Green Infrastructure Plan - South Phoenix

REVIVE South Phoenix

Green Infrastructure Plan

2014

Be Aware.

Be Engaged.

Be Connected.

"What they do not value, they will not protect.

What they do not protect, they will soon lose."

- Play Again, documentary

Acknowledgements The South Phoenix Green Infrastructure Executive Planning Board would like to express appreciation for the technical input provided by the City of Phoenix to the development of the South Mountain Village Green Infrastructure Master Plan, Revive. Additional recognition is given to the Landscape Architecture team of Arizona State University students who took part in the planning research and analysis tasks incorporated within the plan.

South Phoenix Green Infrastructure Executive Planning Board Alisha Hubbell Corinna Barber Dillon Cooley Katherine Reeves Lesley Minervini Wan Ting Dong

Demographics + Politics + Equity

Aesthetics + Culture

Land Use + Zoning + Urban Form + Brownfields

Water + Soil + Climate

Charlie Huang Zaneta Kam Dillon Cooley Nicole Wang

Erin Torchia Kennetha Perkins Corinna Barber Alex Buckley

Transportation Virgil Artuz Jose Rizo Alisha Hubbell Jasmine Ballard

Cassandra Ortega Tania Ibanez Katherine Reeves Linsie Kalland

Christine Seime Sophia Essian Lesley Minervini Kheri Armer-Newell

Habitat + Ecosystems Jessica Hines Regina Schmidt Wan Ting Dong Dallen Olsen Lance Trowbridge

Landscape Architecture Professors Kristain Kelley Paul Coseo

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Table of Contents I. Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................................

II. Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................................

III. List of Figures and Tables.................................................................................................................................

IV. Executive Summary............................................................................................................................................

V. Project Site..............................................................................................................................................................

VI. Current Conditions............................................................................................................................................ a. History/Background......................................................................................................................................... b. Aesthetics and Culture..................................................................................................................................... c. Demographics, Politics, and Equity.................................................................................................................. d. Land Use, Zoning, Urban Form, and Brownfields............................................................................................ e. Water, Soil, Climate, Energy.............................................................................................................................. g. Transportation................................................................................................................................................. f. Habitat, Ecosystem.......................................................................................................................................... i. Six Key Animal Species ......................................................................................................................

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VII. Analysis: Opportunities and Constraints..................................................................................................

VIII. Existing Examples............................................................................................................................................ a. Case Study Summaries..................................................................................................................................... i. REI, Denver, Colorado.......................................................................................................................... ii. Hamburg IBA, Germany...................................................................................................................... iii. Portland, Oregon................................................................................................................................ iv. Qunli, China......................................................................................................................................... v. Vancouver, Canada..............................................................................................................................

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IX. Recommendations............................................................................................................................................. a. Vision................................................................................................................................................................ b. Goal + Objectives............................................................................................................................................ c. Strategic Plan Map........................................................................................................................................... d. Green Links + Nodes........................................................................................................................................ e. Complete Streets............................................................................................................................................ e. Strategic Action Projects................................................................................................................................. f. Phasing............................................................................................................................................................. g. Potential Development/Redevelopment Parcels or Rights-of-Way................................................................

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XI. Implementation................................................................................................................................................... a. Tool Kit............................................................................................................................................................. a. Government Collaboration.............................................................................................................................. b. Grants and Funding Support............................................................................................................................ c. Accessibility..................................................................................................................................................... d. Public Dialogue Process................................................................................................................................... e. Place Marketing and Education........................................................................................................................

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XI. Sources................................................................................................................................................................... 46 XII. Appendix................................................................................................................................................................ 50 II

List of Tables and Figures Figure 1: Scale of Housing Scale......................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Housing Rating......................................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Percentage of Housing Rating.......................................................................................................... 3 Figure 4: Scale of Landscape Rating.................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 5: Landscape Scale...................................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 6: Percentage of Landscape Rating..................................................................................................... 4 Figure 7: Income levels throughout South Phoenix.................................................................................... 7 Figure 8: Land Use and Housing Type.............................................................................................................. 8 Figure 9:: Average Precipatation ....................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 10 Average Temperature.......................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 11: Soil, Climate, and Energy ................................................................................................................ 11 Figure 12: Transportation ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 13: Species Web ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 14: Urban Opps and Cons ..................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 15: Natural Opps and Cons.................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 16: Strategic Plan Maps............................................................................................................................ 27 Figure 17: Green Links Trail System ................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 18: Complete Steets: Arterial.................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 19: Complete Streets: Collector............................................................................................................ 30 Figure 20: Complete Streets: Green Linkage................................................................................................. 30 Figure 21: Phase 1 Map.......................................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 22: Phase 2 Map.......................................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 23: Phase 3 Map.......................................................................................................................................... 35 Figure 24: Potential Development...................................................................................................................... 36

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Executive Summary

South Mountain Village has experienced a rapid amount of growth in commercial and residential development. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, called the area in 2005 “one of the hottest areas for job and quality-of-life growth,” (Phoenix Chamber).

Due to the amount of recent development, paired with the amount of industrial zones already existing in the community, South Mountain Village has experienced unintended results.These consequences include an increase in urban heat island effects, flash flooding, air and water pollution, loss of valuable wash corridors, and fragmentation of beneficial open space and natural ecosystems.

Revive provides a way for South Mountain Village to reconnect as a community by re-establishing natural space networks, maintaining clean air, retaining and reusing stormwater runoff, improving water quality, and benefiting the residents of the community in a variety of ways. South Mountain Village’s Green Infrastructure plan utilizes and enhances existing infrastructure to filter and slow water runoff, incorporate natural green linkages between South Mountain and the Rio Salado, mitigate urban heat island, increase long-term connectivity, and promote overall health and well-being for the community as a whole.

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Project Location

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Current Conditions

History + Background Aesthetics + Culture Demographics + Politics + Equity Land Use + Zoning + Urban Form + Brownfields Water + Soil + Climate + Energy Transportation Habitat + Ecosystem

History

The establishment of Fort McDowell along the Gila River in the late 1800s is what truly began settlement in Phoenix, Arizona. By 1890, canals had been constructed along the Salt River to irrigate existing agricultural fields. A railroad had also been established, bringing lumber yards, and eventually, automotive yards into South Phoenix. Due to the flooding and proximity to the railroad tracks, South Phoenix became an “area undesirable for living and economic development,” (Barriozona).

This expansion created a divide between the residents of young Phoenix, and the wealthier settlers north of the river and the lower income residents south of the river.

The completion of Roosevelt Dam and Central Avenue Bridge in 1911 sparked a large amount of growth in South Phoenix also. “As the South Phoenix community continued to expand and more families settled in the area, its infrastructure continued to grow,” (Barriozona) rather steadily, until South Phoenix received electricity in 1924, causing development to skyrocket. In 1900, Maricopa County was home to 20,000 residents, and by 1940, the City of Phoenix alone was home to 65,000 residents, (Development of Metropolitan Phoenix).

Phoenix continued to expand and settlement drew outward from the city in the 1950s and 1960s, bringing with it the I-10 and I-17 freeways. South Phoenix, described as “an unusual mixture of affluent farmers and minority groups, with belts of extreme poverty,” was annexed by Phoenix in 1960. It and the southwest quadrant grew less rapidly than the rest of the Valley.

South Phoenix was well known for its agricultural aspect, and farmers used the land to grow various crops, a significant one being citrus. Citrus groves and flower meadows used to encompass a majority of this land, however, underutilized development has taken over many of those areas. Revive Green Infrastructure Plan will help bring this unique characteristic back to the community when looking forward.

South Phoenix’s history is integral when looking towards the future. Much of modern day Phoenix has been influenced by its rich past and that should be remembered when looking forward.

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Aesthetics and Culture Aesthetics and culture are essential to incorporating inventory into a site analysis. It is the component that allows one to see the existing beliefs and affiliations within the site. Not only does aesthetics speak on behalf of the site but it is the language residents use to make a statement in their community. Culture demonstrates how society relates to the land.

Dividing aesthetics into categories is crucial to understand the project location better. Housing scales, landscape scales, and signage are some of the ways one can measure the aesthetics of an area while culture can be broken up qualitatively and quantitatively into the different cultural landmarks.

Housing + Landscape Housing and Landscaping is an essential factor when assessing the aesthetics of a place. It is a cultural norm to order people based on outward appearance, for example the type or level of care in one’s property, so by assessing aesthetics we interpret perceived care and therefore may draw ideas about the people who live there. By rating homes and landscapes on a simple scale system it is possible to make conclusions about the aesthetics of a place and its overall quality. Neighborhoods are a section where a group of people live in households with a common set of distinguishing characteristics. By looking at historical influence, maintenance, and HOA influence a set scale was determined and then used to classify the different neighborhoods. The area surveyed fundamentally consists of 23.5 square miles divided into quarter mile segments.

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Figures 1 + 2 + 3 show the rankings of landscapes in South Mountain Village. Figure 1 represents the standard scale for rankings, Figure 2 illustrates the geographical area ranking. Figure 3 shows the percentage breakdown for this portion of the city S 40TH ST

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Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Com

Area of Housing Scale

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Figures 4 + 5 + 6 show the rankings of landscapes in South Mountain Village. Figure 4 represents the standard scale for rankings, Figure 5 illustrates the geographical area ranking. Figure 6 shows the percentage breakdown for this portion of the city

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Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Commu

Signage Signage is the way in which the city represents itself to the people. To better understand how signage is used to portray the community’s beliefs, signage was divided into four subcategories: billboards, outdoor dimensional labels, print labels, and hand-made signs. For the inventory, every major intersection was labeled with the types of signage there were

presented. While collecting data, a trend started to take form. Starting at the top left quadrant, there was a transition from billboards and hand-made signs to dimensional and print labels. The presence of culture was also following the same trend,

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creating a relationship between the two aspects. Gated communities were a large part of the areas that demonstrated entry signage. A third observation of the types of signage, within the village, was the language spoken. For example, there was an elementary school with announcements written out in Spanish. Here the public school was overridden by the culture.

Signage created a clearer understanding of how cultural aspects can affect the aesthetics of the village.. For a visual representation of the signage throughout South Mountain Village, please refer to Appendix A, Inventory.

The Farm at South Moutain

Salvation Army Community Center

The Audobon Center

Culture

South Mountain Community College

Mystery Castle, Foothills of South Mountain

The focus area as a whole is physically divided from the majority of the Phoenix Metropolitan area by the I-10 and South Mountain. This presents an almost isolated section of the city and its culture, leaving South Mountain Village to create a culture of its own. Outside of the project boundaries there are major cultural centers such as art museums, concert halls, government centers, and even movie theaters. Though within it there is a lack of space for culture to be fostered and congregate, thus the residents within this area must either go outside of their radius or create micro forms of culture. The culture within South Phoenix is defined by schools, religious centers, libraries, cemeteries, food purveyors, and environmental centers. . For a map of the cultural centers of South Mountain Village, please reference to Appendix A, Inventory.

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Social Equity, Demographics and Politics Demographics, Politics, and Equity is as important as any aspect when gathering inventory for a design, without it, the most important part of design, the people, is left alone and forgotten about. Within the local context of South Mountain Village, there are many different ways social and economic factors affect the community. With pockets of middle to upper class communities pushed into the foothills of South Mountain to the lower income industrial businesses along the Rio Salado, this area is diverse in a multitude of ways. The varying degrees of social economics put a unique perspective on the area’s social equity, demographics, and politics.

Social Equity Social Equity is the basis on which one measures their self-worth or that of their community. In such a diverse area, the equity amongst the citizens is variable. For instance, many wealthier communities have access to more resources than the lower income communities in the area. This can put a strain on the social connections to the communities. A disconnect between the large families along the Rio Salado and the wealthy families in the South Mountain Foothills is ever present.

Many low income families in the area are comprised of multiple generations and usually earn less than $40,000 a year as a housing unit. In contrast, many single families in the southern part of the site are making upwards of $120,000 a year.

It is evident that these communities who are in the upper earning classes have more access to local resources such as higher quality schools, libraries, large shopping centers, public transportation, and so on. One example is how the Parks Department treats the local public areas in wealthy communities, the parks are new and well maintained while in low income and industrial areas, parks are rare and underwhelming. This alone gives fewer chances for lower income areas and families to socialize, in turn destroying bonds within the community. Social Equity is important in developing areas as it give communities a reason to change and grow together.

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Demographics The Demographics of South Phoenix can help to better illustrate the dynamics of the communities living in the site. Like previously mentioned, South Phoenix is a diverse place with 321,591 people and two contrastingly different socio-economic communities living in such close proximity. This creates a variety of unique opportunities that can happen in South Mountain Village. Poverty affects this community greater than any other location in the Phoenix Metro Area, 65% higher than the rest of the valley. Other important factors are the Unemployment Rate (8.6%), the percentage of minorities living in the community (18%), and percent of high school graduates (54%). Other demographics to consider are primary languages spoken, family size, duration of stay, and average age. All of which greatly help in understanding the overall demographics of the site.

While both equity and demographics are essential to understanding a project site, politics are an essential measure of the dynamics of South Mountain Village. The politics of South Mountain Village show how the citizens interact with their community, as it is the most effective way in changing an area. Unlike mentioned in the Phoenix Area Social Survey, the social politics of South Mountain Village are much different. With a mostly democratic community, the citizens are more likely to work within their communities to achieve a higher status of living. There are many social and political groups located in South Phoenix, more so than North Phoenix and Scottsdale. These groups are important in voicing the opinions of the community, working directly to involve citizens and the government. The Arizona Legislators from this region both reflect the demographics and political stance of the community. All being female, from minority backgrounds, they help push change within the stagnant community; these legislators are pushing for changes in education, parks, and transportation.

N Higher Income Figure 7: Income levels throughout South Mountain Village, ranging from high to low

Lower Income South Phoenix Green Infrastructure Plan

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Land Use, Zoning, Urban Form, and Brown Fields South Phoenix has retained much of its history in its form. What was once small family owned farmland is now family run businesses, large scale farmland, or medium density residential. The site has maintained some of its historical integrity while faltering on basic ecological ethics resulting in brownfields. Land use, zoning, urban form, and brownfields can show the character an area by informing the economics, interactions, and systems that make up the community.

South Mountain Village has five major components of land use: the urban core, neighborhoods, community services, regional services, and open space. Under these components are the subcategories: employment, population balance, infill, mixed use patterns, integration of land use and transportation systems, pedestrian development, transit development, incompatible land uses, county islands, zoning, and village character. Each of these is essential to continuing the healthy growth of the city.

N Legend Single Family Residential Multi Family Residential Downtown Code Commercial Industrial Figure 8: Land Use and Housing Type, along with some transportation routes

Village Limits Collector Streets Major Steets Interstate South Mountain Boundary Brownfield Sites 19th Avenue Landfill

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Zoning is the division of an area to regulate a landowner’s use of property through zoning codes, laws, and ordinances. Zoning is primarily at the city level and provides the outline of what the development in that area should look like. It typically divides the community into zones or sections that are developed for a specific use. Exceptions and changes can be made by the zoning board and waivers may be granted based on individual situations (Hill). Currently, the greater Phoenix Metropolitan area is divided into seven zoning classifications and of the seven classifications listed there are four present within the South Mountain Village boundaries. These zones are single family residential, multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial (City of Phoenix). Zones of a city provide critical information essential to the designing and planning of an area.

The social, political, and economic processes that shape a city reflect upon the changing patterns of housing, buildings, streets, parks, railroads, highways, and airports. It is inevitable that as a city changes, so does its urban form.

Some changes are for the better, such as removing a condemned building and installing a community park in its place.

Changes in urban form can also be negative such as removing a landscaped median to add more lanes to a busy road.

Urban form affects more than just the aesthetics of a city, it affects social attributes such as economic growth and decline, crime rates, and education, and physical attributes such as storm drainage, heat island, and wildlife habitats.

Brownfields are areas (often former industrial or commercial facilities) where hazardous material has been deposited and contaminated the land and/or groundwater. There are many benefits to improving the condition of a brownfield such as improving the health of the community, people, and ecosystems surrounding the area. There are barriers that hinder a restoration process, such as limited knowledge of the exact contamination conditions, and financial support offered to the current landowner. There are two brownfields in South Mountain Village, one of which used to house a preschool. It is important to consider the impact these toxic areas have on the environment and community as well as how they can best be restored through a green infrastructure plan.

The way different land uses of the city interact, the way streetscapes are designed, and how brownfields and neighborhoods are maintained has a tremendous effect on a community as a whole. The history and agricultural aspect South Mountain Village once had can become a building block in gaining a sense of place once again. It will become a destination in the larger Phoenix Metropolitan Area and an example of sustainable and ecological standards for the Sonoran Desert.

An example of a brownfield restoration currently on the site, is the Audobon Center restored in 2011 by GIlmore Architects + SmithGroupJJR.

Brownfields on the site: 1) Closed Pre-School Brownfield 2) North Side of Broadway, West of 9th Ave.

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Water, Soil, Climate, and Energy South Mountain Village, nestled between South Mountain and the Rio Salado River, has a unique and critical climate to take into consideration when designing with green infrastructure. With 85 percent daylight hours in Phoenix, sunlight intensity is significant to understand—the optimum intensity of the sun is at a 90 - degree angle to the ground, but when the sun is at a lower angle that same amount of energy is spread over a larger surface area, lowering the intensity.

Research informs one that during the summer solstice, sunrise is at 5:19 AM and sunset is at 7:41 PM (approximations).

Similarly, during the winter solstice, sunrise is at 7:28 AM and sunset is 5:25 PM. Phoenix has an average annual temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and an average annual high at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Monsoon season is another climatic pattern to acknowledge. Impacting Arizona from mid-June to late-September, the lightning, damaging winds, and dust storms will influence landscape design.

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Figure 9 illustrates the average precipitation on an annual scale. Figure 10 shows the average highs and lows of each month.

The presence of South Mountain along the southern border of the site creates an intense topography— steep slopes and alluvial fans blend into the more leveled landscape, and watersheds finger through South Mountain Village into the Salt River.

The site is located within the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the main source of water for the surrounding area. Within the Phoenix AMA, the site lies on the southeast edge of the West Salt River Valley sub-basin, receiving 8 to 10 inches of rain annually, and has two flood alert stations. The average annual runoff is 0.1 inches or five acrefeet per square mile. Many wells reside along the perennial Salt River portion, some privately owned by residents or small farms (exempt wells), or by commercial/industrial businesses (nonexempt wells). Two centrally located canals—Western Canal and Highland Canal—service the area’s smaller portion of agricultural land use. Unfortunately, this specific site has little to no underground recharge, even though the Groundwater Savings Facility permitted for a water capacity of 60,000 to 100,000 acre-feet per year.

According to SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database), three main

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types of soil from the Soil Taxonomy Classifications System are present on this site: entisols, aridisols, and mollisols.

Entisols, taking up a majority of the area, consist of just horizon A (topsoil), which contains no subsoil (horizon B) or profile development. Aridisols are associated with dryness and the desert. They have very little organic matter, a lack of water, and exceptionally high in alkaline because they are not “flushed” out by consistent water due to the desert climate. A small portion in the northeast corner of the site are mollisols, forming in semi-arid regions, typically under a grassland, and is the most nutrient-enriched, crop beneficial, and rarest of all these soils. Figure 11 refers to the placement and soil type of the area.

It is estimated around 40 billion dollars a year is spent on cooling buildings. Half that amount being used to cool “heat islands” in cities just like Phoenix. Weekday demand savings for homes with A.C. and evaporative coolers is as high

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Figure 11 shows regional soil, climate, and energy resources relative to South Mountain.

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as 14% in Phoenix. Renewable energy is starting to take place on site with fund raising for installation of solar panels at South Mountain High School and at the Arts Academy. Also, South Mountain Community College library was built to a LEED Silver Standard in August 2011.

Climate, water, soil and energy all play a vital role in how green infrastructure design is perceived and experienced. By understanding and applying these climatic patterns and concepts, a redesigned, sustainable South Mountain Village can satisfy its very own community.

The Sonoran Desert has a great diversity of biotic communities and is one of the most diverse deserts in the world. It is home to considerable amounts of mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles. The rich and immense variety that exists within South Mountain Village is unique and well represented sample of what lives in the Sonoran Desert.

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Transportation Transportation is a very important part of today’s world. It molds everyday activities and lifestyles. More recently, research has been made to look into how transportation in and around a community can form and change the area. South Mountain Village has a cultural growth and livelihood that has evolved within the community and the character of the city can benefit with a more functional transportation system that fits their needs.

The Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has 10 classifications for the road system: (1) Rural Principal Arterial - Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for substantial statewide travel.

(2) Rural Minor Arterial - Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for integrated interstate or intercounty service.

(3) Rural Major Collector - Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for inter-county service.

(4) Rural Minor Collector - Traffic movements between local roads and collector roads.

(5) Rural Local Road - Two-lane undivided roads with intersections at grade.

(6) Urban Principal Arterial - Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of through movements and major circu lation movements in these areas.

(7) Urban Minor Arterial - Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of major circulation movements within these areas, with more emphasis on land access than major roads.

(8) Urban Major and Minor Collector - Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of both land access service and traffic circulation.

(9) Urban Local Road - Two-lane undivided roads with intersections at grade with frequent driveway access.

(10) Arizona Parkway - Divided roadway with access to abutting land generally limited to right in – right out.

