[author's note: Yes, this is the third theme for the Blog of the Week series. But whereas my colleagues, I'm sure, are going to interpret this prompt as what physical place makes Downtown Phoenix special, I'm taking it a bit more in the abstract. How is this possible? Read on, friends; read on...]
There are hundreds and thousands of places in Downtown Phoenix that are intriguing. The last time I was approached with this writing theme, I discussed the Phoenix Symphony and the amazing things that they do. But this time around, I’m taking it from a different lens. Downtown Phoenix is special because of the people of Downtown Phoenix. It’s special because of the memories I have made in the area. It’s special because as I have grown and learned more about myself, Downtown Phoenix has grown and learned more about itself.
Consider Fair Trade Café at the Civic Space. It’s special not just because of the fact that they serve amazing coffee and have amazing food. It’s special because of the people that are there behind the counter. I know them, they know me, and they know what my favorite coffee drink is and that I always want a bit of room left in the cup for some cream.
Or consider the greater entity that is the Civic Space Park. There are people from the community that sit and chat, there are students studying for classes, there are kids playing football (or football), and there are just people being there enjoying the park and its surrounding urban environment.
Or consider the people at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. When I had to first talk to a staff person on the campus, I was immediately surprised at how friendly they are. Coming from the sea of humanity that is the Tempe campus, where one is not a name but a number, this was a huge culture shock. Stepping inside to a classroom, one would be surprised that it’s not a lecturer preaching from the altar in a lecture. There’s discussion, discourse, and even disagreement happening in those classrooms.
What’s special about Downtown Phoenix? It’s the people. It’s the memories. It’s what you make it to be. Downtown Phoenix is that blank canvas on which one paints one’s memories.
[source: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Center for the Arts] The season of Lent is a particularly important time in the life of the church. Lent gives each of us pause in our yearly pause in our yearly cycle for a period of reflection and meditation within the Christian community. The arts, and music in particular, have frequently been used to enable and enhance these two disciplines. This season, Trinity Cathedral in Downtown Phoenix offers a special Lenten series of musical events to mark this important season of the church year.
Friday 5 March 12.15pm: James Gerber (director of music and worship at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Phoenix)
Friday 12 March 12.15pm: Ilona Kubizczyk-Adler (music director, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Scottsdale)
Friday 19 March 12.15pm: Skye Hart (director of music and liturgy, St Maria Goretti Church, Scottsdale)
Friday 26 March 12.15pm: Erik Goldstrom (Canon Musician, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix)
Sunday 14 March 4.00pm: Choral Evensong for Mothering Sunday
Trinity Cathedral is at 100 W. Roosevelt St., in Downtown Phoenix. It is readily accessible from the Roosevelt/Central Ave light rail station and the Downtown Phoenix DASH. All these concerts are free of charge. For more information, visit azcathedral.org or call 602.254.7126.
So for some, the benefits of being car-free are enough to take public transportation. There’s that feeling one gets that one is helping the environment. There’s also that feeling that one is contributing to creating walkable cities. But if that isn’t enough incentive, there’s a contest with prizes to ASU sporting events, whose stadia are located close to the light rail line. More details:
This February, Valley Metro is asking residents to “Try 1 in 5” , share the ride via carpool, vanpool, bus or light rail at least one day a week. It reduces pollution, eases traffic congestion and saves money. They also want to help residents find a commuting partner using their new Share The Ride ride-matching system.
As a thank you to residents who are sharing the ride, Valley Metro will be giving out pairs of ASU Baseball and Basketball tickets to their fans and followers this month. They will announce via Twitter (@ValleyMetroRPTA) and Facebook (Valley Metro RPTA) ways that fans can win the tickets, and where they will be to give them out. Valley Metro staff will look for people with transit passes on hand or who are tweeting pictures of themselves on the bus.
I’ll be seeing you on either the light rail or the bus!
The National Weather Service is predicting a large storm to descend into the valley tomorrow, 1-21-10, bringing up to 5″ of rain, possible thunderstorms and gusty winds. The prediction calls for light rain to begin to fall after 11pm tonight and pick up around 11am tomorrow. The Downtown Phoenix Partnership is working closely with police and city staff, and will provide current information throughout the day based on the severity of the storm.
