The City of Phoenix’s investment in Light Rail was not solely one made for public transit. Many held high hopes that rail could trigger the rejuvenation of surrounding neighborhoods. But rather than just hope, SLHI, the City of Phoenix and Arizona State University have partnered to implement a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant with the goal of – and name of – Reinvent PHX.
Neighborhoods along the rail line have been grouped into five districts according to their character, and SLHI’s primary role is in ensuring that community health is explicitly addressed for each district and in all facets of the project – whether in community outreach, developing an understanding of existing conditions, making recommendations or pursuing improvements.
Reinvent PHX is a work-in-progress, with each of the districts in various stages of community engagement, recommendations and finalized designs that could be taken to implementation. The work is focused on making the most of light rail’s presence with complementary transit options (including cycling and walking), housing options for diverse populations, access to healthy food and active living, safer streets, and better public spaces. Most importantly, Reinvent PHX is about assets already in the community, and about tapping into community ideas and strengths to fuel positive, engaging and well-received developments.
It’s no small project transforming a city characterized as ‘doomed’ for building around the car and embracing sprawl into a conglomeration of engaging and self-sufficient neighborhoods that embrace healthy and sustainable living. But Reinvent PHX is one of many key efforts in which SLHI is engaged, simply because health is impacted on a daily basis where we live, work, learn and play. The equation is simple: when we change the every day effects, we develop a more connected and healthier context that becomes the more readily available default for everyone – rather than a goal that individuals or households must pursue on their own.