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Legend Boundary

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Figure 12: Transportation route in, out and through the city along with transportation centers

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Transportation Center Park and Ride

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Within South Mountain Village, the main regional connections are I-10 (connecting Tucson to Los Angeles), I-17 (connecting Phoenix to Flagstaff), and SR-143 (connecting Mcdowell Road to Phoenix Metro). These freeways are important because they link the suburbs to the metropolitan city.

The main East-West arterial connections are Broadway Road, Southern Avenue, and Baseline Road. The main North-South connections are 19th Avenue, 7th Avenue, Central Avenue, 16th Street, and 24th Street. The busiest street is Baseline Road, with an average of 43,600 vehicles traveling daily.

Between 2009 and 2011 South Mountain Village experienced 31 pedestrian and vehicular fatalities, nine of them from drunk drivers. Of these 31 fatalities 46% were pedestrian/vehicular accidents and 53% were vehicular accidents.

Southern Avenue had seven accidents, Baseline Road had six accidents, and 19th Avenue had five accidents. There are 10 schools located along Southern Avenue, where the most accidents occur, making Southern Avenue the highest area of concern.

South Mountain provides outdoor recreation for the residents living in the South Mountain Village community, and provides trailhead connections to the Preserve. The trailheads promote outdoor activity for families and provide educational opportunities in wildlife and native vegetation. There are four trail connections to South Mountain Village: (1) 19th Avenue Trailhead - 10500 South 19th Ave. (2) Main Park Entrance - 10409 South Central Ave. (3) Mormon Trailhead - 8610 South 24th St. (4) Beverly Canyon Trailhead - 8800 South 46th St.

The trailheads within South Mountain Village are tucked away within neighborhood areas, do not have successful visual aesthetics, and are disconnected from public transportation and walkability. There are opportunities to provide safe accessibility into the trailheads off of Baseline Road and provide pedestrians with comfortable connections.

South Mountain Village has a variety of different trails for cyclists which include bike lanes, bike routes, paved shoulders, multi-use paths paved/unpaved, and recreational trails. The majority of these trails are severed by stop light intersections, canals, and utility corridors. Others, mainly around the base of South Mountain, are serviced with hawk lights and overpasses. One major problem with the site is its lack of bike repair shops/ facilities; it is home to only one repair shop, located at the intersection of Sunland Avenue and Central.

South Mountain Village is served by a fleet of 13 local buses and one Rapid Bus. Routes for these buses range in length and span the valley from Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Glendale, Gilbert, and South Laveen. The majority of the bus routes travel to major employment centers such as Westgate in Glendale, Arizona Mills Mall, Luke Air Force Base, and Downtown Phoenix. The routes also include metro area community colleges and universities such as Paradise Valley Community College, Grand Canyon University, and Arizona State University.

Some bus route stops include refuge structures for passengers. Bus facilities along Baseline Road, from 16th St to 40th St., had distinctly colorful shade structures as well as a large amount of vegetation encompassing some of them. However, as Baseline continues westward there is a decline in the state and maintenance of the bus stops, oddly enough these stops are used more frequently than those on east Baseline. In addition, Baseline Road is the only major street with a vegetated median in the South Mountain Village area.

The South Central Alternative Analysis or (AA), is a study of South Mountain Village where the focus was concentrated on identifying a transit mode appropriate for the area. Modes considered include Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail, and Modern Street Car. Three route locations were considered which included “7th Ave to Baseline, Central Ave to Baseline, and 7th St to Baseline.”(Valley Metro). The “South Central Locally Preferred Alternative,” (Valley Metro) would extend the valley Metro light rail along Central from 1st Ave/Jefferson to Baseline Road.

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Habitat and Ecosystem Apart from the ecological significance, the emphasis on ecosystem and habitat is also of dramatic meanings as therapy for human society and influence how people live and think. The Sonoran Desert has a great diversity of biotic communities and is one of the most diverse deserts in the world. It is home to considerable amounts of mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles. The rich and immense variety that exists within South Mountain Village is unique and well represented sample of what lives in the Sonoran Desert.

Figure 13: 6 Key Species Web A few notable species with natural habitats expanding beyond South Mountain Village are American beaver (Castor Canadensis), Arizona pocket mouse (Perognathus amplus), Harris’ antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii), Jaguar (Panthera onca) and Kit fox (Vulpus macrotis). The most notable population in the area is the bat species that follows the blooms of the Saguaro and the Organ Pipe cactus.

With an average of 65 individuals per hectare, the Arizona Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) is a species of lizard found primarily in the area of South Mountain.

And the Lowland Leopard Frog is the only amphibian species of importance and protected, which declined due to predation, disastrous floods, and wildfires. The fish species of most concern include the Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius), the Bonytail chub (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) and the Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). Invasive species, like the crawfish found upstream, dams, and contaminated water contribute to the decline of these fish species.

Due to the lack of documentation, natural vegetation within the site is difficult to discern. However, the most common occurring plant species in the Sonoran Desert also found in South Mountain Village include the Creosote Bush, White Bursage, Palo Verde Tree, Ironwood Tree, and Saguaro Cactus.

The main stressors threatening the local species are air traffic, contaminated water, agriculture conversion, loss of keystone species, harvesting plants, and groundwater deletion. The flight noise from Sky Harbor International Airport plays a minor role as a disturbance factor, but in combination with optical stimuli can trigger a reaction. Polluted water in the area negatively affects the ecosystem, and the groundwater table in Arizona has dropped considerably due to over-pumping for agricultural conversion and urban use. Habitat loss and agricultural conversion is the leading cause of species endangerment, and widespread conversion of certain ecosystem types into working landscapes has had significant impacts on some species.

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Key Species Harris Antelope Squirrel The Harris’s Antelope Squirrel, small and gray + brown with a white stripe on either side is well adapted to the heat and will collect food in the middle of the day until their body has reached its maximum temperature. At this time the squirrel will rest until its body temperature is low enough to begin collecting food once more.

Habitat: Northwestern Sonora, Mexico, to extreme southwest new Mexico, and central and southern Arizona. In Arizona the antelope squirrels are not endangered or considered threatened, but are protected by Arizona Game and Fish and marked as a non-game animal.

Diet: cactus, seeds from shrubs Predators: coyotes, hawks, bobcats, snakes, and even domestic dogs and cats.

Lifespan: 2-4 years Plants: Prickly Pear, Cholla, Creosote

Ammospermophilus harrisii

Coyote Found all throughout North America, the vocal coyote seemingly blends in with the desert landscape. Coyotes have a good sense of smell, vision and hearing which, coupled with evasiveness, enables them to survive both in the wild and occasionally in the suburban areas of large cities. They are common in most rural areas and often seen alone or in pairs, but because of their secretive nature, few are seen.

Habitat: Coyotes are an adaptable desert animal that can be found living in and

around cities, desert scrub, grasslands, and foothills.

Diet: Omnivores - cactus fruit, mesquite beans, flowers, insects, rodents, lizards, rabbits, birds, snakes, and sometimes domestic animals.

Predators: Bears, wolves, mountain lions, as well as risk from humans.

Lifespan: 10-14 years Plants: Mesquite, Prickly Pear, Cholla

Canis latrans

White Winged Dove Found in the Sonoran Desert, the White Winged Dove are able to obtain needed moisture from saguaro cactus fruit while blending into the scenery with light brown feather. When migrating they can travel in groups of up to 4000 birds to nesting sites around North America.

Habitat: Southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Diet: seeds from desert willow trees, ocotillo, agave, as well as fruit from saguaro, organpipe and other cacti. They also sip nectar from saguaro cactus fruit.

Predators: fox, coyote, owls, hawks, bobcats, snakes and domestic pets Lifespan: 10-15 Plants: mesquite, oak woods, cholla cactus, and in the crotches of saguaro

Zenaida asiatica 15

Brrowing Owl Burrowing owl is a kind of small-sized diurnal owl with special ground-nesting habits found throughout open landscape in America.

Habitat: grassland, agricultural areas, warm desert or any other open dry areas with low vegetation, though have adapted to live in cement culverts, drainage pipes and cracks in sidewalks as dispersal burrows.

Diet: small mammals such as moles and mice, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

Predators: larger owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes,weasels, and badgers Lifespan: 6-8 years Plants: fruit of tasajillo, other prickly pear and cholla cacti

Athene cunicularia

Sonoran Collared Lizard Habitat: Arizona south of the Gila River, where it prefers rocky terrain usually on bajadas, hillsides, canyons, and mountain slopes.

Diet: insects, spiders, and small lizards.

Predators: other lizards, birds such as roadrunners, as well as coyotes, house cats and other carnivorous mammals.

Lifespan: 5-8 years Plants: sagebush, creosote, pinyon juniper, and vegetation in grasslands

Crotaphytus collaris California Leaf- Nosed Bat A nonmigratory bat that is native to North America weighing anywhere from 5 to 20 grams, the California Leaf Nosed Bat is fairly small with a wingspan of 30 cm. Though is susceptible to human interaction, normally steering clear of built up environments.

Habitat: Northern Mexico and through South California, through Arizona, Nevada, and into New Mexico.

Diet: insects, cactus fruit Predators: owls, snake, coyotes, feral cats and raccoons.

Lifespan: 20-30 years Plants: prickly pear, cholla

Macrotus californicus

To better understand the built landscape, biotic communities, stressors and their interaction with wildlife please refer to Appendix A, Inventory.

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Analysis

VI.

Barriers + Opportunities Urban Natural

Urban Figure 14: Urban Opportunities and Constraints Map

Legend

URBAN CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities

Barriers

N

Constraints

Opportunities Existing Transportation Under Utilized Space Light Rail Development New Development

Constraints: Poor Maintenance Practices Industrial Sites Urban Heat Island

Several of the vacant lots of the area provide the residents of South Mountain Village with the opportunity to create and foster community through neighborhood gathering spaces, parks, and community gardens. These lots, once repurposed by the residents, will instill a sense of pride and identity throughout the community and help the local economy by increasing land value.

The transportation system presents more opportunities to the city for establishing a sense of identity. Modification of the current road system and implementation of the light rail would not only help residents to easily circulate through their community as well as help to boost their local economy by making it easier to commute to and from the Village.

While the current roadway system is an opportunity for implementation of green infrastructure, it can also be a constraint when presented with the rest of the urban infrastructure of the area. The amount of asphalt and urban infrastructure in South Mountain Village has created an urban heat island and changed the local microclimate. Most of the older infrastructure has been poorly maintained and the newer infrastructure is not designed for the environment. These constraints would require large amounts of reconstruction, which can be handled through phases.

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Natural Figure 15: Natural Opportunities and Constraints Map

Legend Opportunities

N

Constraints

Opportunities South Mountain Preserve Rio Salado Washes Wildlife Corridors Canals Vacant Lots Farms

Constraints: Brownfields Development/Golf Courses Transportation Routes Asphalt/ Hardscape Soil: Industrial development on good soil Urbanized soil Farms

South Mountain Village has a variety of opportunities to reconnect Rio Salado to South Mountain, re establish natural ecosystems, and bring the residents of the area together. Opportunity for reconnection of the South Mountain Preserve and the Rio Salado is apparent through wash corridors that flow from the mountain down into the river. These wash corridors can also serve as natural ecosystems for the smaller wildlife that play a vital role in the Sonoran Desert. These washes, or linkages as they will be called, can also act as educational and recreational opportunities for South Mountain Village residents, providing the residents places to gather and learn the importance of maintaining the washes and their role for plants and animals of that ecosystem. The wash corridors in the area can serve as the linkages that connect the site in a North-South orientation while the canals connect the site in an East-West orientation.

While South Mountain Village presents several areas of opportunity to boost the natural ecosystem, it also has several areas of constraint to be considered. Most of the area is urbanized with large amounts of hardscape covering the soil, and areas not covered in hardscape are no longer areas of natural, healthy soil. The two main brownfields on the site have contaminated the ground, making the soil less than desirable for ecosystem growth. Well maintained areas, such as the golf courses, plant nurseries, and farms also hinder the ability to sustain a natural ecosystem due to soil being overcome with urbanization through the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and introduction of soil from other places.

Lack of proper soil is a major constraint for boosting the natural ecosystem of South Mountain Village. In addition the amount of urban infrastructure that encompasses the community presents natural barriers and constraints. The current buildings and transportation routes require modifications to their routine and thinking in order to re-establish the linkages between the mountain and the river.

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VII.

Existing Examples

Denver, Colorado Hamburg IBA, Germany Portland, Oregon Qunli, China Vancouver, Canada

Case Studies DENVER, CO: The REI parking garage turns a traditionally gray area into a green island in the city. This green roof reduces the Urban Heat Island Effect and creates a large area for stormwater to absorb into a garden. It also provides an attractive open space near the South Platte River. Renovate underutilized infrastructure along riverfront: For SMV, take advantage of not used/vacant lots along the Rio Salado to help revitalize the river, increase economic and commercial attraction, and get the community involved in nature

HAMBURG IBA: Germany has long been an industrial and technological powerhouse, creating great innovations from engineering, to architecture and urban planning. This tradition of innovation is important to the culture behind Germany, and has ushered a program called IBA, or International Building Exhibition. The IBA chooses a different region or subject every ten years or so, as the site of innovation in design. While most of the previous years have had a major focus on the Berlin and other areas reminiscent of the Nazi Regime, the past ten years have focused one a different theme, that of green infrastructure and community connections. The port city of Hamburg has long been important to Germany, recently has become the country’s wealthiest city, and with this, wants to renovate a forgotten part of the city. Located on the Elbe River, the island of Veddel has become a “City within a City� due to its isolation to the rest of the metro area. This location not only has been forgotten about, it also is home to the lowest income and most diverse communities in Hamburg. One project that covers all three of these general themes is the Energy Bunker, created out of a WWII Flak Tower. By taking a local eyesore that has been sitting around abandoned for the past 50 plus years, the IBA has turned it into a community center, filled with a cafe and multiple large parks nearby, a solar power station that supplies up to 8000 homes with sustainable energy. Revitalizing a lost community: For SMV, this type of approach will assist them in discovering their identity, and appreciating the historical aspect of their part of the City.

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PORTLAND, OREGON: Five smaller scale projects in Portland that implement green infrastructure into storm water management through the creation of green streets and rain gardens utilizing vegetated swales, creative roof catchments, pervious pavement, and removal of excess hardscape. These green streets and bioswales provide habitat, slowly release storm flow, filter pollutants, recharge groundwater, reduce erosion, and provide an aesthetic quality for the surrounding neighborhoods, adding a more beautiful element to the neighborhoods than piped infrastructure. Streetscape Stormwater Management: For SMV, implementing curb cuts, diverse vegetation within medians and landscapes along roads, and better drainage designs, will overall reduce the flash flooding and intense water runoff; it will also benefit the health of vegetation by utilizing that stormwater runoff.

QUNLI, CHINA: This project was designed as an ecological sponge to address the natural rainwater issues of this new town in Northern China. In general, Qunli new town has an annual precipitation of 567mm (22.3inches), however concentrated from June to August (making up 60%~70% of the total rainfall), which results in the problem as follows: Seasonal rainwater flood, loss of water in wetland during dry period, wetland pollution due to urban flood. And the city also suffers from the problems brought about by the modern development, such as the increasing need for public aesthetic experience. Respect the Natural Landscape For SMV, this is extremely important - some areas of our site like the South Mountain and the Rio Salado need to be respected for their natural qualities and ecological benefits for our site. Keeping some areas much more isolated from human impact, and allowing very little human impact (trails in green links) will help raise awareness for the fragile environment and beauty of it all Stanley Park is located in what is supposed to be by 2020 the Greenest City in the World, Vancouver, Canada. Where they plan to have carbon neutral buildings by 2020, sweeping changes in how they handle waste and a plan for what the ecosystem of the densely populated Vancouver will look like. The 2020 Plan focuses its vision, leadership, action, and partnerships on four major tasks, one of which is creating green spaces that are accessible by all residents within a five minute walk. Stanley Park serves as an ecological hub for the city and a place where the city as a whole can gather. The Stanley Park Ecological Society helps to implement and sustain the goals of the city within the park. They ‘undertake invasive species removal, habitat restoration and enhancement’ (Stanley Park Ecological Society, 2014) as well as provide an in depth educational approach for all ages. Links and hubs: For SMV, connecting the area through ecologically sensitive green links is what will literally and figuratively bring the community together. Hubs create a great spaces for community involvement and popularity for events, meetings, festivals, businesses, etc.

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VIII.

Recommendations

Vision Goals + Objectives Alternatives Strategic Plan Map Strategic Action Projects Phasing Potential Development + Re-Development

Vision

South Mountain Village will look to promote community, engage history and culture, and find green infrastructure solutions that extend into the future.

South Mountain Village will look to promote community, engage history and culture, and find green infrastructure solutions that extend into the future.

As a district of South Mountain Village, the people will recognize the social, economic, ecological, and educational benefits of implementing green infrastructure and look to continue them into the future. The South Phoenix Green Infrastructure plan hopes to first to instill a deep set of core values that the community connects with. It will begin to introduce education, community connection, destination centers to support local economy, and the greening of homes, neighborhoods, urban spaces, and industrial centers on various levels. This will be an internationally recognized central urban desert core that replenishes the participation of the community, and meets the needs of generations to come.

Ecologically, South Mountain Village will truly be an interactive area where in certain areas there will be no distinct separation between nature and humans. By naturalizing the landscape, we can reconnect South Mountain and the Salt River, with the Village sustainably integrated between them. Continuing to protect South Mountain will assist in the encouragement of doing the same with the nearby River. Revitalizing the Rio Salado’s natural ecology will take place by incorporating adjacent green space, creating wildlife habitat and linkages, providing outdoor recreation, and reintroducing the native plant palette. Green canopies will increase in streetscapes, in addition to walkable opportunities that provide shade, comfort, and better air quality. Restoration processes on deteriorated, abandoned, and/or toxic sites with the implementation of appropriate ecologic features will contribute to the overall environmental health of the site, and help alleviate the natural harshness of the Sonoran Desert. South Mountain Village has the potential to be a valuable example of green infrastructure and reinvigorate the surrounding environment.

Tell me, and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.” -Native American speaking

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Goals + Objectives 1. More Green, Less Gray

Increase tree canopy by 20% by 2025; 40% by 2035; 50% by 2065 by forming an integrated green system through the manmade and natural environment.

Reduce impervious surfaces 10% by 2025; by 20% by 2035; 35% by 2065 by incorporating permeable pavers into zoning standards Implementation of two complete arterials roads by 2025; 6 additional arterials by 2035; ALL arterials roads by 2065, by narrowing vehicle lanes, adding bicycle lanes, adding curb cuts with vegetated bioswales, and managing stormwater runoff.*Definition of complete arterial on pg 30 All future development must capture at least 60% of site water runoff by 2025; 50% of existing structures must capture 75% of site water runoff by 2035; 100% of existing and future development must capture all site water runoff by 2065 All future development, commercial or residential, must retain and recycle all grey water for use on site by implementing storage systems.

All future public and community developments past 2025 must be LEED Certified, all future commercial development to be LEED Certified by 2035

2. Enhance Connectivity

Designate 18 miles of natural connections by 2025; 35 total miles of natural connections by 2035; 40 miles of natural connections by 2065 by redeveloping and maintaining natural watershed connections between South Mountain and the Rio Salado Increase public transportation: by extending the Phoenix Light rail down Central Ave to the intersection of Baseline and Central, by creating another route servicing Southern Ave from Central Ave by 2035, and finally extending the Phoenix Lightrail from Chandler into South Mountain Village by 2065 Increase new bus routes by 10% by 2025; by 30% by 2035; by 70% by 2065 by providing more efficient route systems for residents’ desired destinations Expand neighborhood public spaces by 25% by 2025; 40% by 2035; 65% by 2065 by using a trail system to efficiently connect the public spaces Integrate wildlife with people by establishing a stronger relationship with AZ Game and Fish Department and designing observational sites; 5 specific species by 2025; 10 specific species by 2035; 40 specific species by 2065

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3. Invigorate Economic Growth

Provide tax rebate for ALL green practices by 2035 Develop central core by future expansions of Lightrail (see 2bi) by 2025; Increase residential density by 30% and commercial land use by 40% by 2035.

Reform local agriculture by establishing community gardens in 30% of vacant, polluted, or donated lots by 2025; 60% of vacant, polluted, or donated lots by 2035; 100% of vacant, polluted, or donated lots by 2065.

Restore existing, native plant health in greenways by 30% 2025; 50% by 2035; 70% by 2065 by designating natural watersheds for undeveloped sites Government efforts, advocacy and professional guiding to the public Improve human health by decreasing air pollution by 15% by 2025, by 30% by 2045, 45% by 2065 by the implementation of green within the city and enhancement of public transportation.

4. Promote Health + Well Being

Implement education for residential landscaping by distributing AMWUA (Arizona Municipal Water Users Association) Guides to the full community by 2025 by mail/ email Promote school field trips for community knowledge and involvement by 30% by 2025, by 50% by 2035, 75% by 2065 by including public transportation and discounts around Phoenix.