Please be aware of unscheduled road closures put in place due to flooding, debris in the roadway, and traffic signals that may be out due to a power outage.
Contact the Downtown Phoenix Ambassadors at 602-495-1500 to report power outages or debris – we will contact the correct department at the City. Also – call if you have questions about travel conditions in the downtown area – they are your Go-To-Resource!! Remember – the Ambassadors provide Umbrella Escorts – so if you need to go out during the day…they are equipped with large umbrellas and can escort you to your destination.
Coming in just a couple days (actually, beginning on the 3rd!) is the premiere Arizona Bach Festival. It’s the logical next step in Phoenix’s American Bach series that just wrapped up a seven-year cycle of the complete JS Bach cantatas as well as his St Matthew and St John Passions at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.
So this month, from the 3rd-7th, the Festival will happen at locations up and down Central Avenue. The orchestra features members of the Phoenix Symphony, the chorus is the Phoenix Chorale (of Grammy fame), the guest concertmaster is Dr. Stephen Redfield, the concert organists are Dr. Kimberly Marshall and Scott Dettra, and the conductor is Scott Youngs.
There are five events: two organ recitals (both at All Saints’), a solo violin recital (in the lobby of the Viad Tower in Midtown Phoenix), a performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (at Central United Methodist Church), and an educational component sponsored by ASU and Arizona School for the Arts. The events list is online here and tickets are available here.
Ever since Mayor Phil Gordon’s State of Downtown address that seemed to go over like a lead balloon, people have been sharing their reasons, opinions, and assessments on Downtown Phoenix and how it can be improved. For starters, there’s Tyler Hurst’s analysis that sparked tonight’s Radiate Phoenix event, another analysis by Derek Neighbors, Yuri Artibise’s analysis, and others have thrown their voices into the discussion. Some have been productive voices offering concrete solutions, some have denounced the blind cheerleading that goes on, but all voices have been heard and ruminated.
Surprise: this is another post on that same topic. But, as preface, remember that I’m in the Urban and Metropolitan Studies program at Arizona State University, and as such, this is what we study. What makes cities work? What makes them not work?
[Author’s note: Yes, I know that Radiate Phoenix is tomorrow night and that this topic is the main item on the agenda. It’s just that this is horrendous timing with Thanksgiving being a couple days away. The holiday is pretty important to me and it's big in my family and, as strange as it might seem, I’m going to need all the preparation I can get. I write this as my two cents’ worth to the discussion. But I wish you all a spirited and productive conversation.]
Why is Downtown Phoenix not what we want it to be? How can it get there? I’m prepared to argue that Phoenix (its downtown, the city as a whole, and the region) focuses too much time and energy on the things that bring people here but not keep them here. In August, I wrote a series of posts that explored this issue. As proof for this thesis, know that for every five people that are enfranchised by the area and come here, three people are disenfranchised and leave (source: Making Sense of Place – Phoenix: The Urban Desert).
It’s important to take a step back and look at the region’s recent history. After World War II ended, those that were stationed in the various military outposts in this region came and settled here with their family. With the land readily accessible, developers built new houses on virgin land outside the central core. This began, inevitably, a culture and a mindset that if something isn’t just quite right, then just forget about it and build again—anew. Downtown Phoenix began to become desolate, and so rather than quickly fixing the problem when it would have been an easy fix, we (true to form) ignored the problem and built new urban villages away from the core. Those who could afford to leave did; those who couldn’t became disenfranchised as policy and governance focused on the new things, because they were politically more “sexy.”
Downtown Phoenix has many different crown jewels that are already here. Just because something is new and shiny does not mean that it’s automatically one of those jewels. Let’s focus on that infrastructure which is already here. From a physical infrastructure point of view, what’s here already is fantastic. Now we have to fill in the gaping holes with a sustainable people infrastructure.
What is this people infrastructure? I’m thinking places where people go: bars, restaurants, coffee shops, schools, parks, etc. This is what academics like to call third places—places outside of one’s home and office.
