a story told in your own words. A story that will resonate with all ages, walks and areas of our community. We have not changed the Phoenix Land Use map. The purpose of this Committee is to create honest and meaningful planning. There is a clear and transparent process in place to update the Land Use map. We do, however, provide new definition for the "how and why" to determine land use pattern and compatibility, particularly in housing and sustainability goals.

Building from the 5 Core Values, we provide a tool kit to embed strategic goals in our community. Our plan reminds us the process is as important as the product. Ours will be an ongoing planning process, which sets goals, establishes metrics, and will be reported and evaluated annually. Rather than a stagnant plan, updated every ten years, this is the continuing next big step. We will continue our Plan PHX Annual Report, reporting on our success and where we must focus our energies and experience.

We thank all who have participated with us and look forward to your continued support and ideas as we implement the General Plan together.

Respectfully,

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Mayor Kate Gallego City of Phoenix

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Morris A. Stein, FAIA, FACHA Chairman PlanPHX 2025 Leadership Committee

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Mayor & Council

⬚ figure Mayor Kate Gallego

⬚ figure Ann O'Brien District 1

⬚ figure Jim Waring District 2

⬚ figure Vice Mayor Debra Stark District 3

⬚ figure Laura Pastor District 4

⬚ figure Betty Guardado District 5

⬚ figure Kevin Robinson District 6

⬚ figure Former Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari District 7

⬚ figure Kesha Hodge Washington District 8

PlanPHX Leadership Committee

⬚ figure Chair: Mo Stein, FAIA, FACHA

⬚ figure Vice Chair: Jen Corey

⬚ figure Vice Chair: Gabriel Jaramillo

⬚ figure Hannah Bleam

⬚ figure Pearl Chang Esau

⬚ figure Andrea Odegard-Begay

⬚ figure Barry Paceley

⬚ figure Phil Pangrazio

⬚ figure Carol Poore, Ph.D.

⬚ figure Bobby Ruiz

⬚ figure Krista Shepherd

⬚ figure Billy Shields

⬚ figure Christian Solorio

⬚ figure Jay Swart

Planning Commission

⬚ figure Chair (2024) / Vice Chair (2023): Emilio Gaynor

⬚ figure Vice Chair (2024): Marcia Busching

⬚ figure Ryan A. Boyd

⬚ figure Pete Gorraiz

⬚ figure Carol Hu

⬚ figure Gabriel Jaramillo

⬚ figure Joshua Matthews

⬚ figure Lachele Mangum

⬚ figure Lisa Perez

⬚ figure Former Member Shannon Simon

⬚ figure Former Chair (2023): Nico Howard

Special Recognition

The City of Phoenix thanks the Industrial Development Authority for their generous contributions to the PlanPHX Project.

Table of Contents

Mayor’s Letter ......................................................................... 04 Phoenix Today.......................................................................... 08 Phoenix 2050 .......................................................................... 10 Regional Coordination ............................................................ 12 Why do we need a General Plan? ............................................ 14 Public Input: Youth Engagement ............................................ 16 Compliance with Arizona Revised Statutes........................... 20

Part I: Planning a Great City 22

Vision: Prioritizing A More Connected Phoenix ... 24 Vision: A History of Connections........................................ 26 Vision: People & Place.......................................................... 30 Planning Equity through 3 Community Benefits.. 34 Prosperity................................................................................ 36 Phoenix’s Housing Future................................................ 38 Health and Well-Being.......................................................... 40 Heat Response & Mitigation ............................................ 42 Environment............................................................................ 44 Water Demand Conservation & Management... 46 5 Core Values ......................................................................... 48 7 Strategic Tools .................................................................... 50

Part II: Blueprint for a More Connected Phoenix 52

Planning for Connections ...................................................... 54 Phoenix Land Use.................................................................... 56 Cores, Centers & Corridors.................................................. 58 Urban Village Model.............................................................. 60 Village Cores .......................................................................... 64 Employment Corridors .......................................................... 65 Tech Corridors ....................................................................... 66 Scenic Corridors...................................................................... 68 Reconnecting with Our Street Grid ...................................... 70 Safe Systems .......................................................................... 72 Transit Oriented Communities ............................................ 74 Growing Efficiently & Aligning to Change......... 76 Sustainability Integration .................................................... 78 Connected Centers & Place Types Policies ....... 79 Planning Process.................................................................... 82 Land Use & Design Planning Together............................... 84 Land Use & Design Planning Principles ............................. 86 15 Village Character Plans.................................................... 92 Infrastructure Financing ........................................................ 94 Sources of Aggregate ........................................................... 96

Part III: Our Vision, Community Benefits and Values Drive Our Priorities 98

Connecting Our Priorities...................................................... 100 A Unified Policy Framework.................................................. 102 How to Use This Plan............................................................ 104

Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Center & Corridors ............................................ 106

Core Value Policy Alignment.......................................... 108 Downtown is the Core .................................................... 110 Transit Oriented Communities ...................................... 112 Arts, Culture & Entertainment ...................................... 116 Infill Development............................................................ 118 History & Local Business ................................................ 120 Evolving Communities .................................................... 122 Dynamic City.................................................................... 124 Mix of Housing.................................................................. 126 Connecting Neighborhoods to Village Cores 128 Opportunity Sites ............................................................ 130

Connect People and Places ............................................ 132

Core Value Policy Alignment.......................................... 134 Rio Reimagined................................................................ 136 High-Capacity Transit .................................................... 140 Active Transportation ...................................................... 142 Complete Streets.............................................................. 144 Road Safety .................................................................... 146 Public Transit.................................................................... 148

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Parks ................................................................................... 150 Canals / Trails .................................................................... 152 Access and Functional Needs Infrastructure .... 154 Knowledge Infrastructure ............................................ 156 Strengthen Our Local Economy ............................158 Core Value Policy Alignment ...................................... 160 Tech-Forward City .......................................................... 162 Resilient & Integrated Communities ...................... 166 Entrepreneurs and Emerging Enterprises ....... 168 Manufacturing / Industrial Development ........ 170 Highly Skilled Workforce ................................................172 Airports ................................................................................174 Tourism Infrastructure ................................................... 176 Local and Small Business ............................................ 178

Celebrate Our Diverse Communities & Neighborhoods ..................................................... 180 Core Value Policy Alignment ...................................... 182 Historic and Cultural Resources .............................. 184 Certainty & Character ................................................... 188 Safe Neighborhoods - Police ..................................... 190 Safe Neighborhoods - Fire .......................................... 192 Evolving Neighborhoods .............................................. 194 Welcoming Neighborhoods ....................................... 196 Encourage Housing Options ...................................... 198 Arts & Culture ..................................................................200 Open Space ......................................................................202 Build the Most Sustainable Desert City ......... 204 Core Value Policy Alignment ......................................206 Water Sensitive Planning ............................................208 Cool Corridors .................................................................. 212 Desert Natural Landscape ........................................... 214 Rivers, Washes & Waterways ..................................... 216 Redeveloped Brownfields ........................................... 218 Green Building ................................................................220 Healthy Local Food System ........................................ 222 Energy Infrastructure ..................................................... 224 Community Shade .......................................................... 226 Waste Infrastructure ....................................................... 228

Part IV: What We Are Going to Do Together Next 230

Planning Together - Realizing Our Goals ....... 232 Planning for Place Types ............................................234 Identifying and Prioritizing Key Corridors ........... 236 Actions Summary ............................................................ 238 I PlanPHX .......................................................................... 244

Appendices 246

Staff Acknowledgments .............................................. 246 Appendix A: Land Use Map ...................................... 248 Appendix B: Map Update Procedures ................... 249 Appendix C: Land Use & Design Principles .... 252 Appendix D: Transit Oriented Communities Place Type - Adopted Specifying Actions .....261 Place Type - Matrix ................................................... 262 Appendix E: Street Classification Map ................. 264 Appendix F: Sources of Aggregate ....................... 265 Appendix G: Parks Facilities Map ........................... 266 Appendix H: Glossary of Terms ............................... 267 Appendix I: Public Participation Plan .................... 274 Appendix J: ARS Elements Matrix .......................... 275 Appendix K: Approved Resolution .......................... 278 Appendix L: Youth Engagement Reports ......... 280

Éste documento se publica en inglés solamente. Las personas que necesitan asistencia en la traducción al español de éste documento pueden comunicarse con el Departamento del Planeación y Desarrollo del gobierno de la Ciudad de Phoenix, llamando al 602-262-6823, o visitando las oficinas ubicadas en: 200 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85003.

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Phoenix TODAY

POPULATION 1,674,600

PEOPLE

by Jurisdiction Area Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) - U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates

SIZE 529 SQUARE MILES Source: City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS 579,876 by Jurisdiction Area Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) - U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates

MEDIAN AGE 34.1 YEARS OLD

HOUSING MIX 56% OWNER OCCUPIED 44% RENTER OCCUPIED Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) - U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates

POPULATION GROWTH BY DECADE

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Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

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EMPLOYMENT

933,700

JOBS (2022)

by Municipal Planning Area

Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

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AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE:

Source: https://www.usclimatedata.com/

AVERAGE SUNSHINE

300

DAYS PER YEAR

Source: en.wikipedia.org

PHOENIX IS HOME TO MORE THAN

41,000 acres

OF DESERT PARKS & PRESERVES.

Source: https://www.phoenix.gov/parks

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Phoenix 2050

POPULATION 2,032,900

PEOPLE

by Jurisdiction Area Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

PROJECTED DWELLING UNITS

794,054

Housing Units

by Jurisdiction Area Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT

1,200,126

JOBS

by Jurisdiction Area Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

POPULATION GROWTH BY DECADE

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Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

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Projected Population Concentration, 2050

Source: Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2023 MAG Socioeconomic Projections - June 2023

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Total Population / Square Mile (2050)

More than 8,000

6,001 - 8,000

4,001 - 6,000

2,001 - 4,000

251 - 2,000

Less than 250

REGIONAL

COORDINATION

As the largest city in both population and size in the state of Arizona and Maricopa County, Phoenix’s urban form and development has a tremendous impact on its surrounding cities and the entire state. However, the lives of Phoenicians are not defined by the municipal borders, nor should the concept of the “being more connected” just apply to Phoenix. Phoenix residents’ lives are bettered by the city’s proximity to other great cities and their respective assets.