Involve community service: tree planting, park art installations, or painting home addresses on curbs; simple little projects to get the kids involved with their community and create a sense of pride in their work and where they live

5. Establish Sense of Identity

Addition of much needed medical facilities by 2035 Encourage social community events and local festivals Design and build a Community Center Design and build a History Museum including the historical values and successes of South Mountain Village in previous years by 2065

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Strategic Plan Map

Preserve

City Parks

Figure 16: Final phase of implemented plan, showing green links, nodes, transportation, city parks, and natural preserves

Central Node

Light Rail

Open Greenspace

Freeway

Rio Salado

Main Roads

N

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Green Links + Nodes

E ROSEN RD

Animal Trails

N

Plant Trails Node

Cholla Cactus

Harris antelope squirrel

Cylindropuntia fulgida Prickly Pear Cactus

Ammospermophilus

Figure 17: Outline of Green Link Trails throughout site, and corresponding species.

harrisii Sonoran Collard Lizard

Opuntia ficus indica Creosote

Larrea tridentata

Crotaphytus nebrius White Winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

California Leaf Nosed Bat Macrotus

Honey Mesquite

Burrowing Owl

californicus Coyote

Prosopis glandulosa

Athene Cunicularia

Canis latrans

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Revive Green Infrastructure Master Plan will include the implementation and development of various green links and nodes that begin at the base of South Mountain, and continue out into South Mountain Village; some reach the Rio Salado and others join up with the existing canals that run East and West on the site. The location and pattern of the green links were inspired by the natural watersheds that run off of the mountain into the floodplain.

Each green link will include a wide, unpaved trail that accommodates walkers, runners, hikers, bikers, and animals.

Native desert plant restoration will surround these mixed use trails in order to provide necessary connections for wildlife key species, and allowing the revival of the beautiful desert vegetation.

Each link will be represented by a key plant or animal species as indicated on the map found on the previous page. When species trails intersect, a community node forms serving as a place for citizens to become aware, engaged and connected.

After the completion of the third phase, these links eventually form a cohesive chain around the entire design site: the loop connecting the revitalized Rio Salado at the North to the buffered ecological border of South Mountain at the South.

This connected chain of green links and nodes will be areas to foster education about local ecology, natural linkage corridors for key species, and refuges of natural space within the urban grid.

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Complete Streets Arterial

Figure 18, 19, 20: South Phoenix’s Green Infrastructure Plan identifies routes for redevelopment of green and complete street. The graphics on this page demonstrate the how the street will be repurposed to maximize existing space, increase pedestrian, vehicular, and public transit connectivity as well as create an aesthetically pleasing environment.

Collector

Green Linkage

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Strategic Action Projects (for More Green, Less Gray) 1. Get the community involved in the beautifying of the Arizona Grand Canal. Community art projects will be held where residents can decorate large pots to contain vegetation along the canal.

These projects will allow residents to make their mark in the “greening� of the community.

2. Schools will have field trips where the children will participate in planting shrubbery and flowers along the old railroad corridor.

This will instill a sense of pride and work well done amongst the children and encourage families to utilize the newly vegetated pathways to view the childrens’ work.

(for Enhance Connectivity) 1. Organize days in which neighborhoods come together to help turn vacant lots into public space in their neighborhood to use for activities such as yard sales, block parties, etc.

2. Partner with local wildlife organizations to establish wildlife observation sites along newly vegetated pathways (wash coming from the mountain, old railroad corridor, and along the Arizona Grand Canal)

(for Invigorate Economic Growth) 1. Encourage community involvement in art projects and installation along proposed central core site, as well as planting new vegetation. Community involvement and pride in the area will seem valuable to commercial investors and promote economic growth of core.

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Phasing

Revive will be implemented in 3 clear plans beginning at 10 years from 2015 and completing the plan at 50 years in 2065.

Revive will involve the public input and environmental factors in all decisions and plans in order to provide the most comprehensive and beneficial green infrastructure outline.

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Phase 1 10 years 2025

N Preserve

City Parks

Public

Figure 21: Highlights key features of this phases design

All future development must capture at least 60% of site water runoff Public and community developments past 2025 must be LEED Certified Extend the Phoenix Light rail on Central Ave to the Baseline and Central Increase new bus routes Expand neighborhood public spaces by 25% Develop central core by future expansions of Lightrail Improve human health by decreasing air pollution by 15% Promote school field trips for community knowledge and involvement by 30% using public transportation to connect Phoenix

Central Node

Light Rail

Open Greenspace

Freeway

Rio Salado

Main Roads

Environmental

Increase tree canopy by 20% Reduce impervious surfaces by 10% Implement two arterial complete streets Reform local agriculture by establishing 30% community gardens of vacant, polluted, or donated lots Restore existing, native plant health in greenways by 30% by designating natural watersheds for undeveloped sites Integrate wildlife by establishing a stronger relationship with AZ Game and Fish Department and designing observational sites; 5 specific species Add 18 miles of natural connections

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Phase 2 20 years 2035

N Preserve

City Parks

Figure 22: Highlights key features of this phases design

Public

50% of existing structures must capture 75% of site water runoff Commercial development to be LEED Certified Extend the Phoenix Lightrail by creating another route servicing Southern Ave from Central Ave by 2035 Increase new bus routes by 30% Expand neighborhood public spaces by 40% Provide tax rebate for ALL green practices Increase residential density by 30% and commercial land use by 40% Improve human health by decreasing air pollution by 30% Promote school field trips for community knowledge and involvement by 50% using public transportation to connect Phoenix

Central Node

Light Rail

Open Greenspace

Freeway

Rio Salado

Main Roads

Environmental

Increase tree canopy by 40% Reduce impervious surfaces by 20% Implement 6 additional arterial complete streets Reform local agriculture by establishing community gardens in 60% of vacant, polluted, or donated lots Restore existing, native plant health in greenways by 50% by designating natural watersheds for undeveloped sites Integrate wildlife by establishing a stronger relationship with AZ Game and Fish Department and designing observational sites; 10 specific species 35 total miles of natural connections

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Phase 3 50 years 2065

N Preserve

City Parks

Figure 23: Highlights key features of this phases design

Public

Extending the Phoenix Lightrail from Chandler into South Mountain Village Increase new bus routes by 70% Expand neighborhood public spaces by 65% Improve human health by decreasing air pollution by 45% Design and build a History Museum including the historical values and successes of South Mountain Village in previous years Promote school field trips for community knowledge and involvement 75% by including public transportation and discounts around Phoenix.

Central Node

Light Rail

Open Greenspace

Freeway

Rio Salado

Main Roads

Environmental

Increase tree canopy by 50% Reduce impervious surfaces by 35% Implement complete streets for ALL arterials roads Reform local agriculture by establishing community gardens in 100% of vacant, polluted, or donated lots Restore existing, native plant health in greenways 70% by designating natural watersheds for undeveloped sites 100% of existing and future development must capture all site water runoff Integrate wildlife by establishing a stronger relationship with AZ Game and Fish Department and designing observational sites; 40 specific species 40 miles of natural connections

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Potential Development

Figure 24: Shows the areas of potential development or redevelopment

N

Natural Open Space

Identity

MOre Green

Health + Well Being

Connections

Economic Growth

The overall theme of this document has been to lay down a series of Phases and Steps to reinvigorate South Mountain Village in accordance to the Mission and Goals set forth by this plan. When designating areas for potential development it is important to note overlaps that occur between different goals and parts of the green infrastructure plan, because these areas create unique opportunities that can provide a foundation for urban growth. By referring to the 5 goals laid out in this plan, multiple locations in South Mountain Village can provide endless potential for Green Infrastructure.

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Potential Development More Green, Less Gray The act of removing the gray industrialization of South Mountain Village and its endless hardscape and dusty earth with areas of natural vegetation and green open space, including parks and connecting trails and paths.

Throughout this Green Infrastructure plan, we have pushed the idea of greenways, areas of natural vegetation designed to create areas of passive and active open space. With most of the area being vast areas of asphalt and dusty patches of old tired agriculture, creating comfortable green spaces such as parks is crucial to the redevelopment of South Mountain Village. The intersection of 32nd Street and Southern Ave could be the epicenter of this movement.

Surrounded by old worn out land on all 4 sides, and directly located next to an old railway turned into a power and telephone pole corridor, all of which is planned to be rezoned into open space or greenway corridors. With the future light rail line running along Southern Ave it also creates an important node for the community and future growth. This location could easily host park development, while also creating connections to other areas of importance in the Village.

Enhanced Connectivity Currently an underdeveloped area, one of the main goals of the South Mountain Village Green Infrastructure plan is to create connections where there once were not. These connections can be within the community, to creating connections outside of the community as well. The expansion of the Phoenix Light Rail down Central Ave and along Southern Ave is important connection for the future of South Mountain Village, creating connections to Downtown Phoenix and Tempe.

Important areas of redevelopment include the Rio Salado Corridor, which acts as a large boundary between Downtown Phoenix and South Phoenix, or the I-10, which separates South Mountain Village from Tempe. Other important areas involve how South Mountain and The Rio Salado connect, and how the residents of the site move within it. The introduction of light rail and public transit will help, along with the implementation of complete streets.

Economic Growth Throughout the history of Phoenix the Rio Salado has been very important to the economy of the city, but with the channelization of this river, the industry has dried up around it as well. Rather than junkyards and quarries, South Mountain Village has the potential to house companies and industries known for green practices, similar to how Chandler and Tempe are know for the innovative technology companies that call them home. The junction of Central Ave and Southern Ave will be a significant area in the Village, it is home to the future end of the Central Light Rail Line, and the start of the Southern Ave Light Rail Line. While already an established node for the area by providing a central grocery store and other infrastructure, this development could usher in a new high density development, creating an important cultural and economic location. Other areas of possible economic redevelopment would be the commercial core sandwiched between the I-10 and Sky Harbor, and due to being so close to the airport, will never be residential zoning.

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Potential Development Health & Well-being Interaction with nature is an important part in living, and by creating a system of trails, green open spaces like parks and greenways, and rehabilitation of the Rio Salado, it is possible to promote health and well-being in South Mountain Village. By creating areas for both passive and active open space with close proximity to residences, more people would be inclined to spend time outside with their friends and family. Water is gravitational to people and critters, yet Phoenix’s main river has been channelized for years, with more steel from junkyards and car lots nearby than any plant materials. Replenishing this vital natural attribute of the area is very important in increasing the health and well being of South Mountain Village, not only for the human residents, but the native animals and plants to the region. Daylighting rivers has been noted as an important step when developing natural areas, with large cities like Los Angeles creating programs to channelize their river.

Sense of Identity Humans are driven to create areas that they identify with, areas or locations in which they have an emotional attachment to. This sense of identity can be attributed to close knit relationships in communities, an individual’s history or connection to this place, or the feeling of home. Creating these places can only be done through the involvement of the community, working directly to create personal involvement. A strip of Southern Ave from 16th street to 32nd street is to be considered the center of South Mountain Village, an area akin to Mill Ave in Tempe or Downtown Chandler. Not only being a centralized location, it also splits the agricultural land along South Mountain and the industrialization corridor along the Rio Salado. By developing a cultural core in this area, a sense of identity could be achieved in South Mountain Village.

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IX.

Implementation

Tool Kit Government Collaboration Grants + Funding + Support Accessibility Place Marketing + Education Public Dialogue Process

Implementation Tools 1.. Citizen Forestry Group: green streets, natural greenways, complete streets, residential areas, public community spaces: addresses goals 1, 2, 4, 5 website volunteer network, eboard community events partnering with educational groups neighborhood involvement 2. Tax systems: large developments of residential and commercial, and public green spaces: Rebates Self Tax Materials Tax Building Products addresses goals 1-5 3. Educational Programs: Scouts, high school groups, summer programs for youth.

After school groups Church groups Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts Community Service systems addresses goals 2, 4, 5 4. Create business coalition for S. Phoenix Local companies bond together to give back to their communities.

Local First 5. Changing waste management practices: recycling, garbage schedules, composting More comprehensive recycling plans, including glass.

Implement composing programs Alter current trash pickup days 6. Alter current zoning standards Introduce incentives to develop and change current urban zoning and promote infill development.

Incorporate Smart Growth systems to increase development along major streets, building along Central Ave Make small and medium residential zoning more difficult to develop and obtain than Mixed Use or high density residential zoning All industrial zoning that is not currently built upon must be changed to open space 7. Change Policy Codes Complete Street Policy - All major arterials and future roadways to be part of a complete street

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Government Collaboration Implementation of the South Mountain Green Infrastructure Plan will prove important to the City of Phoenix because it rectifies the current urban form in one of the most industrial sections of the city. The City of Phoenix will understand the necessity of collaboration with various teams to bring this plan into action upon review of the document.

The ability to daylight the natural washes connecting South Mountain to the Rio Salado is a huge asset, not only to South Mountain Village, but to the surrounding areas.

The collection and infiltration of stormwater will prevent massive amounts of flooding during times of heavy rain, the amount of vegetation introduced back into the area will decrease the pollution in the air, and the wildlife supported by that vegetation will help to rebalance the ecosystem.

Introducing green and complete streets to South Mountain Village will help boost the economy of South Phoenix by improving accessibility throughout the area. The boosting of economic growth in South Mountain Village will in turn bring an increase in tax revenue to the City of Phoenix, allowing more room in the budget to make green infrastructure improvements city-wide.

Implementation of community gardens and greenway nodes will spike interaction amongst community residents and re-establish a sense of identity for South Mountain Village. The creation of this tight-knit community will improve the health of its residents, in turn increasing the quality of life for people living in the area. This positivity will spread to the surrounding areas such as Laveen, Ahwatukee, and Tempe, instilling the idea that better living starts with helping one’s neighbors and respecting the environment. With time this character will spread through the entire City of Phoenix and the metropolitan area, making Phoenix the highest rated city to live in, which in turn will continue to bring in more tax dollars for the city.

41

Grants, Funding, + Support Support Rails to Trails Local Non-Profit Support Groups for the connection between the Rio Salado and South Mountain Citizen Forestry Group

Funding + Grants Brown Fields: EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grants: up to $200,000 per site to provide funding to inventory, characterize, access, and conduct planning, and community involvement.

Green Streets DOT TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary Grants): grants from $10 million to $600 million to provide funding for innovative trans portation projects Local Economy USDA NIFA: Small Business Innovation Research Program- awards range from $70,000$100,000 to support projects for communities that promote balance between economic productivity and land, air, and water quality.

Watershed EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund: more than $5 billion given to states annually to project that improve water quality, renew wastewater infrastructure, and support local economies.

Stormwater Management USDA Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loans and Grants: to be used towards more ef ficient storm water management practices Ecological Programs USDA Farm Service Agency: money to be used for riparian buffers, easements, and other green infrastructure programs that meet requirements.

USDA & DOI FS, Park Service, FWS, BLM Land and Water Conservation Fund: to be used to acquire and conserve valuable lands and ecosystems.

42

Accessibility

Currently, most amenities, services, and places of employment are not very easily accessible to the residents of South Mountain Village. Most residents must drive at least a couple of miles to get to their destination - grocery store, daycare, mall, workplace. Those who are within a mile to their destination still do not have an easy route to take with the lack of shaded sidewalks, and in some cases lack of sidewalks at all. Through the implementation of green and complete streets, the South Mountain Village Green Infrastructure Plan eliminates the lack of sidewalks, and lack of shaded sidewalks. It also increases the amount of A.D.A. curbs, bike lanes, and number of bus routes, introduces light rail, slows traffic, and provides an overall friendlier pedestrian environment.

The added amount of bike lanes and decreased amount of vehicular lanes encourages residents to be more environmentally friendly and become active in a healthy lifestyle. The buffer of the bike lane coupled with the bioswales needed for stormwater retention creates a pedestrian friendly environment that will provide more mobility opportunities for residents of lower incomes who may not be able to afford a car or a bike, and residents of varying disabilities who may not be able to drive a vehicle, and makes for a safer walk to school for children. Green and complete streets also provide the ability for any resident to lead a more health conscious lifestyle while being respectful to the environment.

Implementation of green and complete streets into South Mountain Village will also allow all residents the opportunity to participate in community events and visit the new community gardens and greenway nodes. In this sense, green and complete streets also allow for the educational growth of the community being that the gardens and nodes are a place for neighbors to connect and learn. All residents will have ease of access to everyday needs such a child care, health care, and place of employment, as well as ease of access for recreation, connection, and learning, provided by the gardens, nodes, and daylighted washes and greenways.

43

Public Dialogue Process The public dialogue process will interact with the community to develop concepts according to their vision and interests while implementing sustainable practices.

2015 Public Meetings

January - South Mountain Community Center | 212 East Alta Vista Road Hold the kick off meeting Information, inventory, and feedback

February - Arizona Cultural Academy & College Prep | 7810 South 42nd Place Evaluate goals and objectives for the site and relating it to community vision Gather feedback from the community - their pros and cons of South Mountain Village

March - Collins College | 4750 South 44th Place Conduct study circles and survey methods

April - The Farm at South Mountain | 6106 South 32nd Street Present phases to community and gather public feedback

July - South Mountain Community Center | 212

East Alta Vista Road Funding meeting - i.e. are residents open to tax raises? Send out a community wide survey to aid funding

August - South Phoenix Youth Center | 5245 South 7th Street Evaluation of the plan in phases

September - Jain Center of Greater Phoenix | 6250 South 23rd Street Design workshops

October - Cesar Chavez Community School | 4001 South 3rd Street Design workshops

November - South Mountain Community Col-

May - South Mountain Community College | 7050 South 24th Street

lege | 7050 South 24th Street Citizen juries Prep for finalization

June - Roosevelt Community Technology | 6029

December - South Mountain Community Cen-

South 7th Street At this point, for reliable results, we would like to have worked with double the amount of citizens.

And if not, we will market and advertise for more participants

ter | 212 East Alta Vista Road Gather final feedback from the community and finalize development for submittal to Phoenix

44

Place Marketing + Education

According to the research, there is considerable amount of vacant, polluted, and donated lots existing within the neighborhood in South Mountain Village. So it provides possibility that the redesign and transformation of these parcels can probably make a difference to local economy and education. This kind of reform enables residents to establish their own community gardens with the guide of government, such as distributing AMWUA (Arizona Municipal Water Users Association) journals by mail or email, making people in different ages and occupations involved in their own community transformation.

45

X.

Sources

“ASLA 2006 Professional Awards.” ASLA 2006 Professional Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept.

2014. Beck, Michael Bruce, and Rodrigo Villarroel Walker.

City of Portland. “Natural Systems.” PortlandOregon.gov. N.p., Apr. 2006. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

EFC.edu. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2013. Encouraging Green Infrastructure. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.efc.umd.edu/assets/encouraging_efficient_green_infrastructure_investment_1-23-13. pdf>.

“General Design Category.” ASLA 2012 Professional Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.asla.org/2012awards>.

“Green Infrastructure.” EPA. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www2.epa.gov/region8/greeninfrastructure>.

“IBA Hamburg.” IBA Hamburg Gmhb, 2007. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.

IBA Hamburg: Projekte Und Konzepte. Berlin: Jovis, 2010. Print. Mann, Linc.

“Managing Stormwater: Portland Builds Green Street Projects to Alleviate Run-off Damage.” Daily Journal of Commerce. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2014.

<http://mithun.com/projects/project_detail/rei_denver/>.

“Nexus security: governance, innovation and the resilient city.” Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 7.5 (2013): 640-657.Canyon, Beverly. South Mountain Park/Preserve (n.d.): n. pag. Web<https://www.phoenix.gov/parkssite/Documents/062880.pdf>.

“Open Space Plan For Nashville.” The Conservation Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.conservationfund.org/projects/open-space-plan-for-nashville/>.

“REI Denver Flagship.” | AIA Top Ten. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.aiatopten.org/node/201>.

“Regional Green Infrastructure Plan | GWRC.” GWRC Regional Green Infrastructure Plan Comments.

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.gwregion.org/regional-planning/reports-and- studies/regional-green-infrastructure-plan/>.

“Show News.” Qunlinanan. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://wwww.qunlinanan.com/ShowNews>.

TurenScape. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.turenscape.com>.

Vladas. “NYC Green Infrasructure Plan.” (n.d.): n. pag. NYC.gov. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/green_infrastructure/NYCGreenInfrastructurePlan_Executive Summary.pdf>.

Photos (in order of appearance) :

Cover:

becuo.com eoss.asu.edu Google Maps en.wikipedia.org Cassanra Oretega, 2014 Google Maps, 2014 www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/57901767 buyandrentaz.com es.reinoanimalia.wikia.com kjzz.org http://www.city-data.com/forum/phoenix-area/192459-how-doyou-remember-phoenix-stories-536.html Cassandra Ortega, 2014 Linsie Kalland, 2014 Google Maps, 2014 http://www.eventective.com/USA/Arizona/Phoenix/36269/TheFarm-At-South-Mountain.html haydonbc.com haydonbc.com www.pinterest.com www.delange.org www.smithgroupjjr.com Katherine Reeves Cornna Barber, 2014 www.wildlifenorthamerica.com www.geneva.il.us allaboutbirds.org en.wikipedia.org www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/57901767 home.earthlink.net wallpaperswide.com www.smithgroupjjr.com downtowndevil.com www.dreamstime.com www.sunset.com bridgeviewazcondos.com set-travel.com www.invisiblestructures.com www.spokanewastewater.org vancouver.ca turenscape.com allaboutbirds.org www.invisiblestructures.com www2.epa.gov fotocommunity.de

set-travel.com liveinternet.ru www.tarcherbooks.net becuo.com aneyefortexas.wordpress.com www.americansouthwest.net www.spokanewastewater.org www.grm.cuhk.edu.hk www.grm.cuhk.edu.hk turenscape.com vancouver.ca vancouver.ca vancouver.ca Dillon Cooley, 2014 Wan Ting Dong, 2014 www.city-data.com

XI.