What can we do to support this people infrastructure? Make it a habit to shop and buy local. Go beyond our elected leaders’ response to shopping local (what seems like mere lip service). Tell friends, family, fellow students, colleagues, coworkers, anyone, and everyone about your favorite local places. And go with them to these places! I cannot tell you how much it pains me to see so many Starbucks cups carried by students, faculty, and staff on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus, given the fact that the wonderful Fair Trade Café is set in the Civic Space Park.
How do we “fix” Phoenix? Recognize our past. Learn from our mistakes. Diversify how and what we build. Recognize that a healthy city needs a vibrant downtown core. Focus on institutions that keep people here instead of those that just attract new blood.
-Edward Jensen
epilogue. Join me in making a pledge to purchase all your holiday gifts at locally-owned shops across the Valley. If you’re throwing a party or preparing a big meal for your family to mark the season, shop at places like the Phoenix Urban Market or, if you must go to a supermarket, then there’s Bashas’.
Last night was Mayor Phil Gordon’s sixth annual delivery of the “State of Downtown” speech, and the third year with my attendance. The venue was the Civic Space Park which was decorated quite well.
Staging aside, the Mayor’s speech left me with more questions than answers. The first year I went (2007), the Mayor outlined several bold proposals for downtown, including moving ASU’s College of Law to the then two-year-old campus. The 2008 address was delivered at the then recently-opened Sheraton but with the economy having just collapsed, the highlight of that speech was for all those in attendance to ride the then yet-to-be-opened METRO light rail.
And then there was last night.
The roughly forty-minute speech seemed to lack a specific focus. Over half of the speech was dedicated to the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. So was this the State of Downtown or the State of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus?
My other impression from the Mayor’s speech is that this should have been delivered 3-4 years ago when the different things he was lauding – CityScape (strangely, there wasn’t one mention of One Central Park East), the UofA medical school, the Civic Space, ASU’s presence in downtown, etc. – were being pitched to the voters for their support. Except these things had already opened or are very close to opening.
Another theme I took away from the Mayor’s speech was that there is no separation between ASU Downtown Phoenix and the greater Downtown Phoenix community. The fate of one would affect the fate of the other. Granted, the two are mutually related and intertwined in some fashion, but if there’s one thing that Arizona’s economy has taught us, it’s that we shouldn’t put all of our economic growth eggs in one basket.
Granted, with the Mayor’s tenure in office coming to a close soon (he’ll wrap up his second and final term in January 2011), maybe he’s trying to cement his legacy. I’m not giving him any grief about this, but this city has a lot of issues facing it at the moment.
(It never helps with the state legislature is working against the city, or rather against the state.)
[source: Marshall Terrill/ASU at the Downtown Phoenix campus Public Affairs] For the second year in a row, ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus is using the power of music to connect students, faculty and staff with the local community.
The “Know Your Neighbor Concert Series” promotes local music with downtown venues, and is designed to introduce students to each other and the community where they live. The free series, which is open to the public, starts this week and runs throughout the month of November.
“This is an exciting opportunity for ASU’s student body, faculty and staff to explore their communities and meet their neighbors. This series was created through an initiative to respond to the communities’ desire to see and meet our students in their venues and at their events,” said Malissa Geer, Community Engagement Liaison for the Office of the Vice President and Dean of the College of Public Programs at the Downtown Phoenix campus. “Using music, local venues and festivals is an innovative way for ASU to continue to integrate within our rich and vibrant community. It uniquely demonstrates our shared commitment of social embeddedness. ASU students and the community are working together to coordinate this really fun experience!”
The series kicks off with at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at the Paisley Violin, 1028 Grand Ave., Phoenix. Castles Made of Sand, a group comprised of two local ASU students, Spencer Gefroh and Weston Michl, will headline the five-hour music showcase.
Enjoy a special evening of fabulous Southern European refreshments, live organ music by visiting organist Gary Quamme, a short talk on the history of Romanian Glass icons by Dr Diana Hulick, and live surprise entertainment.
A suggested donation of $20 will be collected at the door. All proceeds will support the November exhibit of Glass Icons by Tudor Scripor & workshops on mural painting and painting on glass. Tudor is an internationally exhibited artist whose work represents Romania in the Vatican collections.
For more info, please call Aiste Parmasto at 602.821.8507 or e-mail aiste@trinityCCA.org.
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