Downtown Phoenix is going vertical

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by orlando-calrissian

It's 2018. Cities build up not out. The traffic will just get worse of you build more subdivisions out past the 303 because all those people have drive to the center.

Actually, the majority of cities & the surrounding metro areas build upward AND outward. Suburban styled housing developments will always be a market demand, and I have no problem with that. The main point I've been making is that inward & upward developments are much more in demand than they used to be here, and it makes a lot more sense to have most of the major commerce (large corporations, sports, entertainment) in a centralized urban location.

Having large companies, sports, and entertainment venues scattered all around in suburban locations defeats the whole idea of what a suburb is all about, which is primarily lower density residential. It also creates a lot of extra commuting for many, which increases traffic congestion in areas that should be less congested.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by orlando-calrissian

Don't be obtuse. The vast majority of Europe does not live in castles and kingdoms like they did in the past.

It's 2018. Cities build up not out. The traffic will just get worse of you build more subdivisions out past the 303 because all those people have drive to the center.

By any conception cities build out more than up.

People seem to think that there is a single decision that makes a city more urban and les urban but in reality cities are what they are becuase they react to people’s needs and desires aka market forces.

Phoenix is very suburban because the people that live here wanted/needed it to be, it is now growing in density because people need and want it to be.

If you are a person that likes the idea of a dense urban core the move there and spend money there to push the market in that way.

[the topper]

San Jose doesn't have that much of tall buildings downtown due to height restrictions by the airport but is very dense. It's lively and very happening with restaurants, bars and entertainment at night. During the day: downtown is packed with workers and students as well as business tourists. Take cues from Downtown SJ: lots of housing, 10 million sq. ft of offices and 2,600 hotel rooms. Major difference: it has attractions like Tech Museum and San Pedro sq. Market that bring people downtown. Google is coming downtown and will take downtown to another element. It's really thriving and now is actually white hot

[BoiWonder13]

Originally Posted by the topper

San Jose doesn't have that much of tall buildings downtown due to height restrictions by the airport but is very dense. It's lively and very happening with restaurants, bars and entertainment at night. During the day: downtown is packed with workers and students as well as business tourists. Take cues from Downtown SJ: lots of housing, 10 million sq. ft of offices and 2,600 hotel rooms. Major difference: it has attractions like Tech Museum and San Pedro sq. Market that bring people downtown. Google is coming downtown and will take downtown to another element. It's really thriving and now is actually white hot

San Jose has the benefit of being in great proximity with the high tech Silicon Valley. many major players in the Bay have the means to relocate offices to downtown centers like SJ. I think that steams the development in that part of the country, however in Phoenix most major corporation will not set up downtown for various reasons. One in particular has to do with the cheap costs of land in the suburbs that gives them incentive to move there instead.

As New2colo mentioned, we aren't a city of high rise developments and the big corps go towards the open spaces away from the city center. Currently, I see that changing in way of central city seeing more residential development which then spews even more buzz and discussion for companies looking to have office space in the metro.

Its definitely not SJ or Bay Area level of development, but with the U of A expansion and the current rise of student population at ASU Downtown, we should see more waves of corporate expansion in the the Valley for 2019.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Sorry, but not sure what "elsware" is, unless it's some kind of manufactured merchandise facility. Either that, or you could learn to spell & articulate at an adult level so you don't come across like an ignorant bozo. Just a suggestion.
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The designs you posted are perfect examples of what central Phoenix could look like. It doesn't have to be super tall or crammed with skyscrapers like Manhattan, but more height & density are definitely what downtown needs. It's going more in that direction, but it still has a long way to go.



Even with Phoenix's suburban sprawl, there has been increased demand for inward & upward development in more centralized locations, especially residential. All you have to do is notice the construction cranes in the downtown areas of Phoenix & Tempe. Midtown is a different scenario: mostly highrise offices & busy during weekdays, but pretty dead at night. So with the higher demand for urban living, what kind of sense does it make to have to commute from a centralized area to a suburban area for employment or anything else? Or for that matter, what's the sense in driving from somewhere like Glendale to Chandler (suburb to suburb) to work in an office park? That's not convenient at all. If anything, it's backward.

All that driving around gets mundane, especially commuting home after work from downtown PHX to Mesa or Gilbert. On a related note, would like to see Prescott Valley get more urbanized and high rises built like 10-15 story buildings, even though the city itself is barely 50k in population. There's plenty of land to utilize instead of endless sprawl.