Appendix

Dallen&Olsen,&Wanting&Dong,&Lance&Trowbridge,&Jessica&Hines,&Regina&Schmidt&

South&Mountain&Village&ecological&research&and&analysis& Stressors& • • • • • •

Air&Traffic& Canals& Agriculture&Conversion& Contaminants/Waste&Water& Dispersed&Camping& Illegal&Dumping&

&

Air&traffic& The&discussion&of&noise&effects&involves&physical,&physiological&aspects&making&an&evaluation& quite&difficult.&In&humans&the&effects&of&noise&range&from&discomfort&to&severe,&irreversible& damage.&In&laboratory&animals&only&strong&and&long&lasting&noise&causes&physiological&changes& that&can&affect&health.&These&findings&are&only&partly&applicable&to&wild&animals.&Field&studies& have&to&deal&carefully&with&(1)&methodological&difficulties&in&measuring&sound&pressure&levels,& (2)&interspecific&differences&of&auditory&sensitivity,&and&(3)&problems&in&interpreting&behavioral& reactions&in&the&field.&NonOstandardized&methods&of&observations&and&analysis&make&a& comparison&of&the&results&found&in&the&literature&almost&impossible.&Especially&the&noise&of& aircraft&can&scarcely&be&assessed&separately&from&its&optical&appearance.&Optical&or&acoustical& stimuli&taken&separately&have&only&minor&effects&with&the&optical&stimulus&evoking&the&stronger& reaction;&even&soundless&par&gliders&can&cause&panic&flights.&In&general,&noise&plays&a&minor&role& as&a&disturbance&factor,&but&in&combination&with&optical&stimuli&can&trigger&a&reaction.&Sonic& booms&and&jet&aircraft&noise&sometimes&cause&startle&responses,&which&mostly&do&not&result&in& severe&consequences.&Apparently,&animals&can&adapt&to&high&noise&exposure.&When&animals& react&to&aircraft&noise,&it&is&often&due&to&previous&experience&associating&the&noise&with&an& aircraft.&Aside&from&a&few&accident&caused&by&panic&flights,&negative&consequences&of&aircraft& noise&per&se&on&individuals&and&populations&are&not&proven.&In&contrast&aircraft&traffic&in&general& can&cause&a&variety&of&damages.&Concerning&the&effects&of&noise&on&wildlife,&many&questions& remain.&

& Contaminates/&waste&water&

Wastewater&contain&potentially&harmful&pollutants,&including&salts,&organic&hydrocarbons,& inorganic&and&organic&additives,&and&naturally&occurring&radioactive&material&(NORM).&These& pollutants&can&be&dangerous&if&they&are&released&into&the&environment&or&if&people&are&exposed& to&them.&They&can&be&toxic&to&humans&and&aquatic&life,&radioactive,&or&corrosive.&They&can& damage&ecosystem&health&by&depleting&oxygen&or&causing&algal&blooms,&or&they&can&interact& with&disinfectants&at&drinking&water&plants&to&form&cancerOcausing&chemicals.& &

Agriculture&Conversion& Agriculture&occupies&55%&of&the&land&in&the&contiguous&United&States.&Widespread&conversion&of& certain&ecosystem&types&into&working&landscapes&has&had&significant&impacts&on&some&species.& Habitat&loss&and&conversion&is&the&leading&cause&of&species&endangerment.&Many&now&rare& species&depend&on&active&habitat&management&by&farmers&and&ranchers.&& &

Loss&of&Keystone&Species& Keystone&species&are&species&whose&impact&on&a&community&or&ecosystem&is&disproportionately& large&relative&to&its&abundance.&&If&a&keystone&species&is&removed&from&a&community&other& species&that&are&closely&associated&with&the&keystone&species&will&also&be&affected&and&perhaps& disappear.&&&Keystone&species&can&include&top&predators,&such&as&wolves,&studies&of&which&have& shown&that&wolf&reintroduction&affects&the&behavior&of&other&species&and&subsequently&effect& riparian&and&scavenger&communities.&&Other&keystone&species&are&less&obvious&and&their&effects& often&more&complex,&such&as&redOnaped&woodpeckers&in&high&elevation&forests.&&Ecological& guilds&can&also&play&a&keystone&role.&&Finally,&some&keystone&species&are&categorized&as& â&#x20AC;&#x153;ecosystem&engineers,â&#x20AC;?&because&their&activities&directly&or&indirectly&create,&modify&and& maintain&the&physical&conditions&of&habitats.&&Examples&of&these&include&prairie&dogs,&pocket& gophers,&and&beavers.&&In&Arizona&some&keystone&species&have&either&been&completely&removed& or&have&experienced&significant&population&reductions&in&their&historical&range,&including& Mexican&grey&wolf,&blacktailed&and&Gunnisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s&prairie&dogs,&and&American&beavers.& & &

Harvesting/Collecting&Plants& Harvest&and&collection&of&native&plant&species&may&pose&risks&to&vegetation&communities&across& Arizona.&Plants,&especially&succulents&(including&yuccas,&ocotillo,&saguaros,&other&cactus&species,& etc.),&are&illegally&collected&for&use&in&landscaping&or&for&illicit&trade.&Overharvest&of&long&lived& species&can&lead&to&local&or&widespread&extirpations.&Not&only&do&these&activities&degrade& habitat&quality,&they&may&also&cause&changes&in&native&fauna&community&composition&and&favor& encroachment&by&nonnative&species.&Overharvest&and&collection&of&native&plants&may&also&affect& critical&food&resources&and&habitat&components&necessary&for&SGCN&(i.e.,&Lesser&LongOnosed&Bat,& Cactus&Ferruginous&Pygmy&Owl,&etc).&Model:&This&stressor&includes&illegal&collecting&and& poaching,&as&well&as&overharvest&through&legal&take&in&specific&areas&and&or&particular&time& frames.&The&stressor&was&modeled&as&all&desert&vegetation&in&the&Sonoran&and&Mohave&deserts.&

Ground&Water&Depletion& Groundwater&levels&in&Arizona&have&dropped&considerably&due&to&pumping&for&agricultural&and& urban&needs.&The&loss&of&surface&water&habitat&resulting&from&the&historic&water&withdrawal&and& dewatering&necessary&to&support&anthropocentric&water&uses,&exacerbated&by&drought& conditions,&has,&and&likely&will&continue&to&affect&aquatic,&riparian&and&wetland&habitats&in& Arizona.&Lowered&water&tables&affect&all&of&Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s&habitats,&but&can&have&considerable&effects& on&small&cienegas,&springs,&seeps,&marshes,&alluvial&valley&riparian&areas&and&their&associated& SGCN.&Springâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;improvement,â&#x20AC;&#x2013;&that&is,&capturing&spring&output&in&collection&structures&and& either&exporting&the&water&or&making&it&available&to&human&determined&uses,&has&significantly& affected&a&large&proportion&of&the&springs&around&Arizona.&Cienegas&and&other&marshland& habitats&decreased&greatly&in&Arizona&in&the&preceding&century&(Hendrickson&and&Minckley& 1984).&Loss&of&these&habitats&as&a&result&of&groundwater&depletion&limits&the&extent&of&the& wetted&zone&in&the&cienega&or&around&the&spring,&the&associated&riparian&plant&community,&and& the&associated&fish&and&wildlife&community.&Wildlife&could&be&affected&either&through& diminishing&surface&water&availability&or&degradation&of&habitat&due&to&the&effect&of&the&lowering& water&table&on&hydrophytes&and&phreatophytes.&These&effects&to&vegetation&become&more& pronounced&during&the&summer&growing&season&and&following&cessation&of&spring&runOoff.&The& disappearance&of&surface&water&in&perennial&or&intermittent&stream&channels&is&assumed&to& result&in&the&immediate&and&total&loss&of&fish&populations.&

& & &

SGCN&–&Species&of&Greatest&Conversation&Need& Amphibian& O&

Lowland&Leopard&Frog&

O&

Sonoran&Desert&Toad&

Bird& O&

Sprague’s&Pipit&

&

&

O&Western&YellowObilled&Cuckoo&

O&

American&Peregrine&Falcon&& &

O&Bald&Eagle&

O&

Yuma&Clapper&Rail&

&

&

O&Wood&Duck&

O&

Golden&Eagle& &

&

&

O&Western&Burrowing&Owl&

O&

American&Bittern&

&

&

O&Ferruginous&Hawk&

O&

Gilded&Flicker&&&

&

&

O&Yellow&Warbler&

O&

Lincoln’s&Sparrow&

&

&

O&Gila&Woodpecker&

O&

Savannah&Sparrow&

&

&

O&Albert’s&Towhee&

O&

Le&Conte’s&Thrasher& &

&

O&Pacific&Wren&

O&

Arizona&Bell’s&Vireo& &

Fish& O&

Flannelmouth&Sucker& &

&

O&Little&Colorado&Sucker&

O&

Desert&Pupfish&&

&

&

O&Bonytail&

O&

Roundtail&Chub&

&

&

O&Gila&Topminnow&

O&

Colorado&Pikeminnow&&

&

O&Razorback&Sucker&

O&

Longfin&Dace& &

&

O&Desert&Sucker&

O&

Sonora&Sucker&

& &

&

Mammal& O&

Lesser&LongOnosed&Bat&

&

O&Jaguar&

O&

Harrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;&Antelope&Squirrel&

&

O&American&Beaver&

O&

Pale&Townsendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s&BigOeared&Bat&

O&Spotted&Bat&

O&

Greater&Western&Mastiff&Bat& &

O&Western&Red&Bat&

O&

Western&Yellow&Bat& &

&

O&California&LeafOnosed&Bat&

O&

Cave&Myotis& &

&

O&Yuma&Myotis&

O&

Pocketed&FreeOtailed&Bat&

&

O&Mexican&FreeOtailed&Bat&

O&

Kit&Fox&

O&

Tucson&ShovelOnosed&Snake& &

O&Sonoran&Desert&Tortoise&

O&

Gila&Monster& &

&

&

O&Variable&Sandsnake&

O&

Tiger&Rattlesnake&&

&

&

O&Sonora&Mud&Turtle&

O&

Sonoran&Coralsnake& &

&

O&Saddled&LeafOnosed&Snake&

O&

Regal&Horned&Lizard&

&

Reptile&

& & &

Biotic&Communities:& 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Alpine&Tundra& AZ&Upland&Sub.OSonoran&Desert&Scrub& California&Chapparal& Chihuahuan&Desert&Scrub& Great&Basin&Conifer&Woodland& Great&Basin&Desert&Scrub& Interior&Chaparral&

8. Lake/Reservoir& 9. Lower&Col.&R.&Sub&–&Sonoran&Desert&Scrub& 10. Madrean&Evergreen&Woodland& 11. Mohave&Desert&Scrub& 12. Petran&Montane&Conifer&Forest& 13. Petran&Subalpine&Conifer&Forest& 14. Plains&and&Great&Plains&Grassland& 15. Playa& 16. River& 17. Semidesert&Grassland& 18. Subalpine&Grassland& Named&for&its&location&surrounding&the&lower&Colorado&River&in&parts&of&four&states,&this&is& the&largest,&hottest,&and&driest&subdivision.&It&challenges&the&Mohave&Desert's&Death&Valley& as&the&hottest&and&driest&place&in&North&America.&Summer&highs&may&exceed&120°F&(49°C),& with&surface&temperatures&approaching&180°F&(82°C).&The&intense&solar&radiation&from& cloudless&skies&on&most&days&and&the&very&low&humidity&suck&the&lifeOsustaining&water&from& plants,&water&that&cannot&be&replaced&from&the&parched&mineral&soil.&Annual&rainfall&in&the& driest&sites&averages&less&than&three&inches&(76&mm),&and&some&localities&have&gone&thirtyOsix& months&with&no&rain.&Even&so,&life&exists&here,&abundantly&in&the&rare&wet&years.& The&terrain&consists&mostly&of&broad,&flat&valleys&with&widelyOscattered,&small&mountain& ranges&of&almost&barren&rock.&There&are&also&seas&of&loose&sand&and&the&spectacular&Pinacate& volcanic&field.&The&valleys&are&dominated&by&low&shrubs,&primarily&creosote&bush&(Larrea& tridentata)&and&white&bursage&(Ambrosia&dumosa).&These&are&the&two&most&droughtOtolerant& perennial&plants&in&North&America,&but&in&the&driest&areas&of&this&subdivision&even&they&are& restricted&to&drainage&ways.&Trees&grow&only&along&the&larger&washes.&The&mountains& support&a&wider&variety&of&shrubs&and&cacti,&but&the&density&is&still&very&sparse.&Columnar& cacti,&one&of&the&indicators&of&the&Sonoran&Desert,&are&rare&(virtually&absent&in&California)& and&are&restricted&to&valley&floors.&Annual&species&comprise&over&half&the&flora,&up&to&ninety& percent&at&the&driest&sites;&they&are&mostly&winter&growing&species&and&appear&in&large& numbers&only&in&wet&years.& This&is&the&only&part&of&the&Sonoran&Desert&that&extends&into&California,&where&most& residents&call&it&the&Colorado&Desert.&North&of&a&sagging&line&between&the&Coachella&Valley& (Palm&Springs)&and&Needles,&California,&it&merges&almost&imperceptibly&into&the&lower& Mojave&Desert.& &

Natural&Vegetation&of&South&Phoenix& To&begin&let&us&define&vegetation.&According&to&the&Oxford&Dictionary&vegetation&is&defined& as,&“Plants&considered&collectively,&especially&those&found&in&a&particular&area&or&habitat”.& Another&definition&from&the&same&source&is,&“The&action&or&process&of&vegetating”.&The& origin&of&the&word&came&from&Medieval&Latin&vegetation&meaning&‘power&of&growth’.&The& definition&given&helps&define&what&will&be&analyzed&in&the&area.& Natural&vegetation&located&within&the&site&is,&however,&difficult&to&discern&due&to&the&lack&of& documentation.&The&city&has&not&taken&the&effort&or&spared&the&expense&of&documenting&the& natural&vegetation&that&used&to&reside&in&South&Phoenix&before&it&was&taken&over&by& residential&and&designed&landscapes.&& In&order&to&try&to&analyze&the&natural&occurring&vegetation,&some&history&of&the&area&will&be& discussed.&South&Phoenix&is&located&within&the&Sonoran&Desert.&The&Sonoran&Desert&differs& from&the&other&deserts&in&North&America&with&the&fact&that&it&has&mild&winters.&This&changes& the&flora&of&the&region&and&can&allow&for&a&greater&diversity.&&Here&is&listed&some&common& occurring&species&in&the&Sonoran&Desert:&Creosote&Bush,&White&Bursage,&Palo&Verde,& Ironwood,&and&Saguaro.&The&Sonoran&Desert&is&then&further&subdivided&into&the&Lower& Colorado&River&Valley,&Arizona&Upland,&Plains&of&Sonora,&Central&Gulf&Coast,&Vizcaino,& Magdalena,&and&Foothills&of&Sonora.&Our&site&resides&in&the&Lower&Colorado&River&Valley.& The&Lower&Colorado&River&Valley&consists&mainly&of&the&creosote&bush&and&White&Bursage.& The&Arizona&upland&section&to&the&north&and&east&is&more&mesic&(containing&a&small&amount& of&moisture),&resulting&in&greater&species&diversity&and&richness.&Lower&elevations&are&xeric& and&dominated&by&dense&communities&of&creosote&bush&and&White&Bursage,&but&on&slopes& and&higher&portions&of&bajadas,&subtrees&such&as&Palo&Verde&and&Ironwood,&saguaros,&and& other&tall&cacti&reside.&According&to&the&Bureau&of&Land&Management&approximately&28%&of& the&Sonoran&Desert&is&currently&owned&by&federal,&state,&and&local&government&or& designated&as&private&conservation&land.& A&detriment&to&the&vegetation&of&the&Sonoran&Desert&is&invasive&species.&The&invasive&plant& species&change&the&ecosystem&and&greatly&displace&native&vegetation&and&wildlife.&Some& invasive&species&can&catch&fire&quickly&and&easily,&further&destroying&natural&habitats.& Therefore&it&is&important&that&invasive&species&are&monitored&and&removed&when&possible&to& ensure&the&survival&of&many&native&species&and&ecosystems.&Listed&are&five&invasive&plant& species:&Buffalo&grass,&Fountain&grass,&Tamarisk,&Onionweed,&and&Sahara&mustard.&Invasive& species&are&rapidly&changing&the&matrixes&of&the&Sonoran&Desert.&A&larger&view&shows& invasive&plants&by&category&in&Arizona:&

•& Aquatic&O&13&species,&493&records& •& Cactus&O&1&species,&3&records& •& Forbs/Herbs&O&204&species,&17476&records& •& Grass&or&Grasslike&O&109&species,&16671&records& •& Hardwood&Trees&O&33&species,&1189&records& •& Palms&O&1&species,&1&records& •& Shrub&or&Subshrub&O&25&species,&3638&records& •& Vines&O&21&species,&1403&records& & The&Bureau&of&Land&Management&researched&current&development&in&the&Sonoran&Desert& using&recreational&data.&The&question&they&asked&was&“Where&are&highOuse&recreation&sites,& developments,&roads,&infrastructure,&or&areas&of&intensive&recreation&use&located&(including& boating)?”&(BLM,&96).&Some&research&is&unclear&and&an&estimate&in&some&areas&but&provides& an&excellent&starting&point.&This&information&is&valuable&for&future&development&and& installing&green&infrastructure.&It&can&be&used&in&conjunction&with&what&is&known&about&the& Sonoran&Desert&and&the&natural&occurring&vegetation&to&create&a&healthier&ecosystem&and& restore&what&has&been&lost&during&urbanization.&The&reOinstallment&of&natural&ecosystems& can&also&act&as&educational&tools&for&children&living&in&the&area&and&for&anyone&who&visits& South&Phoenix.& &

WILDLIFE&DISTRIBUTION&IN&SOUTH&MOUNTAIN&VILLAGE& The&Sonoran&Desert&is&one&of&the&most&diverse&deserts&in&the&world&with&a&species&richness& in&both&flora&and&fauna.&&It&is&home&to&at&least&130&species&of&mammals,&more&than&500& species&of&birds,&a&surprising&population&of&amphibians&and&fish&and&some&wellOknown&and& endemic&species&of&reptile.&&The&rich&ecology&and&the&immense&variety&that&exists&within&the& South&Mountain&Village&is&unique&and&a&worthy&representation&of&the&Sonoran&Desert.&&If&the& ecology&of&the&South&Mountain&Village&is&only&as&strong&as&its&weakest&link&then&it&appears& that&there&are&some&changes&that&need&to&be&made&to&sustain&and&improve&this& environment.&&

South&Mountain&Village,&regardless&of&its&decidedly&urban&environment&serves&as&a&large& habitat&for&many&species.&&The&South&Mountain&Village&is&located&between&the&Salt&River&to& the&North&and&South&Mountain&to&the&South.&&The&alluvial&plane&on&which&South&Mountain& Village&sits&on&is&a&rich&environment&for&many&species&of&both&flora&and&fauna.&&The&most& active&region&is&at&the&base&of&the&plain.&&This&would&account&for&the&immense&diversity&that& exits&on&the&edge&of&the&mountain&and&upward.&&The&edge&of&this&area&is&a&very&important& feature&and&must&be&monitored&and&developed&thoughtfully.&Arizona&and&primarily&the& Sonoran&Desert&are&very&popular&for&birding&and&the&species&diversity&does&not&disappoint.&& Much&of&the&Sonoran&Deserts&natural&habitat&has&been&degraded&and&in&the&South&Mountain& Village,&the&agriculture&past&and&present&as&well&as&the&encroachment&of&the&edge&culture& are&some&largest&offenders&of&habitat&degradation.&&&The&lack&of&native&planting&in&the&built& environment&is&also&a&large&factor&in&the&decline&of&species&richness&and&this&is&the&truest&for& the&large,&assorted&avian&population&of&Arizona.&&It&may&be&quite&diverse&but&perhaps&the& population&of&species&is&where&there&the&most&loss.&&The&Sonoran&Desert&has&quite&a&delicate& balance&that&needs&to&be&managed&properly.&&Through&deliberate&planning,&the&diversity&of& South&Mountain&Village&can&be&maintained&and&with&time&greatly&improved.&&