Phoenix will continue to collaborate and coordinate with neighboring cities, Maricopa County, the State of Arizona and other local, state and regional partners. Continuing to be a leader in regional coordination will help to achieve the Vision of a more Connected Phoenix and address the plan’s three Community Benefits.

The success of the METRO light rail system could not have been achieved without the cooperation between Phoenix and several other cities and regional partners. The issue of transportation planning and infrastructure development is a prime example of a project that requires regional coordination in order to be successful. Expanding the city’s public transportation system is one of the items addressed in the plan’s Five Core Values. The Core Values each contain projects or initiatives that will require Phoenix to continue with its role in coordinating with its regional partners for them to be realized.

Spotlight on the Maricopa Association of Governments

In 1967, local governments in Maricopa County formed the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) as a nonprofit corporation to act as the vehicle to address areas of common regional interest. The initial focus and primary concern of MAG was in the areas of water, air pollution and solid waste disposal.

Today MAG is the regional air quality planning agency and metropolitan planning organization for transportation for all jurisdictions in Maricopa County, including the Phoenix urbanized area and the contiguous urbanized area in Pinal County. MAG also serves as the principal planning agency for the region in a number of other areas, including water quality and solid waste management. One of MAG’s most notable services is the development of population estimates and projections for the region.

For more information about MAG and MAG related projects visit www.azmag.gov.

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MARICOPA is the nation’s fastest-growing county, home to approximately four and a half million people with more than 56,000 people added between July 2021-2022. Maricopa County is fourth largest county in terms of population, making up more than half of Arizona’s population, covers 9,224 square miles, and is larger than four U.S. states. Maricopa County includes 24 cities and towns, 5 percent tribal land, including Fort McDowell Yavapai, Gila River, Salt River Pima-Maricopa, and Tohono O’odham. More information can be found at: https://www.maricopa.gov/

WHY DO WE NEED A

GENERAL PLAN?

A city's natural and built patterns of growth serve as its fundamental foundations. From its green spaces to its architecture and landscapes, a city's physical features profoundly shape its identity, influencing its attractiveness as a place to reside, explore, or engage in business and community activities.

The form and function of these environments are paramount in defining a city's overall quality of life. The General Plan plays a pivotal role in shaping a vision that provides the policies, goals and actions that guide a city's growth and preservation, ensuring that it evolves in a manner that aligns with the community's core values and aspirations for the future.

Guide for our Future

Phoenix, as a rapidly expanding city, is still in the early stages of its urban development journey, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. This ongoing growth, set against a backdrop of a maturing urban landscape, presents an unparalleled opportunity for Phoenix residents to actively participate in molding the future of their city.

The pattern of a city's natural and built environments holds paramount significance in our ability to connect people and places.

The General Plan stands as a guide, empowering residents to engage in strategic discussions about the city's trajectory. Through this blueprint, Phoenix can continue to sculpt its natural and built environment to align with the desires and requirements of its residents, enabling them to realize their vision for the city's future. This collaborative dialogue ensures that Phoenix's development pattern remains attuned to the evolving needs and aspirations of its diverse population, fostering a thriving and vibrant network of well connected urban villages.

How Has This Plan Evolved?

One of the goals from the very beginning of the 2025 PlanPHX Project was to execute a coordinated update building off the existing Phoenix General Plan to create a unified policy framework for the entire city. The 2025 PlanPHX effort facilitated a strategic and focused update for residents and developers to align priorities and set a foundation for where we focus next together while also telling the story of what Phoenix's policy environment positions us to be, and outlining partnerships and resources to get there as a city. This update continues to provide a visionary, concise and strategic framework for our future. The following pages of this plan outline our new and evolved planning framework and continues to tell our story of preserving, shaping and building Phoenix.

Encanto Village Core - Midtown District

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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

FRAMEWORK FOR OUR FUTURE

The Vision to be “a more connected city” has been carried through for decades of planning in Phoenix and is consistently referenced in plans, policies and initiatives to this day holding its place atop the General Plan Framework. The next tier within the framework has been slightly modified to further address “Planning Equity” through the lens of the already established 3 Community Benefits. These updated Community Benefits provide critical guidance in achieving the Vision and informing Goals in a more inclusive and equitable way.

Each of the 5 Core Values have also been updated to align with new goals and priorities. The 7 Strategic Tools continue to organize an abundance of implementation resources and actions. The most noticeable update is the introduction of a new Core Value to Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Centers and Corridors across the city. This new framework reinforces alignment and connections across all city plans, policies and initiatives to enhance the quality of life for all Phoenicians.

The four primary parts of the General Plan

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A More Connected Phoenix

1 Vision

⬚ figure Prosperity

⬚ figure Health and Well-Being

⬚ figure Environment

3 Community Benefits

⬚ figure Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Centers, and Corridors

⬚ figure Connect People & Places

⬚ figure Strengthen Our Local Economy

⬚ figure Celebrate Our Diverse Communities & Neighborhoods

⬚ figure Build The Most Sustainable Desert City

5 Core Values

⬚ figure Plans

⬚ figure Codes

⬚ figure Operations

⬚ figure Financing

⬚ figure Partnerships

⬚ figure Knowledge

⬚ figure I PlanPHX

7 Strategic tools

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YOUTH

ENGAGEMENT

Introduction

During the Spring 2023 semester, graduate students enrolled in the "Planning Workshop" in the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (MUEP) program at Arizona State University's (ASU's) School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning (SGSUP) worked with the City of Phoenix to address a real-world planning project. The class satisfies the ASU SGSUP's requirement that second year MUEP students complete a culminating project where students are immersed in an integrative academic and professional planning experience with a client. Youth voices are often overlooked in long-range urban planning, yet these are the individuals who both live and will inherit these cities. Youth engagement is an essential component of Phoenix's public outreach plan for informing its vision for the future. The City of Phoenix partnered with graduate students from ASU's MUEP program to both engage with and document young residents' preferences for the future of the City. Ten schools were chosen by the City of Phoenix Mayor and City Council to participate in this youth engagement effort. By implementing the workshops in these schools and then carefully analyzing the data, the ASU team synthesized the major concerns and hopes of elementary and junior high students for use in guiding the vision and goals of the updated General Plan. At the conclusion of this work, ASU MUEP students provided the City of Phoenix with the summary report and presented their results to both the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department and the PlanPHX 2025 Leadership Committee. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the City of Phoenix, as well as additional information about ASU's Planning workshop. Also presented within this section are the primary goals of this project.

The following pages present the scope and recommendations from this effort. For more information and details on each of the activities see Appendix L.

Youth engagement is an essential component of the City of Phoenix's vision for the future.

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THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROJECT’S

SCOPE OF WORK

During Spring 2023, students enrolled in the ASU “Planning Workshop” worked with the City of Phoenix to create and implement a youth engagement activities and plan. These findings have helped to shape this General Plan 2025 Update. The team’s research consisted of the following components:

The Four Research Components

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Activity design and content creation.

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Phoenix schools’ outreach, consisting of a pilot workshop.

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Data analysis of the school outreach.

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Findings drafted in a report.

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YOUTH RECOMMENDATIONS

Putting It All Together

A common thread through all the activities is that students in Phoenix envision a city with vibrant, healthy and happy neighborhoods that have indoor and outdoor activities for youth. The two highest scoring categories in the “Dotmocracy” activity were ‘more nature’ and ‘indoor entertainment,’ reflecting the students’ desire for appealing activities near their homes. Similarly, during the “Choose a Side” activity, the students talked positively about ‘open space,’ ‘community’ and ‘things to do’, reflecting what they like about their neighborhoods and Phoenix. These analyses indicate that the students like community gathering places, fun events and things to do outside of their homes, but they also perceive a general lack of these developments in their vicinity.

During the guided creation of policies and developments in the “City Building Card Game” activity, the students’ desire for healthy and happy communities was evident. About 40 percent of students chose ‘healthy & active communities’ or ‘lively downtown’ as the guiding policy that they think Phoenix should follow. An additional 4 percent wrote their own framework policy of a ‘fun & entertaining city’. While ‘lively downtown’ was a popular framework

“Students need safe places to gather with friends and stay occupied outside of home or school”

chosen in the game, most students do not go to Downtown Phoenix, so it would be more accurate to say that students want a ‘lively neighborhood’. One student explained that they chose ‘lively downtown’, “Because when I am done with school, I don’t have anything to do and I just need more fun.” The highest coded rationale behind choosing a certain framework policy was a positive environment, indicating a desire for fun, happiness and residential satisfaction.

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Students need safe places to gather with friends and stay occupied outside of home or school. During the “Choose a Side” activity, the students expressed negative perceptions of Phoenix, with many comments relating to ‘safety’ concerns such as trash on sidewalks, lack of street lights, broken sidewalks, and vehicle speeds. These issues can hinder the potential of activity nodes if students do not feel safe getting to or being at those locations.

2025 General Plan Update

Young people in Phoenix are aware of the quality of life they and their neighbors experience, even if they are not familiar with urban planning decisions that affect how they engage with their community. They have a clear idea of the life they want to lead, including having a variety of places to visit or enjoy entertainment, creating spaces for people to connect, and ensuring that these activity nodes can be reached safely and conveniently, even by young students without cars.

The vision of these young residents can be realized through the goals and objectives of the 2025 General Plan update, particularly within the Core Values of Connect People & Places, Strengthen Our Local

Youth Engagement/Partnership

Economy, and Celebrate Our Diverse Communities & Neighborhoods. Looking beyond Phoenix, it is widely recognized that the current state of the built environment contributes to the reduced mobility of youth, particularly with growing parental concerns regarding traffic, distance, and strangers. These recommendations aim to create more opportunities for youth to access developmental support through the built environment.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Connecting People and Places

1. Identify how the cores, centers and corridors discussed in the Phoenix General Plan relate to schools, promoting connections where needed and considering schools as a center where appropriate.

2. Ensure existing parks have adequate funding to maintain a clean and safe environment.

3. Consider adopting guidelines for establishing parks designed for youth on vacant land within residential areas.

4. Evaluate connections between schools and libraries to identify where knowledge access can be increased for students.

Strengthening Our Local Economy

1. Facilitate the integration of local businesses into residential areas, especially those that can function as a hang-out space for local youth and/or encourage continued learning and exploration.

