Garfield District, Phoenix, Roosevelt, 12th St, etc.

[JayManne]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

The problem with downtown Phoenix and the lack of vibracy can be attributed to the fact that very few people have lived downtown for many years. More people living in an urban core has a tendency to liven things up, and decreases the feelings of living in a crowded concrete jungle by day & ghost town by night. With the addition of ASU's downtown campus, some lofts, and highrise condos, there are more people living in central Phoenix now than 10 or 15 years ago, but there still needs to be a greater population in order to meet the demand for grocery stores, and other things in the central core. Build more residential highrises (other than luxury condos), bring more entertainment downtown, and the basic services will move in.

I agree that Phoenix needs less of a heat island, but that is pretty much of a problem all over the metro area except in the far flung outlying areas. I think the heat island effect can be partially attributed to all the concerete & asphalt, and lack of shade & grass in the suburban developments. Look at all the cookie cutter neighborhoods that have rock yards & little or no grass/shade trees. That certainly doesn't do anything for heat relief.

What this person said, right here, I agree with. Downtown is getting better. As more students come in, it will get more lively. The importance between downtown development and the ASU/U of A campuses can not be overstated.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by JayManne

What this person said, right here, I agree with. Downtown is getting better. As more students come in, it will get more lively. The importance between downtown development and the ASU/U of A campuses can not be overstated.

Downtown has made major strides since I moved here in 1996, back then it was inactive and seemed kind of small for a big city.

At that time I worked in midtown Phoenix near Park Central, that area was more lively than downtown.

Now it seems like midtown needs more activity and downtown is the place to be.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

Downtown has made major strides since I moved here in 1996, back then it was inactive and seemed kind of small for a big city.

At that time I worked in midtown Phoenix near Park Central, that area was more lively than downtown.

Now it seems like midtown needs more activity and downtown is the place to be.

Actually, the entire Central Corridor (uptown & downtown) has made improvements with the addition of light rail. I was kind of skeptical about light rail at first, but seeing how it has contributed to a more active central core, and the fact that ridership has met or exceeded expectations, it was a good move.

With that said, both downtown & uptown still need more activity after hours & on weekends. CityScape was supposed to be a project that brought life into the central core, but that was severely scaled back to the point of being little more than a downtown strip mall. Some other projects have been planned (an entertainment district and some hotels), but were either killed off or stalled due to NIMBYism or the poor economy.

[1bie792]

This all sounds great! What are the street boundaries of the area you are discussing? Good observation about commuting in the opposite direction.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by 1bie792

This all sounds great! What are the street boundaries of the area you are discussing? Good observation about commuting in the opposite direction.

Garfield historic district: bounded by 7th Street on the west, 16th Street on the east, Roosevelt Street on the north, and Van Buren Street on the south. There is also the North Garfield district, which is bounded by 7th Street on the west, 16th Street on the east, Roosevelt Street on the south, and the I10 freeway on the north.

Roosevelt Row is the artsy section along & near Roosevelt street. From what I understand, the boundaries are 3rd Avenue on the west to 7th Street on the east.