MAMMAL&POPULATIONS:& There&are&many&mammals&with&natural&habitats&found&in&the&boundaries&of&the&South& Mountain&Village.&&The&American&beaver&(Castor&Canadensis),&Arizona&pocket&mouse& (Perognathus&amplus),&Harris’&antelope&squirrel&(Ammospermophilus&harrisii),&Jaguar& (Panthera&onca)&and&Kit&fox&(Vulpus&macrotis)&are&just&a&few&notable&species&whose&habitats& expand&beyond&the&Salt&River&or&South&Mountain.&&The&most&notable&population&in&the&area& is&found&among&the&many&bat&species.&&The&California&leafOnosed&bat&(Macrotus&californicus)& and&the&lesser&longOnosed&bat&(Leptonycteris&curasoae)&are&both&species&of&New&World&LeafO nosed&Bats.&&The&lesser&longOnosed&bat&is&a&species&of&importance&as&it&is&endangered.&&The& survival&of&this&bat&is&of&upmost&importance&and&its&dependence&of&native&species&for&its&food& source&is&crucial.&&During&the&spring&they&follow&the&blooms&of&the&Cardon&(Pachycereus& pringlei),&the&Saguaro&(Carnegiea&gigantea)&and&the&Organ&Pipe&cactus&(Stenocereus& thurberi).&For&the&summer&they&move&north&and&feed&on&the&agaves.&&Bats&such&as&the&lesser& longOnosed,&play&crucial&roles&as&pollinators.&&The&Vesper&bats&make&up&a&large&population&of& different&species.&&These&include&the&cave&myotis&(Myotis&velifer),&Townsend’s&bigOeared&bat& (Corynorhinus&townsendii),&and&the&spotted&bat&(Euderma&maculatum).&&They&are&primarily& insectivorous&and&play&an&important&role&of&ridding&agricultural&areas&of&pests.&&Bats&role&in& the&environment&should&not&be&taken&for&granted.&&“…bats&are&efficient&predators&of& nocturnal&insects,&including&numerous&costly&agricultural&pests,&and&they&pollinate&the& flowers&and&disperse&the&seeds&of&hundreds&of&ecologically&and&economically&important&

plants….It&is&only&through&information&and&education&that&we&can&reverse&the&trend&toward& extinction&and&begin&to&appreciate&the&roles&bats&play&in&healthy&ecosystems.”&[1]&&&&

AVIAN&POPULATIONS:& & The&diversity&of&the&desert&allows&for&a&very&diverse&population&of&avian&species.&Over& 400&species&exist&at&some&time&within&the&Sonoran&Desert.&&&Some&species&of&ecological& importance&are&the&Bald&Eagle&(Haliaeetus&leucocephalus),&the&Sprague’s&Pipit&(Anthus& spragueii)&and&the&Ferruginous&Hawk&(Buteo&regalis).&&All&three&represent&different&levels& concern.&&The&Bald&Eagle&was&once&endangered&and&while&still&a&vulnerable&species&in&other& parts&of&the&country,&the&population&in&Arizona&has&been&growing.&&The&eagles&primarily&feed& on&fish,&small&mammals,&waterfowl&and&even&carrion.&&Much&more&than&a&diet&this&is&also& helps&to&control&populations&of&species&that&without&intervention&might&lead&to&an& overpopulation&or&infestation.&&The&Sprague’s&Pipit&is&a&rare&and&declining&songbird&of&the& open&grasslands.&&They&breed&in&areas&with&limited&human&disturbance.&&The&pipit&is&a&ground& nesting&species&and&spends&most&of&its&time&on&the&ground&although&in&contrast&it&also&has& the&longest&known&flight&display&of&any&known&bird.&&Loss&of&habitat&is&often&due&to& overgrazing&and&conversion&of&natural&grasslands.&&The&Ferruginous&Hawk&is&doing&quite&well& in&the&desert&and&is&a&species&of&least&concern.&&Its&primary&diet&is&that&of&small&mammals& such&as&the&prairie&dog.&&In&turn&also&offering&population&control&and&perhaps&opening&more& habitats&for&the&likes&of&the&Burrowing&Owl&(Athene&cunicularia)&which&makes&its&homes&in& abandoned&prairie&dog&dens&and&often&coexisting&side&by&side.&&The&Burrowing&Owl&is&also&a& species&of&least&concern&as&its&populations&have&also&been&turning&around&through&the& means&of&education&and&information.&

& & REPTILE&POPULATIONS:& & The&reptile&populations&of&the&Sonoran&Desert&are&quite&diverse.&&The&Arizona& Chuckwalla&(Sauromalus&ater)&is&a&species&of&lizard&that&is&found&primarily&in&the&area&of& South&Mountain.&&With&an&average&of&65&chuckwallas&per&hectare,&South&Mountain&has&the& highest&density&of&chuckwallas&that&has&ever&been&reported.[2]&Further,&male&chuckwallas&at& South&Mountain&exhibit&a&“carrot&tail”&phenotype,&which&is&unique&to&this&population.&[3]&&& The&Sonoran&Desert&Tortoise&also&makes&it&home&in&South&Mountain.&&These&burrowing& tortoises&often&spend&over&90%&of&their&lives&underground.&&They&feed&on&native&grasses,& cacti,&tree&shoots&and&other&native&plant&materials.&&They&are&federally&protected&in&Arizona&

and&presence&of&the&species&can&help&to&control&the&spread&of&the&built&environment.&&Their& survival&is&dependent&upon&native&flora&species.&&&

AMPHIBIAN&POPULATIONS:&& & There&is&only&one&amphibian&species&of&importance&in&the&boundaries&of&the&South& Mountain&Village.&&The&Lowland&Leopard&Frog&is&able&to&withstand&this&arid&ecoregion.&&It& does&the&best&in&unregulated&riparian&areas&that&are&prone&to&periodic&flooding.&&The&cause& of&decline&in&this&species&is&generally&from&predation&by&nonOnative&species,&disastrous&floods& and&uncontrolled&wildfires.&&The&Lowland&Leopard&frog&is&a&protected&species&in&Arizona.&

FISH&POPULATIONS:& & Fish&diversity&is&fairly&small&throughout&the&region&and&most&of&the&populations& originated&in&the&Colorado&River.&&Most&of&the&species&have&small&distribution&and&most&are& species&of&concern&as&they&are&often&found&in&polluted&riparian&areas&that&often&flow&from& toxic&watersheds.&&The&low&water&table&in&Arizona&and&parts&of&the&Sonoran&desert&would& also&contribute&to&the&decline&of&fish&populations.&&The&species&of&most&concern&and&often& listed&as&critically&endangered&include&the&Desert&pupfish&(Cyprinodon&macularius),&the& Bonytail&chub&(Gila&elegans),&Colorado&pikeminnow&(Ptychocheilus&lucius)&and&the&Razorback& sucker&(Xyrauchen&texanus).&&ManOmade&dams,&polluted&river&streams&and&toxic&watershead& are&all&contributing&to&the&decline&of&these&species.&&The&smaller&populations&that&exist& within&the&constraints&of&the&South&Mountain&Village&boundary&often&take&the&full&brunt&of& these&stressors.&&The&relatively&slow&water&flow&in&this&area&raises&the&toxicity&level&in&the& water.&&In&addition&the&illegal&stocking&of&nonOnative&species&upstream&contributes&to&the& decline&of&many&of&the&endangered&species&as&they&either&feed&on&the&smaller&fish&or& perhaps&share&the&same&diet.&&Invasive&species&such&as&the&crawfish&found&upstream&have&in& particular&led&to&a&large&decline&of&the&Desert&pupfish.&&This&species&of&concern&is&still&found& in&the&riparian&zone&of&the&South&Mountain&Village,&but&in&much&lower&densities&than&in&the& past.&&It&is&quite&interesting&to&see&that&as&the&river&continues&west&the&bird&populationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s& increase&as&well&as&a&larger&diversity&among&the&fish.&Can&the&ecology&of&this&area&be& improved&to&further&species&development&and&as&well&as&the&health&of&its&surrounding?& & & The&Sonoran&Desert&is&an&ecologically&rich&and&diverse&environment.&&It&is&often&like&many& of&the&species&that&exist&within&the&desert.&&Tenacious&yet&fragile.&&Without&intervention&and& planning,&loss&of&habitat&and&further&fragmentation&could&be&detrimental&to&this& environment.&&It&is&with&careful&research&and&intervention&that&habitat&can&be&restored&and& improved,&enhancing&species&richness&and&diversity.&&&&

The&Vegetation&in&Built&landscape& When&doing&the&research,&we&classify&the&vegetation&into&two&types:&the&vegetation&in& natural&landscape&and&in&built&landscape.&In&order&to&conduct&the&research&in&a&more& coherent&way,&I&classify&built&landscape&into&four&parts,&residential&landscape,&commercial& landscape,&parks&and&agricultural&landscape,&for&the&reason&that&each&form&of&vegetation& distribution&is&closely&linked&to&the&site&context.&So&the&aim&of&this&research&is&to&establish&an& inventory&of&local&vegetation,&and&try&to&find&the&relationships&between&plantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;&distribution& and&types&of&landscape.& By&way&of&research&readings&and&Google&Map,&I&identified&29&species&of&common&tree,& shrub,&palm,&cacti&and&succulent&taxa&across&the&South&Mountain&Village&region.& Acacia&stenophylla&Shoestring&acacia&&&&&&&Bougainvilleasp.&Bougainvillea&& B.&populneus&Bottle&tree&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&C.&californica&Red&fairy&duster& C.&pulcherrima&Red&bird&of&paradise&&&&&&&&C.&aurantium&Citrus&& D.&wheeleri&Desert&spoon&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&F.&velutina&Arizona&ash& H.&parviflora&Red&yucca&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Lantanasp.&Lantana&& L.&frutescens&Texas&sage&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&L.&candidum&Purple&sage& M.&azedarach&Umbrella&tree&&&&&&&&&&&&&&M.&alba&Mulberry& N.&oleander&Oleander&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&O.&europaea&Olive& P.&aculeata&Mexican&palo&verde&&&&&&&&&&&P.&praecox&Palo&brea& Phoenix&dactylifera&Date&palm&&&&&&&&&&&&P.&halepensis&Aleppo&pine& Platycladus&orientalis&Arborvitae&&&&&&&&&&P.&alba&Argentine&mesquite& R.&lancea&African&sumac&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Rosasp.&Rose&& Syagrus&romanzoffiana&Queen&palm&&&&&&&&&Tecomaria&capensis&Cape&honeysuckle& U.&parvifolia&Chinese&elm&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&W.&filifera&California&fan&palm& W.&robusta&Mexican&fan&palm& & However&when&finding&out&all&species&of&plants&that&I&can&find,&and&ensuring&their& locations,&I&noticed&that&there&are&interesting&phenomenon.&And&these&findings&may&be& instructive&and&implicational&when&designing.&& 1.The&categorical&trends&for&park&vegetation&composition&are&similar&to&those&of&vegetation& in&surrounding&neighborhoods.&According&to&the&Google&map&images,&I&find&that&all&parks&are&

surround& by& residential& neighborhoods,& which& make& these& parks& more& like& community& parks,&closely&interacting&with&the&surrounding&community.&Additional,&a&large&number&(17& out& of& 29,& 59%)& of& plants& found& are& native& species,& so& the& choice& of& planting& may& be& influenced&by&regional&culture,&or&the&species&limitation.& 2.&Some&species&only&spread&over&neighborhood,&while&some&only&spread&over&parks.&This& phenomenon&shows&the&differences&of&species&values&among&plants,&and&people’s&other& consideration,&like&functions&(fruit,&shading&etc.),&aesthetics&and&economic&factors,&when& choosing&plants.&& 3.&Some&species&spread&all&over&this&region.&I&studied&vegetation&composition&of&perennial& landscape&vegetation&in&the&neighborhoods&and&coOlocated&parks,&and&I&found&there&are& several&species&spread&over&all&the&South&Mountain&Village:&& B.#populneus&Bottle&tree,&C.#aurantium&Citrus,&L.#frutescens&Texas&sage,&O.#europaea#Olive,&P.# halepensis&Aleppo&pine,&P.#alba&Argentine&mesquite,&W.#filifera&California&fan&palm,&W.# robusta&Mexican&fan&palm.&Many&of&these&are&native&plants&or&horticulture&selection&species.& 4.&The&species&in&commercial&area&are&of&low&biodiversity.&(the&majority&are&palms&&&shrubs).& In&and&around&the&parking&lots&of&shopping&malls,&few&trees&with&shades&are&planted&which& may&block&drivers’&view&when&driving&through.&Outside&the&malls,&especially&around&the&main& entrance,&there&are&usually&species&like&shrub&and&cacti&with&short&height,&and&there&are&also& usually&extremely&high&palms&like&date&palms&and&Mexican&fan&palms,&suspected&to&act&as& the&entrance&marking.&&& &

Work&Cited:& The&Nature&Conservancy&in&Arizona,&2004,&Biotic&Communities&of&the&Southwest&(Brown&and& Lowe&Vegetation&1981).& "HabiMapâ„¢&Arizona."&HabiMapâ„¢&Arizona.&N.p.,&n.d.&Web.&11&Sept.&2014& Phillips,&Steven,&and&Patricia&Wentworth.&Comus.&"Biomes&and&Communities."&A&Natural& History&of&the&Sonoran&Desert.&Tucson:&ArizonaOSonora&Desert&Museum,&2000.&N.&pag.&Print.& "Interior&Chaparral."&Biome.&N.p.,&n.d.&Web.&11&Sept.&2014.& .&&Barber,&[Frank&Turina&And&Jesse.&Impacts&of&Noise&on&Wildlife&(n.d.):&n.&pag.&Web.& "Wildlife&Habitat&Conservation."&—&Food&Alliance.&N.p.,&n.d.&Web.&11&Sept.&2014.& <http://foodalliance.org/about/principlesOexplained/wildlifeOhabitatOconservation>.& “Definition&of&Vegetation.”&Oxford&Dictionaries.&Oxford&University&Press,&n.d.&Web.&Sept.& 2014.&http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/vegetation&

“Sonoran&Desert.”&Hogan,&C.,&Dimmitt,&M.,&&&Museum,&A.&n.d.&Web.&Sept.&2014.& http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbeee87896bb431f69b184& “Subdivisions&of&the&Sonoran&Desert.”&Museum,&A.,&&&Dimmitt,&M.&n.d.&Web.&Sept.&2014.& http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbeef77896bb431f69b7f5& “Sonoran&Desert&REA&Final&Report.”&Bureau&of&Land&Management.&U.S.&Department&of&the& Interior.&n.d.&Web.&Sept.&2014.& Chris&A.&Martin,&Paige&S.&Warren,&Ann&P.&Kinzig&,&“Neighborhood&socioeconomic&status&is&a& useful& predictor& of& perennial& landscape& vegetation& in& residential& neighborhoods& and& embedded&small&parks&of&Phoenix,&AZ”,&Landscape&and&Urban&Planning&69&(2004):355–368& & “Status&of&Invasive&Plants&in&Arizona.”&EDDMapS.&The&University&of&Georgia.&Aug.&2014.&Web.& Sept.&2014.& http://www.eddmaps.org/tools/statereport.cfm?id=us_az& 1.& A&Natural&History&of&the&Sonoran&Desert,&edited&by&Steven&J.&Phillips&&&Patricia& Wentworth&Comus&(2000.&ArizonaOSonora&Desert&Museum&Press)& 2.& Kwiatkowski&M.A,&and&Sullivan&B.K.&2002.&Mating&system&structure&and&population&& density&in&a&polygynous&lizard,&Sauromalus&obesus&(=ater).&Behavioral&Ecology.&13&(2):&201O 208.& 3.& Kwiatkowski&M.A,&and&Sullivan&B.K.&2002.&Geographic&Variation&in&Sexual&Selection& Among&Populations&of&an&Iguanid&Lizard,&Sauromalus&Obesus&(=Ater).&Evolution&56(10):& 2039O2051.& &

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Land planning, Zoning, Urban Form, and Brownfields

Inventory Analysis of South Mountain Village in the Greater City of Phoenix, Arizona

Alex Buckley Kennetha Perkins Corinna Barber Erin Torchia

Arizona State University Landscape Architecture III Fall 2014 | LDE 461 9/12/14

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Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………….. 3 Land Use…………………………………………………………………….. 4 Zoning……………………………………………………………………….. 5 Urban Form………………………………………………………………….. 8 Brownfields………………………………………………………………….. 11 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 14 Works Cited………………………………………………………………….. 15

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Introduction South Mountain Phoenix Village is just one part of the Phoenix General Plan that was ‘adopted to guide the urban form of the city while meeting the community’s desires for a wellplanned city with a sense of place.’ (The City of Phoenix Planning Department) This urban village is 39.8 square miles and located between the Salt River and South Mountain Park Preserve, and 48th Street to 27th Avenue. South Mountain Phoenix Village had a population of 91,907 with 25,939 households as of the year 2000. It is predicted to grow to a population of 113,513 by year 2020, with a current population of 105, 049, therefore being a young developing area. ‘This area once included a large ranch of almost 9,000 acres in size owned Michael Wormser. After Wormser’s death Dwight B. Heard purchased 6,070 acres of the ranch. He then established the Bartlett-Heard Land and Cattle Company in 1901. This was once one of the most successful and diversified farming operations of the Salt River Valley. By 1910 Bartlett-Heard began to be subdivided into smaller farms due to the Federal Governments allotment of a maximum of 160 acres of water use from the Roosevelt Dam.’ (The City of Phoenix Planning Department) In the 1930s South Mountain flower gardens also became a main historical site through which the Japanese American community started. They were originally located along Baseline Road between 48th street and 32nd street. These flower gardens became a prominent tourist attraction between the 1930s and 1950s, along with 250 boxes a day being shipped to nationwide destinations. Today unfortunately, these once well known flower fields are now engulfed by rows of built homes and suburban communities.

During this time period of the 1900s the redevelopment of the original South Mountain started to take way. The area plans that address the issues within South Mountain include the Baseline Area Master Plan, the Target Area B Redevelopment Plan and Assessment, the South

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Phoenix Village Redevelopment Area, the Mountain Park Neighborhood Specific District Plan, the South Central Avenue Corridor Study, the Rio Montana Plan and the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project. Based on these current plans and the history of South Mountain Village, the Sonoran Necklace will look to implement theses historical features back into Phoenix through higher density, increased walkability, and agricultural fields.

Land Use In 1988 the existing land use for the redevelopment area was identified between 28th and 24th street, and between Wood Street and Marguerite Avenue, as having mainly residential or vacant land. This redevelopment plan for South Mountain Phoenix Village had to be in conformity with the General Plan of Phoenix in order to be considered. There was 43 acres of land that encompassed residential, making that a total of 54% of the land use. Within one year the vacancies went up by about 10%, therefore consuming 33% of the land use.

The vision for the future of this urban village allowed for more traditional residential lots which is 3.5 to 5 dwelling units per acre. There will be four new proposed schools in the district as well 5 new proposed parks. With South Mountain Park Preserve being the Southern boundary

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to the village there are only a few publicly and privately owned parks and open space being implemented. Surprisingly, there are also only around six parcels of land being set aside for agriculture, especially with the area having been such a large part of the agricultural and farming scene.

Currently within the South Mountain Phoenix Village there are 71 homes that are for sale and 70 of the homes are through an agent. 59 homes have recently been sold was and none have been foreclosed within the area. With high number of homes being bought and sold there is evidence Phoenix is still growing and can still become a desirable destination as a thriving and beautiful residential community.

Land use has many different elements to be discussed. Just within the urban village there are five components: core, neighborhoods, community services, regional services, and open space. Then you have to look at employment and population balance, infill, mixed use patterns, integration of land use and transportation systems, pedestrian development, transit development, incompatible land uses, county islands, zoning, and village character. Each one of these land components is essential to knowing what is around you and how to continue the healthy growth of a city.

Land use within the South Mountain Phoenix Village is still being greatly developed and expanding. With the knowledge we have about how the land is being used, we can start to see the trends that are occurring and begin to understand how to better this area. If we take the example of projects projects such as the Rio Salado Restoration and begin to think of more way to develop the whole vllage to be the same type of restorative and ecologically conscientious qualities wewill see a complete transformation of the city and with the tools and knowledge we have we will be able to do this.

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Zoning Zoning is the division of an area, especially to provide regulation for the use of the property and landowners. This is accomplished through zoning codes, laws, and ordinances.

Zoning happens primarily at the City scale and provides the outline of what the development in that area should look like. It typically divides the community into zones or sections that are developed for a specific use. Exceptions and changes can be made by the zoning board or waivers may be granted based on individual situations (Hill). Currently the Village of South Mountain, in the greater Phoenix Metropolitan area, is divided into 7 zoning classifications. Of the 7 classifications listed in the Phoenix area there are 4 present within the South Mountain Village Boundaries and additionally it also includes part of the South Mountain Municipal Park.

These zones are single family residential, multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial (City of Phoenix). Looking at the zones of a city provides you with critical information that is essential when it comes to the designing and planning of an area. Each of these zones will have a specific set of guidelines as listed in more detail in the discussion below.

Single Family Residential is the largest zone in the village, it covers a significant percent of the southern portion of the community. Single family residential includes Ranch or Farm commercial, one family residences with minimum sq. ft. ranging from 14,000-43,560, Single Family Residence with Density range from 1-6.5 with bonus, planned area development with 14.75 dwelling/acre and any planned community district. Zoning restrictions can be found in chapter 6 of the City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance section 603-613. The second classification of residential zoning is multi-family. The villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multi-family development has the largest

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presence in the northern area around the intersection of Broadway and Center, which also has the largest commercial presence. Multi-Family residences are to include multifamily residences with detached densities ranging from 5-6.5 or 12 with bonus, and attached densities ranging from 10 to 45.68 or 12-52.2 with bonus, or those that are dependent on lot area and unit type. Also to include planned areas that have 6-43.5 dwellings/acre. Residential properties are subject to restriction by the city of Phoenix residential zoning codes located in chapter 6 of the zoning ordinance (City of Phoenix). Such restrictions include and are not limited to height, setbacks, landscape setbacks, lot size, density, and maintenance.