Celebrating Our Diverse Communities & Neighborhoods

1. Ensure that connectivity to transportation options, public spaces, and facilities includes facilities and services that can facilitate youth development.

2. Identify multiple centers of activity within each village so development and resources can be closer to residents, especially the youth.

3. In a car-centric city like Phoenix, those who do not own a personal vehicle or cannot drive, such as those under 16, are limited in how they can participate in their community. The 2025 General Plan update should consider the perspective and desires of the young people in Phoenix and focus on how to get public spaces and attractive development in places the youth can readily access.

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Youth Priority Icon

The above icon throughout the document celebrates Youth priorities in alignment with General Plan 2025 Priority Goals.

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“If every child is valued, respected and treated fairly within a community, if every child’s voice, needs and priorities are heard and taken into account, if every child has access to quality essential services, if every child lives in a safe, secure and clean environment, and if every child has opportunities to enjoy family life, play and leisure, then all children will enjoy their childhood and reach their full potential through equal realization of their rights within their cities and communities”

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CLARITY & COMPLIANCE

WITH STATE LAW

ARIZONA STATE LAW requires every city in Arizona to prepare and maintain a long-range general plan that provides a vision and policies for the future growth and development of each city. More than 60 years of policy and guidance provide a foundation for this next iteration of growth to address topics of today and tomorrow. Arizona Revised Statutes outlines a series of planning elements that cities must address dependent on their population. This 2025 update builds upon the foundation set with the 2015 General Plan which aligned the Five Core Values to those 17 elements, each with its own set of goals and policies as represented in the graphic below. The 17 elements are as follows: Land Use, Circulation, Open Space, Growth Area, Environmental Planning, Cost of Development, Water Resources, Conservation, Recreation, Public Services, Housing, Conservation, Rehabilitation & Redevelopment, Safety, Bicycling, Energy, Neighborhood Preservation & Revitalization.

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Clarity & Compliance with A.R.S.

A Unified Policy Framework

Building off the 2015 General Plan’s more concise narrative, all of the state-required elements remain organized under each of the Core Values, and have been updated to more strategically address them. This approach ensures the General Plan continues to provide a growth and preservation guidance towards achieving the City's vision within in a unified policy framework for the entire city.

Alignment for Execution and Application

A key part of the 2025 update is to utilize the existing framework to better align to all plans, policies and initiatives under the Five Core Values and tie this unified policy framework to existing metrics and measures articulated in the City Manager’s Dashboard and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Government) Dashboards. This results in a General Plan that facilitates a connection across all city initiatives like no other and positions all internal and external partners for success in achieving the priorities across our diverse communities, residents, and businesses. The new General Plan format encourages all users to align goals and priorities with implementation resources for application and execution for years to come.

Carrying Forward

The 2015 Phoenix General Plan, and all subsequent plans provided variety and ambition through many great goals, policies and recommendations in our past. The updated General Plan continues to build upon all of them, particularly the 2015 General Plan as a means of carrying forward some of our best planning practices and policies.

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The Comprehensive Plan for Phoenix, Adopted May 1972

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Interim 1985 Plan, Adopted July 1979

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Phoenix Concept Plan, Adopted July 1979

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Phoenix General Plan 1985-2000, Adopted 1985

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General Plan 2002, Adopted 2001

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General Plan 2015, Adopted August 25, 2015 Amended April, 2018

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PART I

PLANNING A GREAT CITY

Connecting our priorities to an evolved framework for growth.

Part I: Planning a Great City > Vision

A Vision for the Future of Phoenix...

PRIORITIZING A MORE CONNECTED PHOENIX

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By becoming a more “connected” city, Phoenix residents will benefit with enhanced levels of opportunities for shared prosperity, improved community, and individual health and well-being, and continue to support a thriving built and natural environment. Bringing the great people and places of this flourishing desert metropolis opportunities to connect in a variety of places will pay tribute to Phoenix’s historically recognized identity as “The Connected Oasis”. A city like no other in the world, rooted in history and culture, defined with beautiful desert landscapes, active with fifteen unique and diverse urban villages, and connected across vibrant and welcoming communities and neighborhoods. As Phoenix continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the future, our people and places will continue to be the heart of our great city.

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VISION: A MORE CONNECTED PHOENIX

The Vision of “A More Connected Phoenix” was derived from all the major themes and participants’ ideas from major planning efforts, initiatives, and policies across the city. It is a concept that has been around Phoenix for some time and continues to stay relevant. The vision of “A More Connected Phoenix” goes well beyond the physical infrastructure of the city. It is an ideal with deep roots in Phoenix’s history and one that provides a simple, yet intriguing direction for the City to follow into the future..

A History of Connections: Shaping Our Future!

Ancient Canals

When early Euro-American settlers arrived in Phoenix in the late 1860’s, they observed the vestiges of a sophisticated irrigation system for farming that included about 250 miles of ditches leading out of the Salt River. This effective irrigation system was constructed by the Huhugam Indians and was used in the Valley for more than 1,000 years before the arrival of European and American explorers. Despite the obvious disadvantages of attempting to farm in the Sonoran Desert, early settlers could see the potential of the Salt River Valley – the terrain was flat, the soil rich with alluvial deposits, and the climate perfect for an extended growing season. Prominent among the early Euro-American settlers in the Valley was Jack Swilling, an adventurer and entrepreneur who had worked with irrigation canals. He saw the genius of the ancient canals and worked to re-dig them to re-establish farming in the Valley. The first permanent canal was dug on the north bank of the Salt River, about 8 miles northeast of present-day Phoenix in 1868 and was initially called “Swilling’s Ditch,” and eventually was named the “Salt River Valley Canal.” Canals proliferated throughout the Valley, many utilizing the pre-existing system. At the turn of the twentieth century, Phoenix was an oasis with lush trees sprouting tall along wide canal banks that crisscrossed Phoenix and its suburbs. In fact, Phoenix was once called – “A city of gardens and trees.”

Canals Today

Today, Phoenix is home to more than 181 miles of canals, far more than even Venice, Italy has only 125 miles. Beyond delivering Phoenix’s most precious resource, water, throughout the City, the canals have the potential to be a catalyst for connection. There is no other city in the world with a resource so uniquely tied to its past that provides such possibilities for its future. Second only to our street network, the hundreds of miles of canal banks provide a tremendous service in giving the opportunity for residents to cut across Phoenix’s vast urban and desert landscape without the use of an automobile. The canals represent a multi-modal infrastructure that no other city in the world can lay claim to.

Grand Canal Looking Towards Brophy School in 1937

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Arizona Canal Under Construction, 1884

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Connectivity Infrastructure:

A Blueprint from our Past

Street Network

At 4,870 miles, Phoenix’s network of streets’ ability to connect residents and visitors across Phoenix and all of its neighborhoods, businesses, parks and other destinations remain a defining element of Phoenix’s quality of life. Like many western cities, the street network was built on a grid. This grid system has arguably had the greatest influence on how the city has taken shape over time. As Phoenix continues to grow outwards, its growth has extended the grid. This simple and efficient transportation layout allows residents and visitors alike to easily navigate the City. Phoenix’s streets have been utilized by many different forms of transportation throughout the years.

Early Streets

Streets were originally designated for horse drawn carriages and pedestrians, but eventually several major thoroughfares included streetcars. After World War II, the automobile became the most popular means of transportation, and the geographic size of Phoenix grew rapidly. The street network scaled up to a one-mile grid, reflecting the expansive nature of development at the time. In recent years, Phoenix’s streets have once again expanded facilities for other modes of transportation besides automobile, such as walking, biking and high-capacity transit to help increase mobility and access for those who cannot and do not own a car.

Early Rail Network

Phoenix’s introduction to streetcar transportation came in 1887 from a man named Moses Sherman. Sherman’s company had developed Hollywoodland in Southern California, the development responsible for the Hollywood sign, which was originally built to promote the neighborhood. Sherman planned to leverage the streetcar to increase property values in newly subdivided land that he and his partners owned at the edges of Phoenix. The streetcar system enabled development to occur further away from the central core of the City, and connect Phoenix with other nearby towns. Many of Phoenix’s historic

Cyclists on Washington Street, 1880's ⬚ figure

Vehicles on Washington Street, Early 1900's ⬚ figure

neighborhoods were built during this time. The primary route ran along Washington Street connecting the original town site with the Territorial Capitol. Over time, other routes were added connecting additional destinations like the State Fair Grounds, the Phoenix Indian School, Arizona State Hospital, and Phoenix Park (now known as Eastlake Park). For a time, there was even a line that ran out to Glendale

Streetcars

Early streetcars were pulled by horses following tracks which helped reduce friction on the wheels. The cars were open or balloon-style that could face either direction, allowing the car to change directions without a turntable or loop. Fares were kept reasonable to encourage ridership—five cents for many years. The system was later electrified, allowing the streetcar system to run by electricity rather than be pulled by horses.

In 1925, Sherman sold the streetcar system to the City of Phoenix. The City continued to operate the streetcars but also added buses to accommodate new routes for a growing population and expanding city boundaries. Over time, costs increased and automobile use expanded. In 1947, a fire destroyed several streetcars, which prompted the City to close the streetcar system in 1948 after over 60 years of service.

Phoenix’s Transit Future

In 2008, rail service returned to Phoenix in the form of light rail. Like the prior rail system, the new system connected Phoenix with other nearby municipalities, has prompted development, and

Horse-drawn Streetcars in Front of the Old Maricopa County Courthouse, Built in 1884

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Streetcar Turning North on 2nd Avenue from Washington Street, 1940s

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improved accessibility to many of Phoenix’s destinations. Since its inception, the light rail has expanded north and south from its original route. Phoenix’s 21st century light rail has expanded transit services, making new connections, spurring new development and growth opportunities. The Capitol Extension, which runs from Central Avenue and Washington Street toward the State Capitol, is an important extension of the system, connecting City and County government offices in the downtown core of Phoenix with State government offices along the Capitol Mall. This route will serve several historic and established residential and commercial areas as in the past. In the future, the system will be further expanded west to connect with Desert Sky Mall and the larger Maryvale Village Primary Core area.

