What are some ways Phoenix could develop to stand out from the crowd? (Glendale: ski resort, homes)

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Whether you're a former Californian, Texan, Coloradoan or New Yorker, don't try to change the new area you moved to similar to your former state. Assimilate to the local culture and politics.

You post a lot about changing PV into something more like CO.

All transplants do it.


If anything, our legislature could use some pressure because they suck and it doesn't matter because R.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by AZLiam

I wasn't really a fan of the Pin observation tower that was proposed a few years back. I felt like it looked more like a water tower.

I always liked this observation tower because in a weird way, it almost looks like a bird rising. Something like this altered to look like a phoenix rising would look pretty neat, especially if the base lit up with red to look like fire as the elevator rose.

Yes, the structure in that photo is the Za'abeel Park Observation Tower in Dubai, and something similar to this would be perfect as a Phoenix iconic landmark tower. Of course it would have to be taller, and modified to resemble the Phoenix Bird. I like your idea of fire simulation at the elevator base ... very creative and forward thinking! Good luck trying to get something like that built here. The pathetic NIMBYs would likely raise a fuss about the tower blocking their sunlight or their mountain views ... or they'd complain about how much of a tourist crowd it would attract, etc.

[Voebe]

It would be a pleasant change if we could score any points on:

Cultural excellence
Journalistic excellence
Ecological excellence (for instance, brilliant use of solar energy or superlative public transportation)
Political excellence (for instance, in terms of god solutions to national problems - the opposite of Arpaio)
Academic excellence (not just in terms of having good schools for students but academicians so experts that they were among the best in the country)

When you say we're missing something, maybe what we're missing is brainpower and creative energy.

[man4857]

Originally Posted by Voebe

It would be a pleasant change if we could score any points on:

Cultural excellence
Journalistic excellence
Ecological excellence (for instance, brilliant use of solar energy or superlative public transportation)
Political excellence (for instance, in terms of god solutions to national problems - the opposite of Arpaio)
Academic excellence (not just in terms of having good schools for students but academicians so experts that they were among the best in the country)

When you say we're missing something, maybe what we're missing is brainpower and creative energy.

While I agree with all your points, cultural excellence (or diversity) drives everything.
Culture drives politics which produces academic excellence and ecological excellence as our state government will respond to those in the majority who wants to fund state priorities like education and environmental issues. Local media is influenced by this as well as the people they hire will have a different culture.

The only thing that is stopping it is ideology and it's purely a psychological fight. The disdain for government in Arizona is unreasonable and ridiculous. People somehow trust businesses more than government but say nothing more than a ridiculous blanket statement rather than offering real solutions to problems Arizona has. Just look at the state legislature bickering about a 8(?) cent tax increase on gasoline. Hell, we should be increasing gasoline taxes by 75 cents to $1 and use all that revenue generated to invest heavily in alternative fuel vehicles, infrastructure, public transportation, and alternative energy. But nope, government wastes too much money can't do it. Have to let the free market do it (it won't.).

It starts with 1 thing: changing the politics and this needs a political revolution.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by Voebe

It would be a pleasant change if we could score any points on:

Cultural excellence
Journalistic excellence
Ecological excellence (for instance, brilliant use of solar energy or superlative public transportation)
Political excellence (for instance, in terms of god solutions to national problems - the opposite of Arpaio)
Academic excellence (not just in terms of having good schools for students but academicians so experts that they were among the best in the country)

When you say we're missing something, maybe what we're missing is brainpower and creative energy.

Originally Posted by man4857

While I agree with all your points, cultural excellence (or diversity) drives everything.
Culture drives politics which produces academic excellence and ecological excellence as our state government will respond to those in the majority who wants to fund state priorities like education and environmental issues. Local media is influenced by this as well as the people they hire will have a different culture.

The only thing that is stopping it is ideology and it's purely a psychological fight. The disdain for government in Arizona is unreasonable and ridiculous. People somehow trust businesses more than government but say nothing more than a ridiculous blanket statement rather than offering real solutions to problems Arizona has. Just look at the state legislature bickering about a 8(?) cent tax increase on gasoline. Hell, we should be increasing gasoline taxes by 75 cents to $1 and use all that revenue generated to invest heavily in alternative fuel vehicles, infrastructure, public transportation, and alternative energy. But nope, government wastes too much money can't do it. Have to let the free market do it (it won't.).