Residential neighborhoods are also subject to restrictions and guidelines of the Homeowners Associations (HOA). These restrictions may include but are not limited to landscape, storage, home, yard art, and other changed to existing property. Through the Homeowners Association you are able to submit proposed alterations and gain approval. You may also use them as means to report violations of the HOA guidelines or express concerns regarding the aesthetic, function, and safety of an existing condition. One role of the Homeowners Association is to help in maintaining the standard of living. This guide is designed to add a community feel and sense of security as well as help to maintain or increase property value. Covenants for associations contain provisions called 'use restrictions.' Use restrictions are rules that apply to residents outside of the common areas. Use restrictions have the same restrictions as above and can also apply to areas as leasing, pet rules, sign limitations, and parking regulations (Rome).

The Commercial areas in South Mountain are mainly located along central and Broadway as well as having a distribution throughout the residential community. Commercial zones include any Ranch or Farm commercial, residential office-restricted commercial, Commercial Office-

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Restricted Commercial, Commercial Office-General Office Option (Minimum 1 Gross Acre), Commercial Office-Major Office Option (Minimum 5 Gross Acres, Commercial-Neighborhood Retail, and Commercial-Intermediate Commercial, Commercial-General Commercial, Passenger Automobile Parking, Limited (Surface Parking), Parking (Surface Parking and Parking Structures), Golf Course, Mixed Use Agricultural, Resort, Regional Shopping Center. These areas are subject to setbacks and other regulations and restrictions set forth by the City of Phoenix in the zoning ordinance. Any structural alteration to interior or exterior of the existing structure or building shall require a use permit. Lots sizes 12000-23000 square feet must have 1 parking space per 250 square feet of floor area and 200 square feet of additional landscaping and solid fence or wall around back yard. Lots from 6000-11999 shall have 1 parking space per 200 square feet of floor space and 200 square feet of additional landscape including a 24” box tree between parking and wall min of 20’ O.C.. Landscape along setbacks should include Trees 20’ O.C. and include 5 Shrubs per trees with additional groundcovers and small plants. Additional restrictions on height, setbacks, and access can be found in chapter 6 of the zoning ordinance (City of Phoenix).

Industrial zones shall include Industrial Park, Commerce Park-Business Park Option, commerce Park-General Commerce Park Option, light Industrial, Industrial. Most of south mountains Industrial lots are located in the north eastern portion of the site. These areas are regulated by the City of Phoenix Zoning codes. Restrictions Include but are not limited to Residential presence, setbacks, size, signage, use, and other perimeter and landscape standards.

These standards may be found in chapter 6 of the zoning ordinance (City of Phoenix).

Each area of property is subject to restrictions to maintain the community and regulate the development and aesthetics based on the community master plan and vision. The purpose of

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zoning is to be able to look at the character of the property and its context to be able to determine the proper use and codes that will be best suited to the area. Each property however can be given waivers if deemed a benefit to the overall community. This allows for individual properties to be looked at on a case by case basis allowing for great opportunity and freedom for developing and visioning (Hill).

Urban Form South Phoenix tends to have a reputation for not being the safest or most beautiful part of town, but why? What makes portions of a city less desirable than others? Certainly when a developer constructs a new neighborhood or shopping center they intend for it to be pleasing to the eye and thriving economically, but time seems to change everything in different ways. It is not time itself that changes a city, it’s the city’s urban form that changes how different portions of the city are used. Urban form is a widely discussed topic and has many definitions. The simplest way to think of urban form is: 1. It consists of the spaces, places, and boundaries that define a city or city life.

2. It deals with the relationships between outdoor spaces (circulation spaces and meeting spaces) and buildings.

3. It is the general pattern of building height and development density.

4. The “structural elements” that define the city physically, such as natural features, transportation corridors, open space, public facilities, as well as activity centers, and focal elements.

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The social, political, and economic processes that shape a city reflect upon the changing patterns of housing, buildings, streets, parks, railroads, highways, and airports. It is inevitable that as a city changes, so does its urban form. Some changes are for the better, such as removing a condemned building and installing a community park in its place. Changes in urban form can also be negative such as removing a landscaped median to add more lanes to a busy road. Most changes in urban form occur from the regular use of the city where some parts are well maintained, such as master planned communities, and other parts, such as industrial parks, see quite a bit of wear and tear.

Figure ground diagrams are a good way to show the urban form of a city. These diagrams show buildings (figures) in relation to the rest of the city, whatever is not a structure (ground).

This makes it very easy to see the relationships between the spaces, places, and boundaries of a city because it breaks it down simply. In a figure ground diagram one can easily see the special relationships between open space and circulation corridors, even wildlife corridors, and it can be eye opening to the ratio between figure and ground. However, the ratio between figure and ground in these diagrams can be misleading.

Urban form affects more than just the aesthetics of a city, it affects social attributes such as economic growth and decline, crime rates, education, and physical attributes such as storm drainage, heat island, and wildlife habitats. While some areas in a figure ground diagram clearly have more ground than figure, it does not necessarily mean it is a positive relationship. For example, an industrial park or shopping center will have more ground than figure because those areas need paved roads for access and parking lots for car storage. So in these cases, like the industrial park on 32nd St/Broadway, while there is clearly more ground than figure, most of the ground is asphalt which is not only displeasing aesthetics-wise, it has a negative effect on storm

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water drainage, and wildlife habitat. It also has a negative effect economically because people do not want to live near such places which decreases property values, and typically with decreased property values comes increased crime rates. Other areas with a low figure to ground ratio have a positive effect such as golf courses and parks. In these instances, such as The Raven Golf Club on 36th St/Baseline, there are few buildings and few areas of paving, leaving lots of room for landscape, having a positive effect on wildlife and storm drainage. Places with lots of landscaping also have a positive effect economically because they make for a more pleasing place to live therefore they increase property values.

In short, urban form deals with the city in its entirety because a city’s form affects the way it functions and in essence can sway how it changes. The relationships between the buildings and open spaces of a city should be respected in future design with the knowledge and understanding that the form will affect how the city changes and functions. When implementing a new design or restructuring an old design, one should take the time to research the relationship between the buildings and spaces to create a functioning urban form.

Brownfields The most commonly accepted definition of a brownfield is an “abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial [and/or] commercial facility where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination”1. These sites become undesirable because the government and other groups frequently lack the funds necessary to test or fix the site, and using a contaminated site carries health risks. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ""Brownfields"|"US"EPA.""EPA."Environmental"Protection"Agency,"n.d."Web."12"Sept."2014." <http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/>.$ 1

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Brownfields tend to be abandoned rather than redeveloped; this is largely a matter of cost. Testing the soil, air, and water for contaminants can be quite costly, and removing these contaminants can cost thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the site. There are also legal considerations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; previous legislation enacted as part of the Superfund Act held the current owner responsible for site cleanup, regardless of who had contaminated the site. This rather harsh form of liability hindered redevelopment, but legislation passed in 2002 helped reduce the risks to potential buyers, innocent landowners, and owners of adjacent properties by protecting them from such liability. Nonetheless, there are other barriers to the redevelopment of brownfields. People sometimes worry that the costs of cleaning up the site will outweigh the social, economic, and environmental benefits (Figure 1); this depends upon the site and the final use after cleanup. (It is important to note that a site cleanup alone will not revitalize an entire area, and such an expectation is unreasonable.2) Other barriers include a lack of knowledge about the contamination levels and their effects on human health, a general lack of leadership from the government, a lack of functional examples of redeveloped sites, and a mistrust of government and corporations. Brownfield redevelopment is not a new concept, but successfully cleaned and redeveloped sites are not easy to find. The issue of mistrust is rather difficult to solve, as the public may view corporations or the government as the party responsible for contaminating the site in the first place.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "Howland,"Marie.""Employment"Effects"of"Brownfield"Redevelopment:"What"Do"We"Know"From" the"Literature?""(n.d.):"n."pag."Jan."2007."Web."3"Sept."2014." <http://yosemite.epa.gov/ee/epa/eed.nsf/ffb05b5f4a2cf40985256d2d00740681/6d1dc078786 fce948525725d007a0d6b/$FILE/2007]01.pdf>" 2

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Figure 1 Adapted from a Regional Analytics (2002) diagram found on the Ottowa City website (Canada) There are two brownfield sites within the boundaries of South Mountain Village, and according to the EPA they are called the “South Phoenix Neighborhood Projects 1&2”. The first is located at 1541-1547 W. Broadway Road and appears to be the site of an auto body shop, amidst a string of auto body shops and scrap car lots. The EPA indicated that the site has been assessed, but there is no further information about the results of the assessment. The second site is located at 4616 S. Central Road. It has been a preschool for the past few years, and the data for this cite was similarly scarce. Neither site has requested funds for a cleanup (according to the EPA), and there is no record of either site being cleaned, capped, or addressed at all. There is also a superfund site in the vicinity, though the majority of that site lies on the Salt River bank outside our study boundary. It is known as the 19th Avenue Landfill and began its career as a landfill in 1972; it has two “cells” (containment areas) that are currently capped. The first cell contains 9 million cubic yards of refuse, and the second contains half a million cubic yards of refuse – both contain municipal refuse, some solid and some liquid industrial wastes. There are a total of 318 sites in South Mountain Village that report hazardous wastes to the EPA, and 25

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sites that report releasing toxic wastes to the land (Figure 2). These are all monitored and the EPA does perform compliance inspections, but many of the sites lack data on the EPA website.

These sites are important to consider when creating any sort of plan because they might contain contamination that may surface at a later time and cause health issues. Alternatively, they can be cleaned up and redeveloped, though the current sites seem to be occupied already. The landfill is important to consider because of its potential to leak (despite the clay soil cap and stabilized banks) and aesthetic quality (or lack thereof). Hazardous waste sites and toxic releases to land must also be considered, and it should be noted that environmental regulations are enforced rather slowly. Thus, when considering the site as a whole, it is helpful to plan for the potential pollution in these spots since the EPA website data may not be current.

Conclusion

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In conclusion the information that has been gathered has been to have the common theme of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; being not only where you are but what is making up that space. How the ascetics and special relationships make you feel about the space. It is through looking at the existing conditions, both successes and areas that need improving and revisioning it in such a way that it brings life and pride into the community of South Mountain Village. The way in which the land uses relate, streetscapes are designed, and brownfields and neighborhoods are maintained has a tremendous effect on the area and the people that visit and live there. The history and agricultural aspect the community once had can become a building block in gaining a sense of place and once again implementing that beauty into the fabric of the village will provide this area with the wanted sense of place. Through research there is a chance to make South Mountain Village the up-and-coming community that it strives to be. Its goal should hat it becomes a destination and a thriving economy amongst those in the larger Phoenix Metropolitan Area and an example of both sustainable and ecological standards for the Sonoran Desert.

Works Cited "Brownfields | US EPA." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/>.

City of Las Angeles. "Chapter 5. Urban Form and Neighborhood Design." Chapter 5. Urban Form and Neighborhood Design. Planning Department Central Publications, 1 Jan. 2014.

Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

City of Phoenix. "Phoenix Municipal Code." Phoenix Online Codes. Code Publishing Company, 4 June 2014. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

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Fainstein, Susan. "Urban Form." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

Hill, Gerald, and Kathleen Hill. "Zoning." TheFreeDictionary.com. Farlex, Inc, 1 Jan. 2014.

Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

Howland,"Marie.""Employment"Effects"of"Brownfield"Redevelopment:"What"Do"We"Know"From" the"Literature?""(n.d.):"n."pag."Jan."2007."Web."3"Sept."2014."

Rodrigue, Jean-Paul. "Transportation and the Urban Form." Transportation and the Urban Form. Dept. of Global Studies & Geography. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

Rome, Michael. "Understanding the Purpose of HOA." Rome & Associates, P.C. Association Legal Collections, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

The City of Pheonix Planning Department. "South Mountain Village Brochure." Phoenix.gov.

City of Pheonix, 1 Jan. 2002. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

Valente-Pereira, Luz. "Urban Form Definition in Urban Planning - Sinopsis." Academia.edu.

Academia, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

Water ° Soil ° Climate ° Energy !

Christine Seime ° Leslie Minervini ° Sophia Essian ° Kheri Armer-Newell South Mountain Village, located in Maricopa Country, North of South Mountain and South of Rio Salado has a rich history and endless possibilities for the future. Water, soil, climate, and energy are huge factors in how to design a green infrastructure for this emerging community. By looking at the overall hydrology, watersheds, drainage and run off patterns, a more comprehensive design can be implemented to use this resource as mindful as possible. The vibrant agriculture and flower fields of the past and how the land has been transformed into disposal site for automobiles certainly pose a wide range of opportunities and constraints for South Mountain Village.

As with any site, looking at the climate is essential. However, taking a detailed look at sun angles, prevailing wind direction, annual precipitation, temperatures, heat island, are extremely crucial for a site in the southwest region. Because of the climate, a high demand for energy use is required. A quarter of the energy consumed in Arizona homes is for air conditioning, which is more than 4 times the national average. Even though there are

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numerous different energy production plants around the state, there is only a natural gas line running through the South Mountain Village site.

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All of these factors play a key role in how to move South Mountain Village ahead, promoting a Green Infrastructure and providing a great example for the rest of the Phoenix area to follow.

Water !

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The hydrology around the South Mountain Village is greatly influenced by

the neighboring physical environment and historical infrastructure. South Mountain stretches along the southern edge, its topography creating different watersheds that influence the hydrology of the development below. The northern edge, the Salt River, also contributes to the hydrology. In this section various hydrological sources like surface/subsurface hydrology, canals, water reclamation and recharge areas will be explored in the context of the site. An analysis of these components will be addressed in regards to scale and extensions from the site. !

First, the South Mountain Village area is within the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) of the Central Arizona Project (CAP). Although the CAP canal does not come within the boundaries of the site it is the main source of water for the surrounding area. There are seven sub-basins: Hassyampa, Lake Pleasant, Fountain Hills, Carefree, Rainbow Valley, East

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Salt River Valley and West Salt River Valley. Each AMA is documented

thoroughly by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

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Within the Phoenix AMA, the site is on the southeast edge of the West Salt River Valley sub-basin. In general it gets 8-10 inches of rain annually and has 2 flood alert stations. The average annual runoff is 0.1 inches or five acre-feet per square mile in this sub-basin. Although the Salt River, the north edge of South Mountain Village, is considered a principal perennial stream, the flow comes from effluent discharge.

There is an abundance of Wells in the area; a lot of which are near the Salt River. They are classified as being exempt, non-exempt or monitors.

Non-exempt wells are maintained and owned by commercial or industrial business. Exempt wells are classified as private use. Most of these belong to residents and small farms in the area. These are located more centrally on the site. Along the boundary of South Mountain there are two canals: the Western Canal and the Highland Canal. Both service the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agricultural land uses. Based on the diagrams the groundwater has decreased since 2003 and has had little or no recharge in our area. However the entire site is part of the Groundwater Savings Facility and is permitted for a water capacity of 60,000 to 100,000 acre-feet per year.

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An interesting component of research is that of the need and quality of water. In the document written by the Arizona Department of Water

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Resources about the Phoenix AMA, the site is in an area that has less than ideal quality and a high intensity of need. Overall the entire metropolitan area of Phoenix follows this trend with even worse water quality at the city center. This is due to wells exceeding drinking water standards, lakes with impaired water, and contamination sites that are affecting the groundwater.

Hydrology is an important factor in developing green infrastructure in the Arizona deserts. The abundance of wells in the area is an indication of a high intensity of need for water within the site. For future development, the wells and recharge areas could be utilized in efforts to implement rainwater harvesting and design concepts such as bio-swales. Water, climate, soil and energy all play a vital role in how we perceive and experience landscape design. In Arizona, green infrastructure is an important part of this process.

By understanding and applying the concepts and research of each topic, designers are able to inform their decisions with data that can greatly influence the area, even if only on a small scale.

Soil !

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The soils in South Mountain Village have an extreme importance to the potential development of urban infrastructure. Three primary soil orders dominate the South Mountain Village region that the ecological inventory and analysis has been tested on. According to SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database) and the official Soil Taxonomy Classifications System, Entisols, Aridisols, and Mollisols, are all present in and surrounding the design site boundaries. Each of these soil orders are relatable to one another in few ways, however, they differ in their specific characteristics,

structure, texture, and reasons for being opportunistic of green infrastructure or lack thereof.

Entisols cover just over 16% of our world (ice land areas excluded), and 12.2% of that is scattered throughout the United States. Their commonality places them second in ranking, following Inceptisols.

Considering their popularity on land, they encompass a majority of the South Mountain Village site being studied. The interesting fact about entisols though is that they only consist of an A horizon: the topsoil (roughly 6 -12â&#x20AC;?

below the plowplain.) “Entisols are defined as soils that do not show any

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profile development…” (SSURG), meaning there is no subsoil, or B horizon, just the parent material—unconsolidated sediment or rock. A significant suborder of the Entisols soil order is the Fluvent, which are soils present in the alluvial plains and fields. This soil type forms from repetitive depositing of sediment in periodic floods (SSURG), which explains exactly why it surrounds the elevated South Mountains where there is high sediment load.

Aridisols are best known for their dry and arid desert allocations. This soil “…must have aridic moisture regime, some diagnostic subsurface horizon, and covers 12.7% globally—8.8% of the U.S.” (USDA). Aridisols are found in about one third of the world’s land surface: the desert and xeric shrublands, which very much correlates with Arizona’s overall climate. This soil order is exceptionally high in “silicate clays, sodium, calcium carbonate, gypsum, and/or silica, resulting in salinization and limiting materials such as caliche. Because these significant components accumulate without being flushed out by consistent water that has the ability to percolate into the arid soil, these ingredients will be cemented and make it virtually impossible to design successful green infrastructure within its area. Aridisol soils lack in sufficient water supply and the amount of organic matter. Crop production is not recommended because of the poor productivity of many plants—

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However the native ones that have already adapted to such a harsh desert

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environment are always a thoughtful and appropriate option for Aridisols.

When well managed and irrigated, they can surely have potential.

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The third soil present, but not as common as the other two, is the Mollisol order. “Mollisols form in semi-arid to semi-humid areas, typically under a grassland cover” (Natural Resources Conservation Resources). This soil is the most nutrient-enriched and crop beneficial of them all. The smaller region where it is located on the site boundary is most likely where past farmers were able to prosperously grow and sell their crops (citrus being a rare one in particular during WWII). Processes that lead to such soil are decomposition, humification, pedoturbation, and melanisation. Mollisols are also known to be notably high in organic matter (from long-term addition of plant root material in the agricultural history of the place). They usually have a “…soft, granular, soil structure” (USDA) and will be located in valleys surrounded by buttes. Mollisols are only present in less than 7% of the surface land globally. This infrequent soil order could be crucial to economic, environmental, and social opportunities in a community like South Mountain Village, whether it is being used agriculturally or conservatively.

Mitigating inventory of these three important soil classifications is not only necessary for understanding what existing conditions are on the site, but also for analyzing what opportunities and constraints may present

themselves for future design, especially in green infrastructure. “The suitability of a site is dependent on redevelopment goals…[and] on what type of vegetation the soil will need to support. …” (Usepa) Once proposals are shared and discussed, following actions can be focused on suitability of soils, reconditioning of soils, and bioremediation to further the green infrastructure desire.

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Climate !

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Firstly, to clarify the difference between climate and weather- climate refers to the average weather conditions in a place over many years while weather is a specific event or condition that happens over a short duration

of time (e.g. hours and days). Due to its immense effect on the environment, climate is pertinent to all things living or inert.

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Refer to Figure 1: Phoenix, Arizona Sun Path. The optimum intensity of the sun is when it is located at a 90-degree angle. The intensity of sunlight striking the ground depends on the sun's angle in the sky. When the sun is at a lower angle, the same amount of energy is spread over a larger area of ground, so the ground is heated less.

Therefore, it is hotter in the summer than the winter because the summer

! sun is higher in the sky, creating longer days and more intense sunlight. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year because oblique angles give less light and heat per unit of area. The time frame of 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM is when you receive the most sunlight. The displayed Sun Path is charted specifically for Phoenix, Arizona. This map is informing us that during the summer solstice, the sunrise is approximately at 5:19 AM and the sunset is approximately at 7:41 PM. Similarly, during the winter solstice, the sunrise is approximately at 7:28 AM and the sunset is approximately 5:25 PM. The line in orange is the Sun Path for Thursday, September 11th, 2014 displaying that the sun rose at 6:00 AM and set at 7:40 PM. It is important to understand the location of the sun in the sky at a regional scale, in order to effectively optimize the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy, design for human comfort, select

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appropriate infrastructure materials and know what vegetation can withstand its impact.

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Refer to Figure 2: Phoenix, Arizona Monthly Average High & Low Temperature. This chart displays the monthly average high and low temperatures in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Considering Phoenix consists of 85 percent daylight hours, snowbirds and tourists alike flock to the valley for its sunny weather. Phoenixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average annual temperature is 72 degrees, and the average annual high is 85 degrees. According to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, the prevailing winds blow FROM the East to the West in the months of August through April. Also, the prevailing winds blow FROM the West to the East in the months of May, June and July. The fluctuation in wind patterns during the summer season results in the Monsoon season. The North American Monsoon impacts Arizona, officially in mid-June and ends late-September. Monsoon storms can cause damaging winds, frequent lightning, heavy rainfall and dust storms.

Refer to Figure 3: Phoenix, Arizona Monthly Average Precipitation.