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South Mountain Park and Preserve

Phoenix Mountain Preserve System

Phoenix saw significant growth during the decades following World War II, and the desire to preserve and incorporate the beautiful desert setting was a priority for Phoenicians. As a result, in 1972 the City Council established the Phoenix Mountain Preserve system, which at the time included North Mountain, Shaw Butte and Dreamy Draw, totaling 7,500 acres.

Today, Phoenix’s mountain and desert preserves total more than 35,000 acres and include 200 plus miles of trails. Phoenix residents have continually demonstrated a commitment to preserving and expanding the city’s open space network.

In 2008, 83 percent of voters renewed the Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative for 30 more years. The initiative sets aside one cent of sales tax for every $10 of purchases to improve and renovate existing parks, and to expand and improve the city’s desert preserve system.

Growing Upon Assets

Given the historical context that connections have had in shaping what Phoenix is today, it is a natural fit for the plan’s Vision. Building upon systems the city already has to make them more extensive, efficient and accessible will help Phoenix connect residents and visitors to the wonderful assets that the city has to offer in greater ways than ever. Connections will be the transforming catalyst for Phoenix’s future.

Part I: Planning a Great City > Vision: People & Place

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VISION:

PEOPLE & PLACE

People + Connectivity

People make places vibrant, active, inviting and unique, providing the building blocks for a truly connected network of communities of any great city. People are the lifeblood of a city, infusing it with vitality, activity and a sense of identity that cannot be replicated.

People transform physical spaces into vibrant, thriving communities where interactions and relationships flourish. When people engage with their surroundings, they not only shape the city's aesthetics, but also its soul. Their stories, aspirations, and interactions weave the intricate tapestry of a place's culture and history. It is through people that a city truly comes alive. Furthermore, connections between individuals are the essential threads that weave together the fabric of any great city.

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These connections transcend physical infrastructure; they encompass social networks, shared experiences, and a sense of belonging. People’s interactions form the foundation of a connected community, where support, collaboration and the exchange of ideas flourish. In a city, each individual contributes their unique piece to the mosaic, creating a rich and diverse tapestry that fosters innovation and growth.

As people engage with their environment and connect with one another, they generate the energy that propels a city forward. Their contributions in the form of commerce, culture, art and human interaction define the essence of a place. People truly are the driving force behind a city’s vibrancy, its dynamism, and its ability to create an interconnected network of thriving communities.

Place + Connectivity

As Phoenix continues to grow, our places will facilitate purposeful connections to one another, bridging the gaps between our vast diversity, uniqueness and character that makes us who we are. A more connected Phoenix is a city of people and places that celebrate our diverse environments, experiences, history and culture like nowhere else. It is important to provide places and supporting infrastructure of varying scales and intensities to accommodate all users and abilities across our city. Place does not exist without people or connections; therefore, Phoenix continues to embrace and expand on its commitment not just to provide places to live, work, and play, but to connect people and places celebrating our diverse mixture of experiences across every village in the city.

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PLANNING EQUITY THROUGH

3 COMMUNITY BENEFITS

“Planning equity” refers to the practice of ensuring that urban and regional planning processes and outcomes are fair, just and inclusive, providing all individuals and communities with equal access to resources, opportunities, and benefits regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, or other characteristics. This General Plan update shares a framework for equity, particularly within three Phoenix community benefits: Prosperity, Health and Well-Being, and the Environment. These community benefits create a strong foundation for the long-term future of our city, delivering a vibrant quality of life for all residents.

The Vision for a more connected Phoenix aims to enhance the quality of life for all City of Phoenix residents framed with enhanced levels of prosperity, improved health and well-being, and a thriving natural environment. These three categories create a framework to provide a balanced and equitable approach towards making Phoenix a more connected city. The following metrics aligned to each of the Community Benefits provides a contextual foundation from which to begin assessing and taking necessary steps to continually improve Phoenix’s quality of life across its diverse and unique villages, communities, and neighborhoods.

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PROSPERITY

• Resident’s connectivity to:

  • + Education
  • + Training
  • + Jobs
  • + Services
  • + Housing
  • + Arts and culture
  • + History
  • + Transportation options

• Progress in the areas of:

  • + Decreased cost of government
  • + Decreased cost of living

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

• Resident’s connectivity to:

  • + Parks, trails and recreation facilities
  • + Healthy food and sustainable nutrition
  • + Safe and welcoming neighborhoods
  • + Celebration of culture and diversity
  • + Health and social services
  • + Sense of belonging, inclusion, and participation

• Progress in the areas of:

  • + Increase % population at a healthy weight.
  • + Reducing health inequalities
  • + Increasing mental health and resilience
  • + Safety for all users and abilities

ENVIRONMENT

• Resident’s connectivity to:

  • + Natural open space
  • + Mountains, rivers washes
  • + Clean air
  • + Clean water
  • + Clean soil

• Progress in the areas of:

  • + Access to natural open spaces
  • + Increased Preservation and Restoration of natural open spaces
  • + Lower nighttime temperatures
  • + Lower utility costs
  • + Reducing asthma rates

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Phoenix at Night

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View from South Mountain Preserve

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Phoenix Art Gallery

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"Understanding what equity means, why it matters, and intentionally focusing on it in planning, is critical to equitable outcomes."

EQUITY FOR THREE COMMUNITY BENEFITS:

PROSPERITY, HEALTH & WELL-BEING, AND ENVIRONMENT

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Introduction

The City of Phoenix puts diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the center of its long-term planning strategy. DEI helps people bring their whole self to their community – their personal stories, music, food and celebrations. This builds trust, allowing residents to see themselves in their community’s future, make contributions, build hope, and achieve prosperity.

Equity, a planning imperative for Phoenix, impacts the interrelated community benefits of Prosperity, Health and Well-Being, and our Environment.

Unlike equality which connotes sameness, equity is responsive to human differences. Equity means fairness and justice, recognizing that we do not all start from the same place with same opportunities and must acknowledge differences, and make adjustments to imbalances.

Equity in Phoenix city planning:

• Identifies and addresses drivers for poor health.
• Creates a process with the help of residents to understand what a community needs, and then determines how to invest city resources to support those diverse needs and priorities.
• Provides opportunity for people of all ages, income levels, races, ethnicities, and abilities to have fair access to the benefits provided by Phoenix community investments, enhancing the quality of life for everyone.
• Invites all residents to participate, prosper and reach their full potential.
• Fosters clear expectations, collaborative problem solving, and persistent leadership.

The City of Phoenix recognizes significant benefits from partnering with community-based organizations to connect city outreach directly with diverse community voices, ensuring the City's planning processes and solutions are inclusive and articulate and address the needs of under-served communities, residents and businesses.

Phoenix strives to ensure equity principles are reflected locally, in every city planning and development project by:

• Maximizing restorative investments in under-served communities.
• Achieving transformational change with bottom-up decision-making (community input).
• Helping institutionalize equity and justice from the inside (policies that prioritize equity).

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PROSPERITY FOR PHOENIX

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The City of Phoenix views prosperity for all with a holistic approach, based on global and national perspectives focused on what constitutes prosperity at the municipal level.

In the broadest sense, prosperity in cities is achieved when people have many opportunities to thrive by fulfilling their unique potential and playing their part in strengthening their own communities.

For Phoenix, equity in prosperity is underpinned by an inclusive society and empowered people. Well-being is promoted, along with a strong social contract that protects the fundamental liberties and security of every individual. Ultimately, a city's prosperity is not just about economic development and physical infrastructure; it is also about who we become as a community.

The definition of equitable prosperity is driven by an open economy that harnesses ideas and talent to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

In a prosperous society:

• Property rights are protected, so investment can flow.
• Business regulation enables entrepreneurship, competition, and innovation.
• Open markets and high-quality infrastructure facilitate trade and commerce.
• Fiscal and monetary policy are used responsibly to foster employment, productivity, and sustained economic growth.
• The natural environment is stewarded wisely, as a legacy for present and future generations.

At the municipal level, a city's prosperity can be assessed by evaluating six dimensions:

• Quality of life, equity and social inclusion.
• Environmental sustainability.
• Urban governance.
• Productivity (wealth creation and economic growth and development).
• Infrastructure development including clean water, sanitation and transportation.
• Communication technology to improve living standards, mobility and connectivity.

For Phoenix city planning, three principles underlie equity in prosperity:

1. Continuously creating new, high-quality opportunities in Phoenix for workers and businesses. This includes our residents' connectivity to education, training, jobs, services, housing, arts, culture, environment, recreation, and natural open spaces and transportation options.
2. Increasing economic mobility for individuals and families in Phoenix, while narrowing significant disparities by race, ethnicity and gender.
3. Creating a city where all residents can experience a high quality of life and actively participate in charting their local future.

Prosperity Challenges

According to the World Economic Forum, the world's most populous cities face these five major challenges:

• Environmental threats.
• Viability of resources such as water, food and energy.
• Inequality.
• Technology, such as smart cities, and the potential for social divide if city residents cannot afford it or lack the capability required for its adoption.
• Governance – the capacity of City leaders and elected officials to enrich the lives of residents as populations become more diverse.

Additional Considerations:

Mobility

Mobility is critical to humanity's growth in the urban environment. It is one of the major facilitators of human settlement and success. Where an individual goes, if they drive a vehicle or instead walk, ride a bicycle or e-scooter, and the resources they have access to have can the potential to influence nearly every other element of their lives. Mobility and equitable access to transportation and transit facilities have become more widely regarded as civil rights, central to inclusion and critical to individuals' capacity to participate and prosper in the modern-day economy.

Workforce and future employment

The fastest growing employment sectors are high-skill and high wage, but unfortunately these sectors are not likely to add the same number of aggregate jobs as much larger and lower-skilled sectors like retail, food service, and office and administration. This spatial mismatch of employment and wages will only be amplified by future growth trends in cities and will reinforce inequities. It is imperative that Phoenix work to counteract these trends.

New, disruptive technologies

Technology is a means rather than an end. New technology initiatives must be aligned with community values — accessible and advantageous to all city populations. New, disruptive technologies require a focus on equity. This means comprehensively defining the new technology, determining what it means and how it might benefit the community while ensuring it is a priority. New technology is not inherently neutral, impacting communities in different ways. Technology can exclude residents who cannot afford it or may lack the capability required for its adoption. As future cities become more digitized, care must be exercised to prevent the emergence of a new form of social divide rooted in technology. Acknowledgment of values and priorities must precede new technology adoption.

