Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer Look at Sprawl in the Desert - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 257

FIGURE 14.5
Sonoran desert tortoise is a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Development and
urbanization are the key factors in the species' decline.
industry in the state. In 2007, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism, spending associ-
ated with travel in Arizona helped generate 171,500 jobs and $5.1 billion. 32 Many of those
visitors engaged in sightseeing; Arizona “… is well above the U.S. average on sightseeing,
national/state parks, hike/bike, and looking at real estate.” 32
From 1998 to 2002, winter visitor numbers fell in the Phoenix area. Some of the reasons
people cited for not returning to Phoenix included the problems associated with increas-
ing urbanization—traffic congestion, poor air quality, and the “disappearing desert.” 33
14.4 New Challenge to Planning and Limiting Sprawl in Phoenix
Property rights are a sacred covenant in the Southwest. A 2006 ballot measure has made
it more of a challenge to plan and curb the excesses of sprawl through land-use planning.
Proposition 207 expanded the definition of “takings” to include any regulation that a
property owner believes has diminished the value of his or her property. The measure
does not require the property owner to prove the claim with appraisals, and it gives the
property owner the right to sue the government if he or she is not paid for the claim. The
regulations can also be waived regardless of the effect on neighboring properties.
The measure was modeled after a law passed in Oregon—Measure 37, which was later
repealed when it became clear that it limited the ability of local government to regulate
land use and protect open space. The full implications of Proposition 207 have yet to be
realized. Other Southwest cities may face future challenges imposed by ballot measures
or legislative initiatives that limit the ability of local planners to deal with land-use
regulations that may restrict some uses on land, even if these regulations have collective
good for the community to deal with responsible growth and development. Currently,
most cities, including Phoenix, use a waiver to accommodate new development, but little
is being done to implement new protective land-use regulations.