This chart displays the monthly average precipitation in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Phoenix located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert; Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hotter average temperatures mean the region could become even drier than it is already, making it harder for perennial grasses and plants to thrive. Without these

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grasses to keep the soil intact, it’s a lot easier for wind to pick the dust up off the ground” (ThinkProgress). In relation specifically to the Southwest, change has adverse effects on agriculture, energy, water supplies, health, plants, animals, ecosystems, forests and recreation. The average annual temperature in the Southwest has increased about 1.5°F ("Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States 2009 Report.").

The community, agriculture, technology, and ecosystems of the Southwest are dependent on water as a precious resource but higher temperatures have limited the water supplies.

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References

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"Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States 2009 Report." Global

Climate Change Impacts in the United States 2009 Report. N.p., n.d.

Web. 12 Sept. 2014. <http://nca2009.globalchange.gov/>.

"Phoenix, Arizona - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma." Phoenix, Arizona - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk

times for the whole year - Gaisma. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. <http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/phoenix-arizona.html>.

"Prevailing Wind Direction." Prevailing Winds. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/westwinddir.html

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"Phoenix Hit With Massive Dust Storm, Followed By Wettest Day Ever !

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Recorded."ThinkProgress Phoenix Hit With Massive Dust Storm

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Followed By Wettest Day Ever Recorded Comments. N.p., n.d. Web.

! !

12 Sept. 2014.

! !

<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/08/3564434/phoenix-

! ! ! ! !

wacky-weather/>.

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Figures

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Figure 1: Phoenix, Arizona Sun Path !

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Refer to Figure 2: Phoenix, Arizona Monthly Average High & Low

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Temperature.

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Refer to Figure 3: Phoenix, Arizona Monthly Average Precipitation.

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Energy

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With factors like urban heat island and rising day and night time temperature, places like South Mountain Village have a great opportunity to make a real positive impact on the future of Phoenix. Though it seems to be in the back of developers, investors, lawyers, and councilman’s mind, little has been mentioned about future plans for the South Mountain Village site.

In the Phoenix Environmental Quality Commission Minutes from February 20, 2014, Strategic Plan Area Updates were discussed and found that a Complete Streets Policy had been presented to all Village Planning Committees, and all except South Mountain approved unanimously. As far as a plan for alternative energy, “none”, was all that was reported. (Phoenix

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Environmental Quality Commission Minutes)

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It is estimated that around $40 billion dollars a year is spend on cooling buildings. About half of this is used to cool “heat island” in cities like Atlanta, Houston, Los Angles, Phoenix, and NewYork. These locations have also had about a 10% increase of air-conditioning demand in the last 40 years. (Shade Trees Reduce Building Energy Use And CO2 Emissions

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From Power Plants)

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The effectiveness of using shade trees on sites for cooling and heating loads depends on factors such as climate, tree shape and size, the

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direction and distance a tree is place adjacent to a building, the size type and age of the structure as well as the occupantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behavior using the site.

(Clark, K,: Berry D) Trees affect energy use in buildings in 2 ways, directly and indirectly.

These benefits include reducing solar heat gain through windows, walls, and roofs, reducing the radiant heat gain from the surrounding shade. Indirect effects are reducing the outside air infiltration rate by lowering ambient wind speeds, reducing the heat gain into the buildings by lowering temperatures through evapotranspiration in summer. (Shade Trees Reduce Building Energy Use And CO2 Emissions From Power Plants)

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The weekday demand savings during summer months were around

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7% for homes with air conditioning and as high as 14% savings for homes with air conditioning and evaporative coolers in Phoenix Arizona.

Of course the same idea can be transferred to energy savings in the winter months as well. Planting the right type of tree in the right location will let the winter sun shine onto the house and in the windows helping to warm the building without having to use as much energy.

South Mountain Village is starting to work towards more renewable energy practices. The major reason for the redevelopment classification is the areas of blight, vacant buildings and undeveloped properties, according to Arizona Builders Exchange (Arizona Builder Exchange).

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A few examples of renewable energy are starting to make their way onto the site. South mountain community college library, which was built to a LEED Silver Standard, opened in August 2011. Fundraising has started to install solar at South Mountain High School and at Arts Academy At South Mountain.

Keeping these ideas in mind and promoting innovative thinking, the future of South Mountain Village can embrace Green Infrastructure and be a role model for how the Phoenix valley can be more energy efficient.

Water, climate, soil and energy all play a vital role in how we perceive and experience landscape design. In Arizona, green infrastructure is an important part of this process. By understanding and applying the concepts and research of each topic, designers are able to inform their decisions with data that can greatly influence the area, even if only on a small scale.

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! ! !

References ! !

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Phoenix environmental quality commission minutes https://www.phoenix.gov/oepsite/Documents/110814.pdf !

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Clark, K,: Berry D. 1995. House characteristics and the effectiveness of energy conservation measures. Journal of the American Planning Association, 61: 386-395. !

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Shade trees reduce building energy use and CO2 emissions from power plants http://www.taskair.com/knowledge/Shade%20trees%20reduce%20buildin

g%20energy%20use%20and%20CO2%20emissions%20from%20power% 20plants.pdf !

Arizona Builderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exchange http://azbex.com/phoenix-focuses-on-job-generating-redevelopmentfor-rio-salado/ !

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"Reclamation: Managing Water in the West." U.S. Department of the Interior

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Bureau of Reclamation Phoenix Area Office, 1 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Sept.

!

2014.

! <http://www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/reports/rooswatercon/FEASIGRICRWCD.p df>.

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"Phoenix AMA." Arizona Department of Water Resources, 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

! <http://www.azwater.gov/AzDWR/StatewidePlanning/WaterAtlas/ActiveMana gementAreas/documents/Volume_8_PHX_final.pdf>.

Usepa Region. "Evaluation of Urban Soils: Suitability for Green Infrastructure or Urban Agriculture." Evaluation of Urban Soils:

Suitability for Green Infrastructure or Urban Agriculture. EPA. EPA. Web. 9 Sept. 2014.

"Natural Resources Conservation Service." Soil Taxonomy. NRCS. Web. 9

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Sept. 2014.

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SSURGO, comp. "U.S. Soil Survey." USDA. Web. 5 Sept. 2014.

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"USDA Soil Taxonomy." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2014.

Web. 10 Sept. 2014.

Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

Transportation is a very important part of today’s world. It molds our everyday activities and lifestyles. More recently, research has been made to look into how transportation in and around a community can form and change the area for the good and bad. To understand these current effects, we as designers need to look to our past. We will find the reasons for the whys and possibly the answers to the hows. In the history of our site, South Mountain Village, we see a cultural growth and livelihood evolve from farmers to industrialists. Transportation in the area evolved with the people of the community and thus helped form the language for the community’s functions as we see today.

As many people know, the United States is based on the Jeffersonian Grid system created by former President Thomas Jefferson. Since Jefferson originated this system without the slightest knowledge of our western topography or land, it never quite followed as strongly as it did in the eastern states. In many older cities of Arizona, the grid still exists, but isn’t near as prominent of a guide as our own farmers dirt roads or winding river washes were. With our site, this shows to be very true. The grid appears at a larger scale, but in the smaller views the roads wind and turn at strange angles. This is a strong design element that hopefully reminds visitors and residents alike, that South Mountain Village has it’s own unique character that can make it a desirable destination.

Once established, the Phoenix area quickly grew into the Maricopa County we know now.

The South Mountain Village site is located within this county. The transportation in the area is governed by Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). MCDOT has 10 classifications for the road system that is used in the site.

1. Rural Principal Arterial a. Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for substantial statewide travel b. Traffic movements between urban areas with populations over 25,000 c. Traffic movements at high speeds d. Divided four-­lane roads e. Desired LOS C 1

Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

2. Rural Minor Arterial a. Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for integrated interstate or inter-­county service b. Traffic movements between urban areas or other traffic generators with populations less than 25,000 c. Traffic movements at high speeds d. Undivided four-­lane roads e. Striped for one or two lanes in each direction with auxiliary lanes at intersections as required by traffic volumes f. Desired LOS C

3. Rural Major Collector a. Traffic movements with trip length and density suitable for inter-­county service b. Traffic movements between traffic generators, between traffic generators and larger cities, and between traffic generators and routes of a higher classification c. Traffic movements subject to a low level of side friction d. Development may front directly on the road e. Controlled intersection spacing of 2 miles or greater f. Striped for one lane in each direction with a continuous left turn lane g. Desired LOS C

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

4. Rural Minor Collector a. Traffic movements between local roads and collector roads b. Traffic movements between smaller communities and developed areas c. Traffic movements between locally important traffic generators within their remote regions d. Two-­lane undivided roads with intersections at grade, and designed to take a minimum interference of traffic from driveways appropriate to a rural setting e. Striped for one lane in each direction f. Desired LOS B

5. Rural Local Road a. Two-­lane undivided roads with intersections at grade b. Traffic movements between collectors and adjacent lands c. Traffic movements involving relatively short distances d. Desired LOS A

6. Urban Principal Arterial a. Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of through movements and major circulation movements in these areas b. Traffic movements involving a large portion of the total urban area travel on a minimum of mileage c. Posted speeds less than or equal to 45 mph d. Divided four-­lane or six-­lane roads e. Striped for two or three lanes in each direction with a median and exclusive turn lanes where applicable f. Desired LOS D

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7. Urban Minor Arterial a. Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of major circulation movements within these areas, with more emphasis on land access than major roads b. Traffic movements do not penetrate residential neighborhoods c. Traffic movements at moderate speeds with partially controlled access facilities d. Undivided four-­lane with intersections at grade e. Striped for two lanes in each direction with a center left turn lane f. Desired LOS C

8. Urban Major and Minor Collector a. Traffic movements in urban areas consisting of both land access service and traffic circulation b. Traffic movements subject to high levels of median and side friction c. Traffic movements penetrate local areas d. Development may front directly on the road e. Has more than 10 uncontrolled access points per mile on one side f. Local areas include residential neighborhoods, commercial, and industrial areas g. Traffic capacity for an urban major collector road is limited not by the typical capacity of the road section, but instead by the desirability of maintaining acceptable traffic levels by the use of continuous center left turn lanes rather than intermittent left-­turn lanes h. An urban minor collector road maintains acceptable traffic levels that will not affect residential neighborhoods adversely i. Urban “major” or “minor” classifications shall be made at MCDOT’s discretion j. Desired LOS C (major collector) and LOS B (minor collector)

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9. Urban Local Road a. Two-­lane undivided roads with intersections at grade with frequent driveway access b. Traffic movements between adjacent lands and collectors or other roads of higher classification c. Traffic movements over relatively short distances, less than 8 blocks long in most cases d. Desired LOS A

10. Arizona Parkway a. Divided roadway with access to abutting land generally limited to right in – right out b. Higher vehicle capacity c. Faster travel times d. Better gas mileage due to fewer stops and less idling at intersections e. Less potential for accidents at intersections due to elimination of left turns f. Grade separated intersections or at-­grade, signalized intersections no less than one mile apart g. Typically four or more lanes in width constructed on 200 feet of right-­of-­way

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

*Some of the other implementations MCDOT has made are complete street practices.

Roadways

In the South Mountain Village area, the main connection throughout regional area is the freeways. I-­10 originates from the east of the project area from Tuscon and from the west from Los Angeles. I-­17 connects to Flagstaff. SR143 connects to Mcdowell Road in Phoenix Metro. All of these freeways have significance because these are the freeways that are the most busiest during rush hour in the Phoenix Metro being adjacent to Downtown Phoenix.

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

In the immediate neighborhoods, the main connection is through the arterial streets of Broadway Road, Southern Avenue, and Baseline Road from east to west;; 19th Avenue, 7th Avenue, Central Avenue, 16th Street, 24th Street originating from the north and ending just before the South Mountain Preserve. The busiest street is Baseline Road having the majority of the activity centered along the road especially in the intersection of Central Avenue.

The collector streets within the area are few. These collector streets usually terminate in a Arterial Street or just before the South Mountain Preserve except for Central Avenue which goes through the preserve. The majority of the streets are local streets which are developed by the developers. These local streets are mostly curvilinear and do not have enough connectivity throughout the project area.

Level of Service

Maricopa Association of Government -­ Level of Service Map

As mentioned above, the busiest street is Baseline Road with 43,600 of annual average weekday daily traffic. The other routes within the project boundary are within the moderately used ranged compared to the rest of the regional area. Also mentioned above, the busiest freeways are within this area. The US 60 and the I 17 are among these routes.

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

SR 202 South Mountain Freeway The South Mountain Freeway does not immediately impact the project site. The only impact that it has on the site is alleviating the I-­10 freeway from traffic. The studies done for the mentioned freeway are the villages of Laveen and Tolleson and the Gila River Community. The Final Draft of Environmental Impact Study is on the works. The project is to be scheduled to start on

the

Fiscal

Year

of

2015.

For

more

information,

visit

http://www.azdot.gov/projects/phoenix-­metro-­area/loop-­202-­south-­mountain-­freeway/overview Level of Activity

The level of activity within the South Mountain Village corresponds with the level of service per roadways. The busiest activity is along Baseline Road. Also, the intersections of Southern Avenue, Baseline Road and Broadway Road with Central Avenue and 7th Street are among of the busiest intersections. The level of activity is concentrated within these areas.

Parks are spread throughout the site and are located within neighborhoods.

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

In terms of transportation with roadways, these activities are mostly concentrated along Central and Baseline Avenues. With low connectivity through local and collector streets, it is hard for people to access these different kinds of activity. They have to use an automobile to access these places that can lead to congestion and pollution.

Pedestrians

Pedestrian and Vehicular Accidents-­Pedestrian & vehicular accidents from 2009-­20111

Within the South Phoenix Village site there were thirty-­one pedestrian and vehicular fatalities from 2009 to 2011 and out of the thirty one, nine of them were drunk drivers. 46% were pedestrian and vehicular accidents and 53% were vehicular accidents. Southern Avenue had seven accidents, Baseline Road had six accidents, and 19th Avenue had five accidents.

1

http://www.city-­data.com/accidents/acc-­Phoenix-­Arizona.html

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

There are ten schools located along Southern Avenue and this is where the most accidents occur, this area is the highest concern from our findings.

Trails -­ Connections to the Preserve2 South Mountain provides outdoor recreation for the residents living in South Phoenix Village community. The trailheads promote outdoor activity for families and provide educational opportunities in wildlife and native vegetation. There are four trail connections to South Phoenix Village: 1. 19th Avenue Trailhead -­ 10500 South 19th Ave. -­-­-­ The 19th Avenue Trailhead is located adjacent to the Phoenix Valley Estates, Sierra Point, and McNeil Estates. The houses are custom houses along the mountain size and appear to be 1 lot per acre. This trailhead is fourth ranking for its access to public transportation -­ 1.9 miles.

2. Main Park Entrance -­ 10409 South Central Ave. (including a ranger station) -­-­-­ The Main Park Entrance is located adjacent to South Mountain Estates, Thunderbird Country Club Plaza, and Thunderbird Golf Course and Resort. This community has a variety of house sizes and two elementary schools are nearby. This trailhead is third ranking for its access to public transportation -­ 1.7 miles.

3. Mormon Trailhead -­ 8610 South 24th St. -­-­-­ Mormon Trailhead is adjacent to the Highland Terrace neighborhood. This neighborhood has a collection of custom homes and there is parking provided for hikers. This is a trailhead is second ranking for its access to public transportation -­ 0.7 miles.

2

https://www.phoenix.gov/parkssite/Documents/062880.pdf

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

4. Beverly Canyon Trailhead -­ 8800 South 46th St. -­-­-­ The Beverly Canyon Trailhead is located behind department stores and does not have inviting pedestrian access. This trailhead is first ranking for its access to public transportation -­ 0.3 miles.

The trailheads within our site are tucked away within neighborhood areas but do not have successful visual aesthetics and there is a disconnection from public transportation and walkability.

There are opportunities to provide safe accessibility into the trailheads off of Baseline Road and provide pedestrians with comfortable connections.

Multi-­Modal Transportation

In regards to transit, South Mountain Village offers a fleet of 14 buses that serve the area,

including 1 Rapid Bus. The site also offers a variety of biking trails and paths and is being studied for an extension of the Valley Metro light rail.

Bike Transit

South Mountain Village has a variety of different trails for bicyclist which include Bike Lanes,

Bike Routes, Paved Shoulders, Multi-­Use path Paved/Unpaved and Recreation Trails. The majority of these trails are served with traffic signals (Intersections). A handful are not served with marked crossings such as a canal crossing near the intersection of Baseline and Central. Others, mainly around the base of South Mountain are serviced with hawk lights, and overpasses. The Multi-­Use path Paved/Unpaved along north and south of baselines are examples of theses design features. Underpasses are present along all bike lanes crossing the Salt River from 17th Ave to 24th St. One major problem with the site is its lack of bike repair shops/ facilities. A major portion of bus stops lacked bike racks for users. The site is also only home to one Bike repair shop located on Sunland Ave. and Central.

Bus Transit

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

South Mountain Village is served by a fleet of 13 local buses and 1 Rapid Bus. Routes for these

buses range in length and span the valley from Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Glendale, Gilbert and South Laveen. The majority of these busses travel to major employment centers such as Westgate in Glendale, Arizona Mills Mall, Luke Air Force Base, and Downtown Phoenix. Along with that, many of these busses travel to several of the metro area community colleges and universities such as Paradise Valley Community College, Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University. Bus facilities in the area remain for the most part the same. Many stops consisted of a bench and trashing. Some stops included refuge structures. Bus facilities distinctly differed along Baseline Road from 16th St to 40th St. Bus stops along this stretch of baseline had distinctly colorful shade structures as well as a large amount of vegetation encompassing them. Some stops include artful trellis structures with vines growing on them creating colorful columns. In addition, Baseline Rd is the only major street with a vegetated median in the South Mountain Village area. Bus frequency ranges from 30 min on weekdays to 30min-­ 1hr on weekends.

Light Rail

The South Central Alternative Analysis or (AA), is a study of the South Mountain Village

focused mainly on the are from 15th Ave. to 12th St East to West and the I-­10 to Dobbins Rd North to South. The study’s focus was concentrated on identifying a transit mode appropriate for the area.

Modes which were considered include “Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail, and Modern Street Car. Three route locations were considered which included “7th Ave to Baseline, Central Ave to Baseline, and 7th St to baseline.”(Valley Metro). The “South Central Locally Preferred Alternative”, Central to Baseline would be composed of 5 stops along South Central Ave. This would extend the valley Metro light rail from 1st Ave and Jefferson to Baseline. The locations of the five stops include Lincoln St/

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

Central Ave, Buckeye Rd/ Central Ave, Ed pastor Transit Center at Broadway Rd/ Central Ave, Southern Ave,/ Central Ave, and Baseline Rd/Central Ave. The study also includes three Alternative Stops for further study at Wilkins St/ Central Ave, The Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, and Roeser Rd/ Central Ave. Existing Bike Facilities

Bus Routes

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

Proposed Light Rail Extension

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Light Rail Study Area

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Engineering Constraints

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Redevelopment Susceptibility

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Car Ownership Statistics

Transit Ontime Performance

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Group 4 . Transportation Alisha Hubbell . Jasmine Ballard . Virgil Artuz . Jose Rizo

Resources: Roadways Arizona Department of Transportation. www.azdot.gov. September 7, 2014.

Maricopa Association of Governments. www.azmag.gov. September 7, 2014.

City of Phoenix. www.phoenix.gov. September 7, 2014.

Google Earth.

Google Maps. maps.google.com. September 7, 2014.

Multi Modal Arizona-­ Maricopa Association of Governments. “MAG Bikeways.” http://geo.azmag.gov/maps/bikemap/ (2014) Web. 3 Sept.

Valley Metro. Alternatives Analysis, South Central Corridor, Locally Preferred Alternative. http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/prop_photos/South_Central_AA_LPA__04.2 4.14%281%29.pdf ( 2014). Web. 10 Sept. 2014

South Central, Transit Corridor Study. http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/prop_photos/SCentral_Project_Update_02-­14_En g.pdf (2014) Web. 8 Sept. 2014

http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/prop_reports/South_Central_Report_Card_-­_July _2014.pdf (2014) Web. 8 Sept. 2014

System Map. http://www.valleymetro.org/planning_your_trip/system_map. (2014). Web. 5 Sept, 2014.

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Tania Ibanez Cassandra Ortega Linsie Kalland Katherine Reeves Aesthetics and culture are a primary factor when completing an inventory analysis. It is the component that allows one to see the existing beliefs and afflictions towards the site. Not only does aesthetics speak on behalf of the site but it is the language residents use to make a statement in their community. Culture demonstrates the society and how it relates to the landscape. Dividing aesthetic into categories was crucial to understand the project location better. Housing scales, landscape scales, and signage were the three divisions to better explain aesthetics, followed by cultural landmarks.!

AESTHETICS: Housing Scale!

Housing is an essential factor when assessing the aesthetics of a place. It is a cultural norm to order people based on outward appearance, i.e. the type or level of care in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home, so by assessing aesthetics we interpret perceived care and therefore may draw ideas about the people who live there. By rating homes on a simple scale system it is possible to make conclusions about the aesthetics of a place and its overall quality. Neighborhoods are a section where a group of people live in households with a common set of distinguishing characteristics. Typical neighborhoods range from the modern â&#x20AC;&#x153;cookie cutterâ&#x20AC;? style master planned development, with its gated access and 3 house types gridded through the community, all the way down to the trailer park of mobile homes. Cities and larger communities typically have a prevailing architectural style that links its residents together, based on regional styles and climatic

factor. The dominating housing style of the Metro-Phoenix area is the rambler or ranch style single family detached home. !

