Morrison Institute study says fine-grained urban fabric neccessary for successful revitalization

In the November 2004 Morrison Institute for Public Policy study, "Playing the Inside Game: The Challenge of Urban Revitalization in Arizona," researchers noted that "Phoenix is good at 'the big stuff,' but has struggled to provide the fine-grained urban fabric necessary to make revitalization truly robust. Tempe, the first landlocked city, has used its location, its status as a university town, and the few tools available under Arizona law to score some big successes, but it is unclear whether the city can hold on to those successes. Scottsdale has used some tools, shunned others, and shown mixed success. Mesa and others are just beginning to see whether they can make urban revitalization work."

The report concludes with five sound bites about urban revitalization in Arizona and how to make it work:

1. Know what you want
2. Know what you have
3. Make sure there is a place to come home to -- and a place to walk the dog
4. If you are going to play the game, get the right equipment
5. Focus on process as well as money

[Editor's Note: Pictured above are the Storage Warehouse ice house (top) and Chambers Transfer & Storage Building (bottom), typical of the 20 or so remaining downtown Phoenix commercial warehouses. These buildings are historically significant, but threatened by fast-tracked, frenzied land speculation because no clear options currently exist to save them. According to the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, they are the most important historic buildings left in Phoenix's warehouse district and pose an excellent opportunity for revitalization.]