Prosperity Opportunities

Transportation + Housing Choices

By designing our streets to be inclusive of active travel, and improve safety and connectivity for active transportation infrastructure, Phoenix can give people choices on how they move around the community. According to the City of Phoenix Active Transportation Plan, everyone should have a comfortable and safe option for using their streets, including designated bike lanes, streets with sidewalks and specifically detached sidewalks with shade. Equity in prosperity, housing and access to financing should not be influenced by race or ethnicity. Neighborhoods with higher rates of transit dependence can access employment and job centers in a reasonable commute time. Phoenix is focused on creating stable income and employment opportunities and increasing transit and housing access between neighborhoods and job centers. This produces better outcomes for individual well-being and equity in prosperity. The following pages further articulate the role of planning equity and prosperity as part of Phoenix’s Housing Future.

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OUR NEXT EVOLUTION FOR PHOENIX'S HOUSING FUTURE

Phoenix has been and continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the country but faces housing challenges. In response to those challenges, the Phoenix City Council adopted the Housing Phoenix Plan in 2020. The Housing Phoenix Plan contains an extensive analysis of Phoenix’s housing data and a series of policy initiatives aimed at achieving the plan’s overarching goal of creating or preserving 50,000 homes by 2030. One housing challenge the City has focused on is homelessness. In 2021, the City formed a task force charged with prioritizing the strategies outlined in the Strategies to Address Homelessness plan. The task force developed a series of recommendations captured in a report to the City Manager’s Office.

PlanPHX and Housing

The General Plan looks to elevate the goals and strategies of both the Housing Phoenix Plan and the Strategies to Address Homelessness report by embedding them into the General Plan’s organizational framework and outlining specific actions that will contribute to their implementation (see Part IV). For decades, so much of Phoenix’s housing planning efforts have primarily dealt with where the housing should go and for good reason. With so many people moving here year after year, identifying the locations where housing should be preserved and built is and will continue to be, a critical function of the General Plan. As Phoenix has continued to grow, the conversation about housing has evolved. Planning and zoning in Phoenix has traditionally focused on two elements of housing developments - the scale (how big) and intensity (how many bedrooms). Starting in 2008, Phoenix began a conversation about the form that the housing should take when it initiated the Downtown Urban Form Project, which served as the foundation for Phoenix's first form based code, the Downtown Code (Chapter 12 of the Zoning Ordinance).

Integrating New Housing

The Downtown Code and the Walkable Urban Code (Chapter 13 of the Zoning Ordinance), adopted by the City Council in 2015, have strengthened planning considerations for housing in Phoenix that focus more on how the project will integrate into the surrounding neighborhood and enhance

the interface with the adjacent public streets. In response to the current housing challenges and the goals and recommendations from the Housing Phoenix Plan and Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan, the conversation around housing in Phoenix must now look to answer the question about what can be done to provide a robust mix of different housing types throughout the city.

Housing All Shapes and Sizes

The General Plan’s Cores, Centers and Corridors and Place Type concepts will provide the policy framework for this next evolution in the conversation around housing. Several of the actions outlined in Part IV of the General Plan call for continued updates to the Zoning Ordinance to facilitate a diversity of housing types with a variety of scales, sensitive to unique and varied context, while utilizing the Urban Village Model to ensure all communities and neighborhoods are part of the conversation and part of the solution. Our next evolution for Phoenix’s Housing future is no small task; however, as we strive to be a more connected Phoenix, our housing opportunities must also follow suit to be more connected to the evolving needs of our communities and neighborhoods.

Housing Phoenix Plan

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Revello - An Affordable Walkable Urban Code Project

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HEALTH & WELL-BEING

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HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Health equity means that everyone is able to achieve the highest level of health. Health inequity results from the uneven distribution of social and economic resources that impact individual health and create health disparities. Equity in health and well-being for Phoenix requires putting health equity at the center of all decision making and ensuring all residents have access to healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food, housing, access to natural and green spaces, as well as recreational amenities, quality education, social and economic opportunities and safe places to walk and bike as a few examples.

Equitable health in city planning includes ensuring safe drinking water, ample street lighting, street shade, mitigating excessive heat during summer months for at-risk residents, preserving and restoring natural spaces and providing public parks that welcome residents and offer opportunities for recreation and exercise. Addressing health equity means removing health disparities; it includes ensuring that we acknowledge the historical context of decisions on health and populations and we use data and community voice to empower and plan healthy communities in a way that does not create new financial burdens on economically disadvantaged communities.

Well-being is defined as a set of needs and experiences universally required in combination and balance with weather challenges, health and hope. Unlike wellness, which has acquired "health-only, upper-income" connotations, wellbeing is foundational – not a mere lifestyle choice. Humans are hardwired to seek out connection and belonging. A city committed to equity in health and well-being ensures safety, fosters familiarity and predictability, supports residents having an influence on their surroundings, and supports the envisioning of their city's future with purpose and creativity. Equity in health and well-being includes all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and the full diversity of physical, sensory and cognitive abilities.

Health and Well-being Challenges

Communities of color are more likely to have fewer public spaces, experience danger in public space and have less access to nature. From ample tree canopy, sidewalks to access green spaces and natural open spaces, every infrastructure investment is an opportunity to improve public health and make the built environment safer and more inviting, encouraging physical activity and time spent outdoors and in neighborhoods. Many areas in Phoenix are considered underserved regarding healthcare, which are areas that lack access to healthcare resources while Arizona ranks 49th in the US for mental health.

Housing

Ensuring equitable access to affordable housing options for all who desire to call Phoenix home is a City priority. Rising housing costs create challenges for residents at all income levels and family sizes to find an affordable place to call home. With many residents spending a higher portion of their income on rent or homeownership costs, many do not have enough remaining income to adequately pay for food, healthcare or other basic needs. To address rising housing costs, some households have chosen to move away from community amenities that increase health and well-being to find more affordable housing options.

Safety

According to the Road Safety Action Plan adopted by Phoenix City Council on September 7, 2022, Phoenix has an average of over 30,000 crashes annually and an average of 2 crashes resulting in serious injury every single day, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has consistently ranked Phoenix in the top 3 cities in the nation for overall traffic fatalities.

Asthma

Metropolitan Phoenix ranks in the top five of the U.S. for asthma. Asthma rates have been found to be higher in low-income areas. This is especially true for children, as 16 percent suffer from asthma, representing twice the national average.

Health and Well-being Opportunities

Phoenix Mountain and Sonoran Preserves

Phoenix is home to more than 41,000 acres of desert parks and preserves. This includes South Mountain Park, which is the world’s largest municipal park. National Geographic recently named Phoenix as one of the best hiking cities in the country.

Canals

In addition to its tens of thousands of acres of open space, Phoenix is also home to one of the most extensive canal systems in the world. At more than 181 miles, Phoenix is home to more linear length of canals than Venice or Amsterdam. The trials along the canals have become one of Phoenix’s most popular recreation destinations and their popularity will only continue to grow as improvements to the canal trail system are made.

Healthcare + Housing

Five out of the 10 Trauma Level 1 hospitals in Arizona call Phoenix home, which are among the 15 major hospitals located in the city. Phoenix Children’s Hospital has been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals. Combined with the establishment of the University of Arizona College of Medicine located in downtown Phoenix, and the partnership between the Mayo Clinic Hospital and Arizona State University in northeast Phoenix, the city has experienced significant growth in the health related fields like no other time in its history. The growth of the hospital and medical education sectors provides an opportunity for Phoenix to forge an impressive set of partnerships to tackle its most pressing health challenges. Phoenix has committed to an ambitious goal of creating or preserving 50,000 housing units by 2030 through the Housing Phoenix Plan. The Plan includes a vision for the City where all residents have equitable access to quality public services and amenities including public spaces, schools, transit, retail, employment opportunities, affordable housing, and environments that are healthy and safe. By continuing to implement the Plan, the City will continue to aid in increasing the number of available and affordable housing options for all Phoenicians.

Heat

The following pages further articulate the role of planning equity and health & well-being as part of Phoenix’s Heat Response and Mitigation Future.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING SPOTLIGHT:

In 2022, the Phoenix City Council voted to hire a Public Health Advisor establishing the first Public Health Office for the City of Phoenix, solidifying the City’s commitment to public health and health equity. The addition of public health expertise within the City’s leadership provides the opportunity to strengthen health and well-being across the City, expanding upon existing public health programs, including heat response, heat mitigation, and food systems. The Public Health Office will use data and the community’s voice to identify key priorities for health equity in planning, enhancing the City’s focus on healthy planning policy.

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HEAT RESPONSE AND MITIGATION

The Office of Heat Response and Mitigation (OHRM) in the City of Phoenix stands as a testament to the city’s proactive approach to address contemporary environmental challenges and to prepare for a warmer future. Established in response to the pressing need to better protect the city’s residents, infrastructure, economy, and ecosystem from extreme heat, OHRM works to coordinate and accelerate a citywide response to the multifaceted risks posed by high and rising temperatures.

Heat and Health

Phoenix, like many other cities around the world, has been experiencing more frequent and more intense heatwaves, and longer and hotter summers. These events not only strain the city’s resources, but also pose a significant threat to public health, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Goals and Objectives

The primary goal of OHRM is to enhance the city’s resilience against heat-related threats and mitigate their adverse impacts in collaboration with all City departments and many external partners. One of its key objectives is the development and implementation of comprehensive heat response plans. These plans are crafted to ensure that all residents, especially those most susceptible to heat-related illnesses, are safeguarded during extreme weather events. By focusing on vulnerable or under-served communities such as the youth, elderly, people experiencing homelessness, low-income families and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, Phoenix aims to minimize heat-related morbidity and mortality rates.

Resiliency

OHRM also works towards promoting sustainable urban development and resilience through various initiatives. One such initiative involves urban planning strategies to counter urban and extreme heat. By integrating more green spaces, promoting tree planting programs, and advocating for sustainable architectural practices, the City aims to reduce ambient temperatures and improve thermal safety and comfort. These efforts not only make the city more livable but also contribute to the overall well-being of its inhabitants.