It starts with 1 thing: changing the politics and this needs a political revolution.

Everything is politicized. Even something as minuscule as culture, it has political biases. I think most people are aware of this, which is why Arizona doesn't get to see some events while other areas do, and vice versa.

[gearedtowardssalad]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

Sonoran food has its own history and we should work towards making Sonoran food stand out from Tex-Mex in particular and other Mexican ethnic foods like Chihuahuan and Baja.

Well, I don't think this is realistic for Phoenix to try market itself as the sole capital of Sonoran this or that considering Tucson has already received UNESCO recognition as a World City of Gastronomy for its Sonoran cuisine - the only US city on their list at all. Phoenix isn't really a desert city anyway. It's an Inland Empire city in Arizona. It's at the northernmost reaches of the desert, technically in Central Arizona and is on a different planet culturally from Southern or Northern Arizona.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by gearedtowardssalad

Well, I don't think this is realistic for Phoenix to try market itself as the sole capital of Sonoran this or that considering Tucson has already received UNESCO recognition as a World City of Gastronomy for its Sonoran cuisine - the only US city on their list at all. Phoenix isn't really a desert city anyway. It's an Inland Empire city in Arizona. It's at the northernmost reaches of the desert, technically in Central Arizona and is on a different planet culturally from Southern or Northern Arizona.

I agree with you. Phoenix does not really have a Southwestern culture like Tucson does. Which is why I wish Phoenix chose to adapt more similarly to Tucson but did not to for many reasons. Some posters emphasize we already have that and encourage what we have, but I disagree that even have that enough to market ourselves well on that front.

But marketing ourselves for good Mexican food I think is one way to go. While Tucson's is better, and anyone who has visited the two can see that, Phoenix does pretty well in comparison to the rest of the country. We don't have to say we are the best out of all, but one of the best.

We do have our own unique twist on Mexican food, though it is heavily mixed with Tex-mex which makes it challenging. Nearly every Mexican restaurant in the US (especially in places like out East) are Tex-Mex. For example chimichangas are a Sonoran food invented in Tucson, but every Mexican restaurant in the US so far (other than like taco shops) that I have seen offer chimichangas. Chimichangas are also popular in Tex-mex as they are a deep-fried cuisine, similar to many popular Southern foods.

[Gvine21]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

I agree with you. Phoenix does not really have a Southwestern culture like Tucson does. Which is why I wish Phoenix chose to adapt more similarly to Tucson but did not to for many reasons. Some posters emphasize we already have that and encourage what we have, but I disagree that even have that enough to market ourselves well on that front.

But marketing ourselves for good Mexican food I think is one way to go. While Tucson's is better, and anyone who has visited the two can see that, Phoenix does pretty well in comparison to the rest of the country. We don't have to say we are the best out of all, but one of the best.

We do have our own unique twist on Mexican food, though it is heavily mixed with Tex-mex which makes it challenging. Nearly every Mexican restaurant in the US (especially in places like out East) are Tex-Mex. For example chimichangas are a Sonoran food invented in Tucson, but every Mexican restaurant in the US so far (other than like taco shops) that I have seen offer chimichangas. Chimichangas are also popular in Tex-mex as they are a deep-fried cuisine, similar to many popular Southern foods.

That's because Tex-Mex is delicious lol.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by man4857

The disdain for government in Arizona is unreasonable and ridiculous. People somehow trust businesses more than government but say nothing more than a ridiculous blanket statement rather than offering real solutions to problems Arizona has. Just look at the state legislature bickering about a 8(?) cent tax increase on gasoline. Hell, we should be increasing gasoline taxes by 75 cents to $1 and use all that revenue generated to invest heavily in alternative fuel vehicles, infrastructure, public transportation, and alternative energy. But nope, government wastes too much money can't do it. Have to let the free market do it (it won't.).

The disdain for government is understandable. Government has too much of a choke hold on personal liberties and private business ... which incidentally, crosses into both major political parties. Your proposal to hike gas taxes to an unreasonable level is purely asinine. If that should ever happen, all it would do is put more revenue into government coffers to be wasted & squandered, and it would put more of a financial burden on poor and middle class people. It wouldn't stop people from driving their vehicles, however.

[bigcheese11]

Phoenix has a great asset that we aren't taking advantage of. The canal system is part of the history of civilization in the Valley. Why not take better advantage of it?