Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer Look at Sprawl in the Desert - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 249

14
Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer
Look at Sp rawl in the Desert
Sandy Bahr, Renée Guillory, and Chad Campbell
CONTENTS
14.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 251
14.2 Phoenix Metropolitan Area: A Case Study on Sprawl in the Desert ......................... 253
14.3 Problems Associated with Sprawl ................................................................................... 254
14.3.1 Lack of Transportation Choices and Associated Costs .................................... 254
14.3.2 Sprawl Burdens Infrastructure and Inner City Residents ............................... 257
14.3.3 Sprawl Eats Up Open Space and Fragments Wildlife Habitat ........................ 258
14.3.4 Sprawl Hurts Tourism ........................................................................................... 258
14.4 New Challenge to Planning and Limiting Sprawl in Phoenix ................................... 259
14.5 Sustainable Solutions to Sprawl ....................................................................................... 260
14.5.1 Smart Growth? ....................................................................................................... 260
14.5.2 Urban Growth Boundaries ................................................................................... 262
14.5.3 Open Space Planning ............................................................................................ 262
14.5.4 Urban Revival ......................................................................................................... 262
14.5.5 Effective and Integrated Transportation and Land-Use Planning ................. 263
14.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 264
References ..................................................................................................................................... 265
14.1 Introduction
Perhaps, this Arizona Republic headline says it all: “Growth pattern crippled Phoenix: Half-
empty outskirts suffer as once-reliable cycle busts.” 1 Phoenix, Arizona, tells a vivid story
of urban sprawl and all of its impacts. Sprawling development often occurs far from exist-
ing infrastructure—leapfrogging over established areas. In Phoenix, poorly planned, low-
density, scattered development consumes open space, empties pocketbooks, and generally
serves automobiles better than people. In the recent years, it has also meant a very deep
recession as the area suffers the consequences of land speculation and overbuilding in
both the residential and commercial sectors.
What is urban, or more accurately, suburban, sprawl? The Anthem development, which
opened in 1998, is a clear example of leapfrog sprawl near Phoenix. Anthem is nearly
30 miles north of downtown Phoenix in an area where the land use is regulated by the
county. When it was built, there were miles of undeveloped desert between Anthem and
the city's established areas. Following a textbook case of sprawl development patterns,
Anthem also demonstrates how sprawl inevitably gives way to more development, like it
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