Heat Engagement

Community engagement plays a pivotal role in OHRM’s mission. The Office actively collaborates with local communities, public health agencies, environmental organizations and educational institutions. Through workshops, awareness campaigns, and educational programs, OHRM strives to inform residents about the dangers of extreme heat and encourages the adoption of heat-smart behaviors. Public awareness campaigns are designed not only to educate individuals about the risks associated with heat but also to empower them to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their communities.

Heat Policy

Moreover, OHRM is exploring policy changes at the municipal level. By working closely with policymakers and legislators, the Office serves in an advisory role for the integration of heat mitigation strategies into urban planning policies and building codes. These efforts ensure that future infrastructural developments are resilient to rising temperatures, creating a more sustainable urban environment for generations to come. For example, providing tree planting and shade structures in parts of the City that most use public transportation (underserved communities) as opposed to other communities that rely more on private automobiles.

Carnation Neighborhood Tree Planting (2022)

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Kickoff for Arizona Heat Awareness Week (2023)

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ENVIRONMENT IN PHOENIX

Environmental equity includes multiple factors, including fair and just access to environmental resources, protection from environmental hazards and participation in environmental decision making. Low-income, marginalized communities of color face disproportionate effects of climate change. Equitable development is driven by priorities and values as well as clear expectations that the outcomes from development need to be responsive to under served populations and vulnerable groups, using innovative design strategies and sustainable policies necessary for sustaining environmental justice.

Phoenix strives to be the most sustainable city in the world by improving the quality of life for everyone and allowing nature to thrive. 2050 Sustainability Goals set long-term outcomes necessary to fulfill this vision and the 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP) outlines the actions to achieving, 2050 goals along with new ambitious climate goals. The CAP is part of how Phoenix is addressing the impacts of climate change by putting the city on a path to reduce GHG emissions by a minimum of 50 percent by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

All aspects of society including, in part, our health, our economy, and our food systems are directly influenced by climate change. By using a place-based approach for development, and including robust public involvement, equitable development fosters collaborative problem solving; and makes a visible difference in communities that are under served, under-resourced and overburdened..

Equity in our city’s environment is critical. The Lancet, a world-leading medical journal founded in 1823, has called climate change the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Moreover, the World Health Organization estimates that the costs of climate change's direct damage to health will reach $2 billion to $4 billion per year by 2030 and is affecting the ability to deliver safe, effective, and efficient health care, impacting a wide range of health outcomes. Part of tackling sustainability is addressing environmental justice. Certain populations can be disproportionately impacted by climate change can include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, lower income individuals, historically underrepresented groups such as children and older adults, and those experiencing multiple environmental burdens. In Phoenix, extreme heat and poor air quality impact residents who may already be dealing with chronic health conditions, no or inadequate healthcare, or a lack of clear and reliable information and resources.

Phoenix makes addressing environmental justice a priority. Environmental Justice concerns include such things as fair and just access to environmental resources, protection from environmental hazards and the ability to participate in environmental decision making.

Every action is a climate action. All aspects of society including, in part, our health, our economy, and our food systems are directly influenced by climate change. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), equitable development is a place-based approach for encouraging environmental justice. In the context of environmental justice and planning, equitable development improves public involvement, supports collaborative problem solving, and makes a visible difference in communities that are under-served, under-resourced and overburdened.

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Environment Challenges

Environmental threats for Phoenix include extreme heat, more intense wildfires, increased flooding risk and vector borne disease. Rapid urbanization, which can strain basic infrastructure, coupled with more frequent and extreme weather events linked to global climate change is exacerbating the impact of environmental threats.

Air Quality

Poor air quality impacts every resident in the city of Phoenix. The federal Clean Air Act (CAA) requires Arizona to create a state implementation plan (SIP) aimed at meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that include the following six criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 10 micrometers (PM-10) and with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM-2.5), lead, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. These air quality standards must be met within the Maricopa

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Piestewa from North Mountain

Nonattainment Area, which includes the city of Phoenix. Of course, air is not contained by city limits so actions directed at improving air quality must be considered at a regional level. In 2021, Phoenix became a Signatory City of the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration. As a C40 City, Phoenix meets the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide and will work toward meeting the standards for particulate matter and ozone. This will be done by including relevant top pollution-reducing actions into the plan, which includes expanding public transit, increasing active transport options, modeling air pollution reduction as a result of actions, and monitoring air quality. The greater Phoenix area is currently designated as Moderate Non-attainment for ozone, and likely to be redesignated to Serious Non-attainment in 2024. The area also is designated as Serious Non-attainment for PM-10 (dust) and is experiencing increasing levels for PM-2.5 (soot) that could potentially result in the region's status changed to Non-attainment for PM-2.5. As the classification becomes more severe, the Clean Air Act requirements become more stringent and costly and impact public health.

Environment Opportunities

Implement the Phoenix Climate Action Plan. Phoenix has accomplished many initiatives, programs, and projects that have led to climate pollution reductions and provided social, economic and environmental benefits.

Phoenix will:

• Lead by example by transitioning city operations' electrical use to be carbon neutral by 2030 through energy use reduction and implementation of local and utility scale solar projects.
• Reduce community carbon emissions from buildings, transportation and waste to move toward becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050.
• Support increased energy efficiency, renewable energy and new electric vehicle charging requirements in building codes, to achieve carbon neutral buildings citywide by 2050 with all new construction being net-positive in both energy and materials by 2050.
• Attract businesses that turn waste into resources and create a thriving Resource Innovation Campus by 2030 to put the city on the path to zero waste by 2050.
• Support and prepare for 280,000 electric vehicles in the city by 2030 and rapidly expand bus and high-capacity transit (light rail and bus rapid transit) to achieve carbon neutral transportation by 2050.
• Support new land use and development tools, such as the Walkable Urban Code, to prioritize walking, biking, or transit use, thereby reducing dependence on single occupancy vehicles; particularly within and connecting to Transit Oriented Development Districts, as well as Village Cores, Centers and Corridors by the year 2050.
• Become a top tier Heat-Ready City by 2025—implementing the Tree and Shade Master Plan by 2030 and building a network of 200 "cool corridors" by 2050.
• Continue to lead internationally in water stewardship – providing a clean and reliable 100-year water supply.
• Create and maintain a healthy, sustainable, equitable, and thriving local food system with healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food for all Phoenix residents by 2050.
• Significantly improve air quality in the region to meet federal air quality standards.

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WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION

ENVIRONMENT

The history of the City of Phoenix is a history of water management and conservation. From the canals of ancestral Sonoran Desert people through the Salt River Project to the construction of the Central Arizona Project, human’s ability to thrive in the desert has always depended first and foremost on our ability to use the limited water resources available with care. For this reason, the City, and Central Arizona more broadly, have elected to develop on a backbone of renewable surface water resources rather than a finite resource of groundwater, unlike many other communities in the American West.

Water Resiliency

Because it is not sustainable to revert to groundwater supplies, the City has taken great care to protect surface water in the region. In 2014, the Phoenix City Council authorized the Colorado River Resiliency Fund, improving local watershed resiliency and providing for underground water storage. In 2017, the City partnered with the Gila River Indian Community, State of Arizona, Bureau of Reclamation and Walton Family Foundation to fund “System Conservation”, which permanently left water in Lake Mead to delay shortages. In 2022, the City chose to voluntarily forgo 30,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water use as one of the leading participants in the “500+ Plan.” The City increased its system conservation in 2023 and 2024, leaving 50,000 acre-feet in each of those years in Lake Mead to stabilize the Colorado River system. Perhaps most importantly, construction of the “Drought Pipeline” is nearing completion, which will allow the more efficient transport of drought supplies to areas of the City that rely upon Colorado River supplies.

Water Conservation

Water supply is only one side of the equation. Due to the foresight of current and previous civic leaders, the City has made significant progress in demand management and conservation. In 1980, the State of Arizona passed the Groundwater Management Act, becoming the first U.S. state to regulate groundwater and mandate water conservation measures on a large scale. Because of these measures and other social forces, per-person water use in Phoenix has fallen by more than 30% over the last 30 years. Since 2000, the City has reduced overall demand by more than 19,000 acre-feet, despite the service population growing by more than 305,000 residents. In 2019 the City adopted the recommendations of the Citizens Ad Hoc Water Conservation Committee for new and enhanced water conservation programs. These recommendations radically increased the scope and staffing of the City’s water conservation work, adopting 12 new or expanded conservation programs and a new Citywide water efficiency goal of 155 gallons of water delivered per person per day by 2030. If this

Tres Rios Wetlands ⬚ figure

goal is attained, the City will have reduced its per-person water use by more than 35 percent over 30 years.

Colorado River Issues

However, hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River, which currently comprises approximately 40 percent of the water delivered to Phoenix residents, are currently the worst they have been in over a millennium. During the summer of 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation, who serves as the water master on the Colorado River, stated that it would be necessary for water users in the Colorado River Basin to radically reduce water demands on the river and briefly considered unilateral water reductions to protect hydropower generation and water deliveries from the Colorado River. While an exceptional winter combined with unprecedented voluntary system conservation efforts saved Colorado River water users from severe shortage in 2023, the long-term outlook for the Colorado River is concerning.

Adapting to Change

To adapt to a challenge of this magnitude, the City will have to embrace its heritage of water-problem solving. In June 2022, the Phoenix Water Services Director declared a "Stage 1 Water Alert" as part of the City's Drought Management Plan, which means a supply insufficiency is likely in the future. This declaration heightened awareness of the limitations associated with water scarcity and water conservation actions that can improve resiliency. In addition, the city is pursuing new water supplies, such as the possibility of recycling wastewater through Advanced Water Purification. These supplies are readily available and are drought and shortage proof. Moreover, to pursue its goal of becoming the most sustainable desert city on the planet, Phoenix must reduce its reliance on the Colorado River, adopt institutional water conservation policies and pursue new supplies of water.

Colorado River

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A NEW TRAJECTORY:

5 CORE VALUES

The PlanPHX 2025 Leadership Committee and staff led in the evaluation, discussion and identification of the next iteration of the Five Core Values and underlying goals to create a unified policy framework for the entire City. This effort begins and ends with the residents of Phoenix. These Core Values will continue to align various City policies, plans and initiatives towards a more connected city while being respectful of the interrelationships and influences each goal has upon one another.

