What problems does Phoenix and metro areas have? (Maricopa: 2013, condos)

[AirportFan]

I've been to Phoenix a lot. I am just wondering, what problems does it have? It seems like a perfect city to me. It's very nice, high end, clean, friendly people, friendly drivers, so much to do, so close to other major cities, and overall quality is way above average. It seems like a problem free city. You don't see so much construction and if you do, it's very organized. The air quality to me is fine. I don't get it. Is it really a perfect city? If not, then what problems does it have? What do people really complain about? What are some things in Phoenix that very much annoy people? I go there a lot and I never complain at all.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by AirportFan

I've been to Phoenix a lot. I am just wondering, what problems does it have? It seems like a perfect city to me. It's very nice, high end, clean, friendly people, friendly drivers, so much to do, so close to other major cities, and overall quality is way above average. It seems like a problem free city. You don't see so much construction and if you do, it's very organized. The air quality to me is fine. I don't get it. Is it really a perfect city? If not, then what problems does it have? What do people really complain about? What are some things in Phoenix that very much annoy people? I go there a lot and I never complain at all.

What a broad question that incites negative Nancys to get their ill feelings out.

Yet, I'll oblige.

It's an over sprawled out mess that is slowly destroying one of the most unique landscapes in the world.
It chooses to invest in expensive freeway networks instead of public transit.
The economy is tepid for most reliant on building new homes, creating the two problems mentioned above.
While it houses one of the better water network infastructures available in the west, it is an energy intensive environment, requiring a lot of power and water to operate, while contributing little to the national economy.
Depending on your political tilt, Arizona can have some annoying political issues that it chooses to waste money on defending in federal court instead of efficiently using its funding for the benefit of its citizens. Wasting time on nonsense political pandering to ensure reelection. I.e., fighting to move our Circuit Court while neglecting University funding, SB 1070 and the money wasted on that, proposing bills that make it illegal to film police officers, reducing the educational requirement for Superintendent of Public Instruction, etc.


Either way I'm happy here, there are things that make me unhappy about Phoenix, but I don't think about them a lot. Living in your average day to day life, however that is, Phoenix is an easy, cheap and efficient place to live. It's one of the few cities I truly enjoy driving in, in fact it makes me want a new faster car just for the fun of all the driving I already do. I enjoy the warmth, the culture of the state etc.

[Hschlick84]

Phoenix could really benefit with a better light rail system, like one we have here in Denver. How much would it reduce traffic is based on what the ridership is and the amount of automobiles it takes off the highways. You can see the differences between the two and how Denver is years ahead.

Denver metro light rail


Phoenix metro light rail

[Hschlick84]

These are the current lines in use

[observer53]

Originally Posted by AirportFan

I've been to Phoenix a lot. I am just wondering, what problems does it have? It seems like a perfect city to me. It's very nice, high end, clean, friendly people, friendly drivers, so much to do, so close to other major cities, and overall quality is way above average. It seems like a problem free city. You don't see so much construction and if you do, it's very organized. The air quality to me is fine. I don't get it. Is it really a perfect city? If not, then what problems does it have? What do people really complain about? What are some things in Phoenix that very much annoy people? I go there a lot and I never complain at all.

Of course it's not a perfect city. No city is. That question makes no sense.


A lot of places seem great to people who are just visiting. Every city has problems that visitors would not pick up on.


If you want to know what people wno live in metro Phoenix complain about (and what they like), just read the forum. Plenty of examples. No need to start a new thread to rehash them.

[Diane de Poitiers]

Two things which I've noticed:




- for those of us who can't/don't drive, our public transit system is NOT the most efficient way to get around.




- in my particular area, it seems to be a thing for developers to tear everything down to make room for more luxury condos, or cookie-cutter type houses.

[AirportFan]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

What a broad question that incites negative Nancys to get their ill feelings out.

Yet, I'll oblige.

It's an over sprawled out mess that is slowly destroying one of the most unique landscapes in the world.
It chooses to invest in expensive freeway networks instead of public transit.
The economy is tepid for most reliant on building new homes, creating the two problems mentioned above.
While it houses one of the better water network infastructures available in the west, it is an energy intensive environment, requiring a lot of power and water to operate, while contributing little to the national economy.
Depending on your political tilt, Arizona can have some annoying political issues that it chooses to waste money on defending in federal court instead of efficiently using its funding for the benefit of its citizens. Wasting time on nonsense political pandering to ensure reelection. I.e., fighting to move our Circuit Court while neglecting University funding, SB 1070 and the money wasted on that, proposing bills that make it illegal to film police officers, reducing the educational requirement for Superintendent of Public Instruction, etc.


Either way I'm happy here, there are things that make me unhappy about Phoenix, but I don't think about them a lot. Living in your average day to day life, however that is, Phoenix is an easy, cheap and efficient place to live. It's one of the few cities I truly enjoy driving in, in fact it makes me want a new faster car just for the fun of all the driving I already do. I enjoy the warmth, the culture of the state etc.

So it seems like spending money on more highways might actually be a problem.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by AirportFan

So it seems like spending money on more highways might actually be a problem.

I think this is oversimplifying the post.

Its urban engineering via Sprawl vs. Transit. Maintenance of large highway networks are more expensive than maintenance of transit systems. It also disadvantages people w/o the means to afford their own private automobile because they lack the ability to actually walk anywhere, and have to rely on our public transportation, which is severly undersized for a metro of this size. At one time Phoenix had a pretty expansive street car network for a city of its size. A more sustainable Phoenix would be more dense and centralized. You use less Water per person when people live in denser environments, that allows more allocation to public parks and other quality of life improvements.

It's not necessarily a 'problem' we have nice freeways. And because of the sprawl we need them to be nice.

The problem was identified as point #3 which is that perpetual outward expansion is the primary economic driver of the region.

[GeneR]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Phoenix could really benefit with a better light rail system, like one we have here in Denver. How much would it reduce traffic is based on what the ridership is and the amount of automobiles it takes off the highways. You can see the differences between the two and how Denver is years ahead.

Denver metro light rail


Phoenix metro light rail

A most expensive and inefficient system of transportation although it is a great way for politicians to reward favored contractors with your money.

These electric trains mostly run on streets and planners time signals to favor trains over cars. The resulting delays greatly exceed the benefits of getting a handful of people out of their cars. In the Twin Cities area these delays caused many auto commuters to add at least 20 minutes to their travel time. Planners knew this would result but said federal regs require traffic signals to favor trains and there's nothing they could do about it. The result was MORE congestion not less.

I lived in San Jose when the system was built in the 1980's and 90's. Dozens of businesses in the downtown area went belly up as the streets were torn up for months and months despite millions of dollars in aide to these distressed firms.

These trains are not designed to carry many people thus the tern "light" rail. This does not designate the weight of the train but the number of passengers.

If you are a taxpayer, hold onto your wallet: between cost overruns, high maintenance costs, and endless proposals for new rail lines, your costs will never end.

[Jukesgrrl]

Biggest problem: The unnecessary hundreds of millions of dollars of expenses in lawsuits and penalties Sheriff Joe Arpaio is costing the citizens of Maricopa County. I don't know why people who profess to want low taxes put up with his behavior.