Gas has been at $4 or higher for over a month and gas futures continue to rise through the $130 - $140 a barrel price range. Oil refineries are losing their asses even with prices so high.
The result? You can hear and see the change happening. People are driving less and staying closer to home and reconsidering their “usual” plans. Consider this:
My wife and I spent the Fourth of July holiday in Indiana. On the night of the 4th, we were in a mid-size suburban neighborhood southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana where we were both raised. In recent past years the streets of suburbia were nearly vacant as most families chose to venture to the many nearby lakes and boat or to nearby major cities like Chicago or Indianapolis for the Fourth. This year, 2008, it was almost like the hands of time had been turned back to when I was a kid. Fireworks were going off all around us - indicating that families had chosen to stay home and entertain themselves rather than their usual Fourth of July routine.
I also heard it yesterday as I appeared for Jury Duty in Mesa, Arizona. The rumblings of “I live in Surprise (a northwest Phoenix suburb, roughly 50+ miles from where we were in Mesa) and I had to drive all the way out here with gas prices like this!” I even had a great conversation with man in his 50’s who was considering a move to the Mill Avenue District of Tempe so that he could walk to most places (he worked from home).
Times they are a changing. I’ve indicated before that there is an upside to $8 a gallon gas for the Phoenix Valley and the U.S.A. We’re having a tough time dealing with $4 a gallon gas - how will we deal with it when the prices reach $5? $6? $7? $8?
The good news is that we are starting to deal with it now. And Chandler seems to be dealing with it head on. Recently, Chandler announced they would be adding 50% more bus routes to it’s schedule to connect it’s citizens to the light-rail opening in December in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix. They’re also adding text message alerts to make “waiting for the bus” less of a hassle allowing riders to be notified on their wireless device when a bus is a few minutes away from their stop.
But here’s an even better solution: real change in how we build our communities in the future. Chandler has announced an aggressive change in zoning philosophy that could transform some major intersections from worn-down strip-malls to bustling higher-density walkable environments. This philosophy changes Chandler’s current initiative which encourages redevelopment by giving strip-malls a makeover with tax payer’s money - a great change in my opinion.
Take for example the intersection of Warner and Alma School Roads. Currently, a strip-mall that could use a makeover (preferably paid for by it’s owners and not tax payers) sits on the northwest and southwest corner while a Wal-Mart and PetSmart occupy the northeast corner. A church sits on the southeast corner. Here’s a very rough photo courtesy of Google Maps and it’s StreetView technology:
The strip-malls - especially with a Wal-Mart - contain the necessities of life. There is of course the Wal-Mart for household items, a smoothie shop, a Chili’s, an English Pub called Churchills, numerous clothing stores, a dry cleaner, a day spa, banks and more.
What if two or three mid-rise residential or mixed-use (residential and commerical/office) were added to this intersection? Well, for one, people like my friend at Jury Duty would have a few more options for walkable environments in the valley. For two, there would be an influx of people to this area. With a thousand or two thousand more people living at this intersection and within a walk from life’s necessities a new walkable urban environment would be born.
Not only that, the residential mid-rise could allow for a mixed bag of demographics as well. In most city neighborhoods people of all walks of life live side-by-side. It’s not as segregated as suburbia has made us. Think about it - from the moment a new home builder places a sign on a parcel of dirt we’ve segregated suburbia. Potential buyers drive by a new home development sign and either say, “Oh look honey, homes from the $600’s, let’s check it out” or “Oh, what a great location but look, they start in the $600’s and that’s too much for us.”
Additionally, if mid-rise buildings are mixed-use and perhaps the first two or three floors are office space, Chandler can propel it’s economy and the hyper-local economies of these intersections. Small businesses will flourish in these areas as well as give mid-size and larger companies options outside of downtown Phoenix for satellite or additional office locations. Of course, workers at these locations will be able to walk to lunch and shop at the current businesses and the new ones that would pop-up as a result of these proposed mid-rise buildings.
Chandler’s plan is certainly in it’s infancy. But if it picks a few intersections and encourages mid-rise buildings to promote higher density growth then I think we’re on the right track. What would make the change even more exciting would be if Chandler promotes architecturally distinct buildings for the redevelopment. God knows we have enough stucco and “desert colored” buildings in our suburban communities. Innovative glass buildings with unique architecture would also promote neighborhood pride and create a distinction from one neighborhood to the next.
Chandler - and the entire Phoenix Valley - needs to consider growth options that are upward and not outward. The infrastructure in many of our cities is fantastic. Show me other cities that have three lane roads in each direction in the middle of suburbia? You’ll be hard pressed to find them. The point is that we can support higher-density growth in Chandler, Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale and all across the Valley of the Sun.
Cheers! to Chandler for creating a model for future growth. Now let’s hope the plan becomes reality!
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