The newest Core Value, Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Centers, and Corridors, represents a need and desire to revisit the Phoenix Urban Village Model originally established in the Phoenix Concept Plan 2000. By building on the Urban Village Model and aligning with more priorities for today and the future, Phoenix has an opportunity to employ a Village context-sensitive approach to growth, infrastructure, preservation, and place-making like never before. This approach will further enhance Phoenix’s unique character and identity across the entire city.

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Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Centers and Corridors

• Downtown as the Core
• Transit Oriented Communities
• Arts, Culture & Entertainment
• Infill Development
• History & Local Businesses
• Evolving Communities
• Dynamic City
• Mix of Housing
• Surrounding Neighborhoods
• Opportunity Sites

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Connect People and Places

• Rio Reimagined
• High Capacity Transit
• Active Transportation
• Road Safety
• Complete Streets
• Public Transit
• Parks
• Canals & Trails
• Access & Functional Needs Infrastructure
• Knowledge Infrastructure

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Note: The goals in bold are new or refreshed from the 2015 General Plan.

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Strengthen Our Local Economy

• Tech-Forward City
• Resilient & Integrated Communities
• Entrepreneurs & Emerging Enterprises
• Manufacturing & Industrial Development
• Highly Skilled Workforce
• Airports
• Tourism Infrastructure
• Local & Small Business

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Celebrate Our Diverse Communities & Neighborhoods

• Historic and Cultural Resources
• Certainty & Character
• Safe Neighborhoods - Police
• Safe Neighborhoods - Fire
• Evolving Neighborhoods
• Welcoming Neighborhoods
• Encourage Housing Options
• Arts & Culture
• Open Space

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Build the Most Sustainable Desert City

• Water Sensitive Planning
• Cool Corridors
• Desert Natural Landscapes
• Rivers, Washes, & Waterways
• Redeveloped Brownfields
• Green Building
• Healthy Food System
• Energy Infrastructure
• Community Shade
• Waste Infrastructure

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TOOLS FOR

ACTION

The 7 Strategic Tools continue to guide and align various implementation resources and efforts for all City departments and community and business stakeholders to participate in making progress big and small towards the General Plan Vision, Core Values and Goals.

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Plans

• A reference to an existing plan and call to implement or update it.
• Creation or adoption of new plans, studies or planning exercises.

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Codes

• Creation of new codes or regulations.
• Update of an existing code or regulation.

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Operations

• Continuation or expansion of a current City program or practice.
• Support for changes to City programs or practices.

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Financing

• Identification of a need for City financing for capital improvements.
• Pursuit of philanthropic or other funding sources.

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PLAN: ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

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CODE: WALKABLE URBAN (WU) CODE

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OPERATION: ZERO WASTE PHX

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FINANCING: 2023 GO BOND PROGRAM

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Partnerships

• Identification and development of partnerships that could help achieve the goal.

Knowledge

• Creation of a public awareness on a topic.
• Enhancement of staff and community capacity.

"I PlanPHX"

• Items that residents can do right now to implement the goal and play a direct role in shaping Phoenix's future.

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PARTNERSHIP: MYPHX311

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KNOWLEDGE: URBAN PLANING 101 VIDEOS

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IPLANPHX: G.A.I.N (GETTING ARIZONA INVOLVED IN NEIGHBORHOODS)

Implementation Strategies

The 7 Strategic Tools provide a concise and practical way to organize various Citywide and department-specific implementation resources and efforts continually improving and making measurable progress toward the General Plan 2025 Vision, Core Values and Goals. From the Active Transportation Plan (Plan) to the Zero Waste PHX Program (Operation), Phoenix is already well on its way toward achieving the Vision of a more connected Phoenix. PlanPHX connects the efforts from the Phoenix City Council and City departments into one unified policy framework for the future of the city. In addition to helping implement the General Plan, these initiatives and projects have and will continue to play significant building solutions for our future.

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PART II

BLUEPRINT FOR A MORE CONNECTED PHOENIX

Achieving the vision of a connected oasis will require Phoenix to employ a strategic approach when planning for growth, infrastructure and land use. By using the five core values, this new strategy begins to take shape.

Planning for CONNECTIONS

To address our challenges and leverage our assets, the City and its residents must adopt a unified policy framework and context-sensitive planning approach. Phoenix boasts a stunning Sonoran Desert backdrop, complete with mountains, rivers and washes, providing a distinctive and picturesque canvas for varying scales and intensities of urban development. Within this natural setting, Phoenix's diverse communities have flourished, each with its own unique character, history and development patterns. These communities, framed and interconnected by the surrounding landscapes and transportation network, serve as the fundamental building blocks for A More Connected Phoenix. The ongoing growth of our city across this extraordinary landscape presents both our most significant challenge and an immense opportunity. Over the past decade, Phoenix has continued to grow inward like never before. This growth, while testing our resiliency, underscores our commitment to evolving and developing in harmony with the unparalleled environment that defines our city.

Cores, Centers and Corridors

While Phoenix has grown on the periphery, it has also experienced a renaissance across all Villages. Moving forward, if we are truly to become a more connected Phoenix, we must ensure that we coordinate land use, transportation, and infrastructure planning in a more equitable, balanced, and strategic way using a Cores, Centers and Corridors approach.

This approach for guiding growth and investment close to existing or planned infrastructure will help to solidify Phoenix's future as a more connected city. These mixed-use activity centers will offer diversity, variety, uniqueness, and sense of place across differing scales and intensities often linked together forming a network of connections like no other.

Phoenix’s growth strategy has two major parts – Growth and Preservation Goals and Infrastructure Goals to align with our need and desire for a more connected growth pattern.

Growth / Preservation

Growth and Preservation Goals address aspects of our city we may want to see expanded, protected or enhanced. The identified Growth and Preservation Goals will help guide the General Plan Land Use Map updates across the city. The following is a list of Phoenix's Growth and Preservation Goals:

• Downtown as the Core
• Infill Development
• Evolving Communities
• Mix of Housing
• Surrounding Neighborhoods
• Opportunity Sites
• Transit Oriented Communities
• Tech-Forward City
• Resilient & Integrated Communities
• Entrepreneurs and Emerging Enterprises
• Manufacturing and Industrial Development
• Local and Small Business
• Certainty & Character
• Safe Neighborhoods
• Evolving Neighborhoods
• Welcoming Neighborhoods
• Water Sensitive Planning
• Desert Natural Landscape
• Rivers, Washes and Waterways
• Redeveloped Brownfields

Infrastructure

Infrastructure addresses the components of our city that complement and provide necessary support towards achieving our Growth and Preservation Goals. Typically referring to facilities or programs. The following is a list of Infrastructure-related Goals:

• Arts, Culture & Entertainment
• History & Local Businesses
• Dynamic City
• High-Capacity Transit
• Active Transportation
• Complete Streets
• Road Safety
• Public Transit
• Parks
• Canals and Trails
• Access and Functional Needs Infrastructure
• Knowledge Infrastructure
• Highly Skilled Workers
• Airports
• Tourism Infrastructure
• Encourage Housing Options
• Open Space
• Cool Corridors
• Community Shade
• Green Building
• Healthy Food System
• Energy Infrastructure
• Waste Infrastructure

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Phoenix Central Corridor

PHOENIX LAND USE

AREAS OF GROWTH AND PRESERVATION

After the adoption of the updated General Plan, the Planning and Development Department will collaborate with the Planning Commission, Village Planning Committees, residents and property owners to determine if any changes to the Land Use Map are needed as part of the update of each of the individual village character plans discussed in Part IV of this plan. This exercise will involve the identification of four areas within each of the 15 urban villages. The following is a summary of these areas.

Growth and Infrastructure

A key step in the Land Use Map update exercises will be an analysis of growth trends for the city and each village. Identifying areas projected for both residential and employment growth will be an important consideration in designating Areas of Growth, Preservation, and Cores, Centers and Corridors.

In addition, a review of existing and planned infrastructure investments and existing and projected infrastructure demands will be critical towards identifying appropriate locations for future investment and growth and to capture these kinds of places in each of the villages, from neighborhoods to natural open space. Areas of Preservation are meant to maintain the established character and scale of a neighborhood or place. By identifying places each village values most, we will work together on a more strategic approach to land use for the entire city.

Areas of Growth:

The purpose of Areas of Growth is to channel growth where each village feels it is most appropriate and aligns with the General Plan’s goal of coordinating new growth with existing or planned infrastructure.

Areas of Growth can be part of the village where most people agree that development or redevelopment would be beneficial. Areas of Growth should also be the places with the most intensity and scale of development in the village or a place where the village will be supportive of a change in the existing intensity and scale of development.

Areas of Preservation:

Shaping Phoenix’s future goes well beyond deciding how new growth will occur. It is equally important to preserve those places that have made our city the great place it is today. Areas of Preservation can be employed to ensure those places are protected and enhanced.

Centers:

A network of centers will be identified in each village and be used to develop a citywide centers table. It will augment the Urban Village Model and the existing primary and secondary cores and in some instances provide additional policy guidance to ensure future growth and development of existing cores as it responds to and facilitates connections and relationships to newly established centers.

Corridors:

Not all growth in Phoenix has occurred in a defined area, but has followed a more linear pattern of growth. Areas like Baseline Road in the South Mountain Village or 32nd Street in the Paradise Valley Village are great examples of corridors that should be captured in the Land Use Map update. Analyzing where Phoenicians are connecting with each other today is crucial to understanding how to most efficiently build a more connected Phoenix for tomorrow.

Identifying cores, centers and corridors in each village will be a big step towards incorporating the concept of connectivity into the General Plan’s Land Use Map.

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Central Avenue north of Downtown was once considered the suburbs of Phoenix

CORES, CENTERS & CORRIDORS

While there are a multitude of factors that help a city take shape, land use is perhaps the most powerful. How and where we live, work, shop, go to school, worship, recreate, build and all other elements of life correspond to how we use land across our communities. It is with this impact of land use in mind, that the planning profession was born and continues to exist.

Cores, Centers, & Corridors:

The General Plan Land Use Map has dozens of designations from residential to industrial land uses. In addition to the variety of land use types, the map also includes Village Primary and Secondary Core designations. Since the adoption of the 1979 Phoenix Concept Plan, Phoenix has employed a series of cores in each of the urban villages. The cores were intended to be the clearly identifiable central focus for the village, housing most of the village's employment and multifamily housing and ultimately serving as centers for connectivity and collaboration. In the more than 40 years since the core concept was adopted, a few of the city's cores have developed as they were envisioned while many have not.

In several villages, centers for employment, shopping, services and residential growth have developed in areas that are not designated cores in the General Plan. In 2012, the City Council adopted the first update to the General Plan's land use policy framework in the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Strategic Policy Framework. The Framework established a series of Centers or "Place Types" for each of the station areas across the city's light rail system and to provide policy and definition with the community about how these areas might grow and evolve with this new transportation and infrastructure investment, further defined across diverse and unique transit oriented districts.

Land Use Planning TOGETHER

The following pages in this section outline some of Phoenix's Land Use Policy and guidance to provide a foundation for the next iteration of Land Use Planning with our communities.

More specifically reinforcing the Urban Village Model, Village Cores, Corridors and Streets, Transit Oriented Development, Land Use and Design Principles, and 15 Unique Village Character Plans.

The Sagrado - South Phoenix

The Sagrado was established in Phoenix, Arizona in 2016 as a response to a lack of presence of arts and culture in the South Phoenix community. The Sagrado stands as the only community arts organization and art gallery in South Phoenix that nurtures the community’s cultural identity and serves as a cultural bridge for the Valley. In its first five years, the Sagrado has made significant progress implementing the vision to cultivate prosperous communities rooted in arts and culture while engaged in conscious development amidst the challenges of a global pandemic. Through the pillar art shows, workshops, community events, and design advocacy, the Sagrado has impacted the lives of more than 5,000 community members in South Phoenix and beyond.

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PHOENIX URBAN

VILLAGE MODEL

The purpose of the model was to provide a physical place for Phoenix residents that promotes a strong sense of community, promotes a healthy and viable economy, promotes the efficient provision of high quality urban services, and protects the quality of life in established neighborhoods. This model provided the basis for updating the Phoenix General Plan.

Village Model History

The Urban Village Model is a refinement of the Phoenix Urban Village Concept. This concept was originally identified as the urban form for Phoenix by a citizen committee that worked from 1974 to 1979 and resulted in the adoption by the City Council of Phoenix Concept Plan 2000. This Plan defined the Urban Village Concept and was used as the basis for developing the General Plan adopted by City Council in 1985. The Plan initially established nine villages and the urban form for Phoenix.

The Plan also established Urban Village Planning Committees, charged with providing advice to the City Council on planning related issues in each village. In 1989 and 1990, the City sponsored the Futures Forum, a series of meetings which provided an opportunity for the community to discuss and articulate a vision for Phoenix's future. Some of these discussions focused on Phoenix's existing urban form and the strengths and weaknesses of the Urban Village Concept. In 1991, as part of an update of the General Plan, the City used the results of these discussions as a basis to refine the existing Urban Village Concept into a new urban form model for Phoenix. From 1991 through 1994, the City worked with the Village Planning Committees and other citizens to refine and finalize these concepts into a new Urban Village Model still in place today.

Principles from the Past

The Urban Village Model was based on five principles that have been built upon for decades and continue to influence the next iteration of planning for a more connected Phoenix.

Principle 1. Balancing housing and jobs The idea of living, working, and playing in the same village is a basic principle of the Model. This principle focuses on creating a sense of community by providing living, employment and recreational opportunities in close proximity to village residents. Residents of Phoenix, and the entire metropolitan region, have many choices as to where they will live, work, and play. Factors such as the transportation system, disparities in educational system quality, ongoing changes in provision of retailing services, a range of job opportunities available and a variety of lifestyles are examples of what impacts where people live, work and play. Although it may be difficult to achieve a standard citywide ratio for each village, consideration should be given to identifying a ratio for each village.

This should be based on the long term economic development goals of the community, the unique characteristics of each village, and the opportunities for future employment and population growth for each. Thus the appropriate ratio of jobs to population will be determined for each village. This will result in a range of ratios based on the historic development patterns of each individual village.

Principle 2. Concentrating intensity in village cores The core is considered the central focus for each village from both a physical and social standpoint. To become that focus, the core should include a variety of land uses that will create a reason for village residents to come to and congregate in the core. Because

A PURPOSEFUL AND INTENTIONAL, URBAN VILLAGE MODEL

TO BE A MORE CONNECTED PHOENIX ACROSS ALL OUR COMMUNITIES.

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Rio Vista

North Gateway

Deer Valley

North Mountain

Alhambra

Maryvale

Estrella

Laveen

Desert View

Paradise Valley

Camelback East

Encanto

Central City

South Mountain

Ahwatukee Foothills

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the core is the central focus for each village, it should contain the highest development intensity - concentration of people and activities. Core intensity in a village will be based primarily on the intensity of development in the village. However, the absolute intensity of village cores will be different from one village to another.

Principle 3. Promoting the uniqueness of each village

Each of the urban villages has a unique natural, urban and social character. That character should be enhanced by the types and intensities of land uses that are developed in the village. The Model establishes land use categories which provide each village flexibility as to how those land use categories are used to enhance the character of the village.

Principle 4. Preserving and enhancing the quality of life in each village

There are a variety of factors that contribute to the quality of life in Phoenix and each of its villages - i.e., climate, environment (air, water,open spaces), and a variety of recreational, employment, educational, and housing opportunities..

In some instances desirable factors exist that are unique to specific villages - freeway access, natural features, housing stock and historic resources. Those factors should be identified, and where possible preserved, and enhanced for each village. Historic structures, both residential and commercial, add character and create identity. Preservation of historic sites and structures should be encouraged. Development in or adjacent to historic structures should be sensitive to the area. Whenever possible, the structure should be preserved in its entirety. If the site is redeveloped, every attempt should be made to incorporate the historic facade.

Principle 5. Providing for a majority of resident needs within the village

In addition to providing employment opportunities for village residents, other types of private and public services should must be equitably provided to satisfy resident needs. Private and public services should include, but not necessarily be limited to, programs and facilities that address critical social issues such as homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, dependent child and adult care, criminal justice services, and residential treatment of AIDS, Alzheimers, chronic mental illness and other health problems.

Consideration, where reasonable, should be given in each village to insure that these services needs are provided in a balanced manner within a reasonable distance of each resident. A balanced city-wide distribution will help alleviate the problems that may be created when these services are concentrated in a particular village or area of the city. In addition, efforts should be made to insure that both private and public services are distributed equitably among all the cities in the metropolitan region and not concentrated in Phoenix.

Principle 6. Directing urban planning through the Village Planning Committees

The central planning unit for each urban village is the village planning committee, which shall have the opportunity to formulate its recommendations regarding the following factors in consonance with the affected neighborhood groups registered with the City of Phoenix and any other affected property owners:

• Location of the five components of the Urban Village Model.
• including identification of the need for new service areas.
• An appropriate mix of land uses based on the residential component.
• Character, uses and intensities within cores.
• Appropriate ratio of jobs to population.

The recommendations of the village planning committees shall be forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council for review, comment and action.

Principle 7. Balancing economic impacts and land use decisions

Land use decisions should be evaluated in the context of the potential impacts on the economic viability of the village as a whole. In addition, the impacts on the short and long term revenues of the City should be determined. Consideration of the economic viability in each village is essential to the overall viability of the entire city.

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Light Up the Sky Fireworks Event - Maryvale Village Secondary Core

Light Up the Sky is one of the longest running Independence Day celebrations in the Maryvale area. The event features bounce houses, games, mascots from local teams, food, and community vendors. Attendees play on the recently renovated American Family Fields of Phoenix (formerly Maryvale Baseball Park) field and run through an obstacle course. The night culminates in a 20-minute live fireworks display accompanied by patriotic music.

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VILLAGE CORES

PRIMARY & SECONDARY

The Village Cores have always been the central focus for each village. The cores should contain a mix of uses including office, retail, public, governmental, and residential. The variety of uses are determined by the uniqueness of each village and the character of each village. The cores often contain the most intense land uses and generally the tallest scale of buildings. The concentration of intensity and scale create vibrancy that is unique to each village.

Primary Cores

Primary cores are characterized by a development pattern which maximizes buildable area and minimizes use of land for parking. Buildings are positioned in a way that provides definition to public streets, pedestrian accessways, and public plazas or urban open spaces. The compact and connected nature of this development pattern creates a strong emphasis on providing more pedestrian amenities. Cores also serve as the focus for the development of multi-modal transportation systems to support a larger concentration of employment and housing opportunities.

Secondary Cores

Secondary cores often provide services to areas that are more suburban in character. Development patterns consist of more freestanding buildings with larger setbacks. Pedestrian amenities are encouraged but may be more dispersed. Public transportation serves all residents and their daily needs. The secondary cores also have a mix of land uses; however, in some instances a particular land use type may predominate, e.g., retail or office.

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EMPLOYMENT

CENTERS/CORRIDORS

Phoenix is home to more than a dozen employment corridors and centers throughout the city. Phoenix is a booming, young market attracting global business and talent alike. Between 2010 and 2021, employment grew an average of 37%. Phoenix has seen growth in the most sought-after industries around the globe from bioscience and information technology to advanced manufacturing, and sustainability.

Guiding Invesment

Planning within and adjacent to Phoenix's employment centers and corridors is a critical part of addressing the Five Core Values of the General Plan. One of the ways we can become a more connected city is by ensuring that existing employment centers and corridors can continue to thrive. A vibrant network of employment centers and corridors attracts additional investment to the city, strengthening the local economy and allows residents to be closer to employment opportunities.

The closer residents can be to their jobs, the better positioned the city is to addressing challenges related to commute times, congestion, and air quality. Ensuring the sustained growth of the city's existing employment centers and corridors will require a renewed commitment to collaborate with employers and the community on the land use, zoning and infrastructure decisions needed to support continued investment. Part IV of the General Plan outlines an approach to incorporate the city's employment centers and corridors into the larger planning framework for Cores, Centers, and Corridors. This will provide some of the necessary planning analysis and policies to support appropriate investments within and around employment centers and corridors.

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