The Housing of South Mountain Village!

The most prevalent type of neighborhood, based on architectural style in the South Mountain area, is the detached single family rambler. South Mountain Village also consists of a smaller mix of mobile homes communities and American craftsman style homes, most featured in gated communities.!

Determining the Ranking Scale!

To rank the visual quality of homes, the first factor is architectural style. The area is mainly ranch style homes. Consequently, this becomes the base value of the scale, essentially the “neutral” middle ground. Trailer parks, in comparison, have a negative social stigma and typically are not well maintained. An area of mobile homes is the lowest end of the scale. Alternatively, newly constructed homes, or the American Craftsman Style home is the highest ranking of the scale because these homes are typically part of a Home Owner’s Association with high standards of upkeep. !

The House Ranking Scale as Applied to South Mountain Village!

The area was divided into ¼ mile sections with each section survey in two ways: by driving through the area in a car and taking photographs and by using the street view function of google maps to survey groups of homes. This scale looked at the architectural style, apparent age and perceived maintenance of a portion of homes in each section to rank it on a 1 to 5 scale: 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.

Landscaping around the home, as well as garbage on the site was not a determining factor of ranking. The scale was set with a 1 as the lowest: an area with a large trailer

park community or a ranch style home in major disrepair or boarded up. A 2 was typically ramblers with a level of disrepair to the home. A 3 was a rambler with noticeable care applied to the home, an â&#x20AC;&#x153;averageâ&#x20AC;? of the area. A 4 was set as a wellkept rambler style home, or interesting and often unique architectural style home.

Finally a 5 was seen as a recently built craftsman style house, often two stories with faux river rock and freshly painted stucco in neutral tones. !

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Figure 1: Scales for Housing TOP LEFT: ranking 1; TOP RIGHT: ranking 2 ; BOTTOM RIGHT: ranking 3 ; BOTTOM LEFT ranking 4!

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ranking 5!

Conclusions!

The applied ranking system does not offer a high level of accuracy. Âź mile sections become â&#x20AC;&#x153;compromisedâ&#x20AC;? when a type 5 community is adjacent to a type 1 neighborhood because the section must then be ranked as the averaging 3, which implies it consists of standard ramblers. The scale does offer a general understanding of the aesthetic quality. The scale is place specific of rambler style single family detached homes and divides those into perceived levels of care. The area surveyed fundamentally consists of 23.5 square miles divided into quarter mile segments. 7 square miles, or 30%, was ranked a 5. 6 square miles, or 26%, was ranked a 4. 5 square miles, or 28%, was ranked a 3. 2.75 square miles, or 12%, was ranked a 2. 1.25 square miles, or 5%, was ranked a 1.

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Figure!2:!Visual!Representation!of!findings!for!Housing!Aesthetics!

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Figure!3:!Graph!representing!findings!

Based on these numbers we can see that the area is actually about one third newly constructed master planned communities. A little more than a quarter are mixed architectural style with a high level of maintenance and less than half are standard

ramblers in moderate to low perceived maintenance. Generally, the higher ranked housing sections are closer to the South Mountain preserve, suggesting the beauty of the natural area encourages quality and upheld housing standards. The areas closest to the Rio Salado industrial areas are of lower scores and the epicenter of the 1 ranking. In general, the area is not of a high aesthetic quality when compared to other areas of Scottsdale or Chandler. The aesthetic ranking of the South Mountain Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing is based on the quality of rambler style or ranch style home, but is slightly more than 50% of an above average quality if the base factor is a minimally maintained detached single family rambler. ! !

AESTHETICS: Landscape Aesthetics and culture is a very prominent factor in developing a new site. One must look at what is at the site to meet the needs of the people living in the region. Not only is this important to the designer because of the new additions, but it is important to the already present population because it is what has been there and what they know, what they are used to and what their beliefs are based upon. The landscape around the site, South Mountain, gives one a good impression of how people feel towards the beauty of their neighborhood.

For this particular section, one assigned a gradient scale for the landscape of the communities ranging from one to five. One being the poorest situation, one in which the landscape was not taken care of. This was based on whether the grass in both the front and the back yard was pretty intact and no random patches of soil were exposed. Since most of this inventory was down with Google Maps, one was able to look at both the

front and back yard through plan view. The front yards were evaluated by looking at street views of blocks and one was able to see the difference from the yards from the previous years. The other side of the scale was rated a five because of the care and how manicured the yards looked. For instance, if there was a very nice front yard filled with grass and no debris, but also included a pool in the backyard and spoke the same language of nice clean and manicured it received a five. This study took into account a quarter mile scale. After every quarter mile, one would evaluate the yards and average out the neighborhood. Not only did this scale give one a good idea of the relationships between the communities, but it also helped look at the minor streets and not become biased. Ultimately, when one looked at the yards, did one get a sense of caring and commitment from the other side of the door?

After placing the map underlay and the quarter mile gradient map over, one noticed small trends and glimpses of cultures. For starters, the houses adjacent to South Mountain seemed to be on bigger lots, which included more custom style homes.

These houses had a considerate amount of undisturbed welcoming Sonoran Desert which boosted their scale to a five. Another pattern that crept through was the maintained landscapes on the ends of the boundary, by 27th avenue and the I-10 freeway. This shows the horizontal expansion. Initially, one can assume the newer development showed the manicured landscape; however, I realized that there was another prominent factor involved in these areas. For instance, the newer communities are now gated districts which are mostly under a home owners association and require the residents living in these specific areas to keep their landscape trimmed, tidy and clean. So, the question of caring is still very crucial, because it is the occupants choice

whether or not to live in an upscale neighborhood and take on the commitment to have a manicured house which also includes taking good care of the yard which entails the landscape. The houses seemed to range between three and four, which meant that there seemed to be hint of caring but the overall execution was not there. For example, many of the older neighborhoods had a buffer are of vegetation between the street and sidewalks, but the care of these medians were not taken care of. This may have to do with the city taking care of the streets, but there was an abundance of debris on these streets. The areas which received a two or one on the scale were given this classification because the landscape was very poorly and not taken care of. This included residences with no proper care of the landscape: trees on the verge of dying, fallen leaves from vegetation scattered about the yard and poorly maintained turf. These types of landscapes seemed to fall at the core of the given area, between 7th avenue and 7th street. If one was to look deeper in this trend, one will be able to see that these houses establishments were built in the early 1900s and after a while the landscape gets tired, but instead of rehabilitating ones homes, one leaves it is as and the vegetation matures and are not properly taken care of. There is evidently, a disconnection between gated communities and non-gated communities, communities with mobile home and communities which have some sort of commercial/residential business going about Cleary, the South Mountain region suggested a touch of growth and opportunity. The glimpses of newer development show a higher real estate value and higher income in the area. Not only does this mean that the area can revitalize into a more sufficient

urban region, but all the negative comments which are used to describe this can mold into different, vibrant and positive language.

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Figure 4: Scale for Landscape TOP LEFT: ranking 1; TOP RIGHT: ranking 2 ; BOTTOM RIGHT: ranking 3 ; BOTTOM LEFT ranking 4

ranking 5

Figure 5: Visual Representation of Findings for Landscape

AESTHETICS: Signage Signage is the way or form the city represents itself to the people; it is a hint of interpretation of what programs the city has to offer. The many different types of signage can also set the mood for the journey through the city. To better understand how signage was used to portray the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beliefs, signage was divided into four subcategories: billboards, outdoor dimensional labels, print labels, and hand-made signs. For the inventory, every major intersection was labeled with the types of signage there were presented. While collecting data, a trend started to take form. Starting at the

top left quadrant, there was a transition from billboards and hand-made signs to dimensional and print labels. The presence of culture was also following the same trend, creating a relationship between the two aspects.!

Near the billboards and hand-made signs there were many family owned businesses. Majority of these family owned â&#x20AC;&#x153;officesâ&#x20AC;? has an architectural style informing these buildings were once homes. !

Figure 6: Businesses that resemble houses !

This is an example of how culture may affect the presentation of the city. These billboards and hand-made signs were surrounded by low income, single family housing, and a long strip of highway one mile away. According to observations, the for the billboards may be for the highway users. Billboards and freeways always work together, however this affects the city or the businesses on the same road the billboards are placed. It affects the businesses by taking in all the viewers, disregarding the businesses signage. !

Figure 7: Billboards!

As far as self-created signs, this part of the village may be economically low; therefore business owners may not have enough funds to buy custom signs. Business owner can also prefer to self-create this signs and spend funds on the actual business instead.

There is a greater number of these businesses that are family owned, therefore it could be tradition to have the son or daughter to run the business after the parent no longer can. As time goes the new owner may follow the traditional steps their family did previously. Ultimately, cultural can play a very important role, effecting aesthetic decisions.!

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Figure!8:!Self!Created!Signs!

As one move further to the south east quadrant, signage transfers into printed or dimensional labeling. This area lays at the edge of the natural preservation, increasing worth ability. Family owned restaurants are replaced by department stores, bus stops are significantly introverted with structural and vegetated shade, and culture seems to be more mixed. Inclusively, this portion of the village may be a little more economically stable to provide better signage.!

Figure 9: Manufactured Signs !

Billboards, hand-made signs, print and dimensional labeling were the signs that were mostly demonstrated. However there were many other signs represented. For instance there were traffic signals at every major intersection, hawk lights at educational buildings, and stop signs in collector streets. These provide a sense of safety and order.

Other signs were such as the names of the housing communities throughout the city. !

Figure 10 and 11: Street Crossings and Development Signs!

Gated communities were a large part of the areas that demonstrated entry signage. A third observation of the types of signage, within the village, was the language spoken. For demonstration, there was an elementary school with announcements written out in Spanish. Here the public school was overridden by the culture. Signage created a more clear understanding of how cultural aspects can affect the aesthetics of the village. !

CULTURE: As it relates to South Phoenix !

The focus area as a whole is physically divided from the majority of the Phoenix Metropolitan area by the I-10 and South Mountain. This presents an almost isolated section of the city from the rest of Phoenix and its culture, though creates its own within that. Outside of the project boundaries there are major cultural centers such as art museums, concert halls, government centers, and even movie theaters. Though within it there is a lack of space for culture to be fostered and congregate, thus in this area the residents within it must either go outside of their radius or create micro forms of culture. !

Schools Upon researching the area it was discovered that there are 25 Elementary School and Middle Schools, 5 High Schools, and 2 colleges. Preschools, technical colleges and non traditional forms of education were not included in this count. Of the schools inventoried 7 are private or charter elementary or middle schools and 18 are Public schools located in the Roosevelt school district. There are 2 public high schools and 3 private or charter schools. These findings tell us that on our project site the culture of the South Phoenix Area tends to be less inclined to place their kids in private or charter schools because of a lack of resources.!

Libraries In the area there are only 2 public libraries. This shows a lack of accessibility to literature and technology for the schools in the area. Culturally we can assume that this area unlike the rest of Phoenix has different education standards.

Religious Centers Places of religious importance were divided as such: 6 Catholic, 8 Baptist churches (4) and missionaries(4), 1 Methodists, 1 Episcopalian, 1 Jehovahs Witnesses, 1 Jain Center, 2 Churches of the Latter Day Saints, and 4 other or Non Denominational. This is significant because it shows a mainly Christian culture. Looking further into the kinds of religion that are present, it is interesting that there are so few Mormon churches considering the amount in the valley. From an aesthetics survey, the Baptist and Catholic churches are in better condition showing their usership is higher.

Cemeteries!

3 cemeteries were found on the east and west ends of the site. Cemeteries are relevant in culture because they relate to history, past culture and values. The concentration of them within the site is important because the rest of the valley has so few cemeteries.

This shows Food Purveyors There are 14 groceries in the area, 7 of which are corporate chains and the other 7 are family owned or privately maintained food stores. The majority of corporate groceries are on the south end of the site while the family owned establishments are on the north end. !

Environmental Centers!

Three major environmental centers exist and create the north and south boundaries.

The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration and the Audubon Center towards the north which border the Rio Salado and on the south Phoenixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South Mountain Preserve. This is important because of three things: there appears to be no connection throughout the community to embrace practice which help to preserve these three site; the areas surrounding each do not seem to have aesthetic difference from others on the site; and finally there a culture or a set of values do not appear in the community surrounding these three sites, they appear to have a user base that spans across the valley.!

The scale of the site can provide problems relating the information the analysis is supposed to tell. Because it is so large and diverse to be precise when evaluating culture and aesthetics it is difficult to provide detailed portrayal of the collective site.

Though a 1/3 of the site is considered architecturally aesthetically pleasing while only 5% of the site was not. Contrastingly the landscape aesthetics study showed that the

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Germany! has! long! been! an! industrial! and! technological! power! house,! creating! great!

innovations!from!engineering,!to!architecture!and!urban!planning.!This!tradition!of!innovation! is! important! to! the! culture! behind! Germany,! and! has! ushered! a! program! called! IBA,! or!

International!Building!Exhibition.!The!IBA!chooses!a!different!region!or!subject!every!ten!years! or!so,!as!the!site!of!innovation!in!design.!While!most!of!the!previous!years!have!had!a!major! focus! on! the! Berlin! and! other! areas! reminiscent! of! the! Nazi! Regime,! the! past! ten! years! have! focused! one! a! different! theme,! that! of! green! infrastructure! and! community! connections.! The! port!city!of!Hamburg!has!long!been!important!to!Germany,!recently!has!become!the!country’s! wealthiest! city,! and! with! this,! wants! to! renovate! a! forgotten! part! of! the! city.! Located! on! the!

Elbe!River,!the!island!of!Veddel!has!become!a!“City!within!a!City”!due!to!its!isolation!to!the!rest! of!the!metro!area.!This!location!not!only!has!been!forgotten!about,!it!also!is!home!to!the!lowest! income!and!most!diverse!communities!in!Hamburg.!! !

From!2007!to!2013,!three!different!objectives!were!tackled!by!the!IBA,!focusing!on!the!

Cosmopolis,! the! Metropolis,! and! Climate! Change,! the! city! aims! to! change! the! future! of! this! community.! Cosmopolis! is! regarding! the! aesthetic! of! the! city,! currently! home! to! industrialization!and!public!housing,!the!area!is!stuck!in!the!ruins!of!post!war!Germany.!Creating! new!forms!of!architecture,!along!with!creating!homes!and!community!areas,!is!the!goal!behind!

Cosmopolis!On!the!other!side,!the!goal!behind!Metropolis!is!to!create!connections!to!the!rest!of! the!city,!along!with!creating!new!forms!of!urban!patchwork.!Lastly,!Climate!Change!deals!with! creating!innovative!forms!and!sustainable!practices!to!create!a!future!for!the!city.!! !

One!project!that!covers!all!three!of!these!general!themes!is!the!Energy!Bunker,!created!

out!of!a!WWII!Flak!Tower.!By!taking!a!local!eyesore!that!has!been!sitting!around!abandoned!for! the! past! 50! plus! years,! the! IBA! has! turned! it! into! a! community! center,! filled! with! a! café! and! multiple! large! parks! nearby,! a! solar! power! station! that! supplies! up! to! 8000! homes! with! sustainable!energy.!!

Hamburg!IBA!can!teach!some!lessons!when!implementing!a!green!infrastructure!plan!in!

South! Mountain! Village,! while! not! the! same! climate,! a! few! key! ideas! can! be! utilized! here.!

Innovation! is! key! to! creating! change! in! this! dry! metro! area,! and! following! the! themes! of! cosmopolis,!metropolis,!and!climate!change,!the!South!Mountain!Village!area!can!be!a!model!of! green!infrastructure!for!other!cities!to!follow.! !

Sources!

"IBA!Hamburg."!IBA!Hamburg!Gmhb,!2007.!Web.!24!Sept.!2014.!

IBA Hamburg: Projekte Und Konzepte. Berlin: Jovis, 2010. Print.

Photos gathered from: http://www.iba-hamburg.de/!

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Lesley Minervini Coseo | LTC 461 Case Study – REI Denver Flagship Memo

The REI building located in Denver, Colorado, is known as the current flagship of the Capitol because of its admirable effort to be a sustainable, restored, renovated, and applicable site for the city and others. This store is an “…outstanding example of adaptive reuse in design and a major contribution to the redevelopment of Denver's Central Platte Valley” (REI Denver Flagship) and green infrastructure. This memo will discuss the overall problem of the area, how designers decided to resolve it through design process, and how it can be applied to future green infrastructure projects, just like South Mountain Village in Phoenix, Arizona.

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For 50 years, this brick structure served as a power plant for Denver’s electric trolley system starting in July of 1902. It consisted of large furnaces and steam powered electric generators, which were cooled by water from the adjacent South Platte River. The location was also chosen because of its close proximity to the rail lines that could provide the coal necessary for the plant, and the association with nearby Downtown Denver helped the overall business aspect. Once the trolley system faded and closed in the 1950s, the Victorian structure became the “…Forney Transportation Museum, opening in 1969, which collected and displayed old train cars” (REI Denver Flagship). However, the museum moved locations, and the historical brick architecture was abandoned and underutilized for several years, until 1998 when REI bought the structure (Raabe, Steven). Realizing how vital this particular area was for Denver as a community, the underutilization and archaic design appeal needed to be addressed.

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When the design team approached this project, they became very aware of the

potential renovation and restoration processes: beneficial material was already there, but what’s the best way to use it? Focusing on the structural aspect, a great amount was left intact, and they were able to restore nearly 75,000 square feet of brick walls and 30 original windows (and replaced 168 windows). The reuse of existing materials saved a lot economically, and provided a unique historical feel to the design: large steel frames towards the entrance, wooden windows, reclaimed timber and flagstone, and obviously, the original bricks were all reused. All of the reuse and reclamation that occurred from the existing site truly embraces the historical appearance and usage of this place. Designers made sure to create connectivity not only to the natural environment, but also back to the Colorado community. They purposely designed all the way to border the South Platte River, in order to create visitor access to the water. Several trial courses were designed for testing out specific REI equipment such as hiking boots, climbing gear, mountain bikes, and even kayaks. WENK Landscape Architects implemented a greenroof design on top of the underground parking structure (REI Flagship Store), in order to limit unnecessary parking spaces, and reduce the heat island effect. All of the main plants used are native—aspens, blue spruce, cottonwood, etc.—and help reintroduce the importance of the Colorado landscape, especially within the city.

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Without the community involvement, there’s no way this project would have survived and continue to flourish the way it has been. Tracey Higgins, executive director of DURA (Denver Urban Renewal Authority), shares how, “The REI Denver flagship store has been a major success since its [opening], playing a key role in reactivating the Central

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Platte Valley and Confluence Park for Denver metro residents…” (Raabe, Steven). Residents of Denver and Colorado in general are naturally drawn to this area, inside and out. The trial

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courses designed are a great way to welcome the community into the outdoor Colorado identity.

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Applying the Denver Flagship REI project to future South Mountain Village green infrastructure in Phoenix, Arizona, is actually quiet complimentary. Even though Denver and Phoenix posses their own diverse climates, the two Capitols overlap in several ways.

REI took advantage of the close proximity of the South Platte River, just like South Mountain Village has the Rio Salado running through it. Within the Phoenix design site, many abandoned or underutilized industrial structures exist along the Rio Salado, which may all have the potential to be renovated and restored to a state of value and sustainable use, through businesses or corporations that start to classify with Arizona’s traits.

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In the online article, Observationally Inclined, the author explains how REI as a brand “…create[d] an environment that embodies [their] core values…both explicitly and implicitly.” In order for the residents to find their desired identity, respect their surrounding environment, and successfully sustain their future green infrastructure, while communicating the essence of where they live through these significant areas, design like this must be taken into consideration.

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Works Cited

"Observationally Inclined." Observationally Inclined. WordPress.com. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

Raabe, Steven. "Denver's Flagship REI Store Has Paid off $6.3 Million in Subsidies." The

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Denver Post. The Denver Post, 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.

"REI Denver Flagship." The American Institute of Architects - Top Ten Projects. BuildingGreen.

Web. 23 Sept. 2014.

"REI Denver Flagship Store." Greenroofs.com Projects. HydroTech, 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.

"REI Flagship Store." Wenk : Landscape Architecture & Planning. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

To: Professor Coseo & Kelly Fr: Wanting Dong Da: 09/26/2014 Re: Case study on green infrastructure This memo was written to give a brief look at the stormwater park project and to find out the possibility of the implementation on South Mountain Village.

Project name: Qunli Stormwater Park- A Green Sponge for a Water-Resilient City Design Team: Turenscape, Peking University, Beijing Client: Qunli New District Government, Harbin, China Project Location: Qunli New District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China Project Size: 30 hectares Date of Design: Jun.2009-Sept. 2009 Date of Complete: 2011 SUMMARY:( ( This project was designed as an ecological sponge to address the natural rainwater issues of this new town in Northern China. In general, Qunli new town has an annual precipitation of 567mm (22.3inches), however concentrated from June to August (making up 60%~70% of the total rainfall), which results in the problem as follows:( Seasonal rainwater flood, loss of water in wetland during dry period, wetland pollution due to urban flood. And the city also suffers from the problems brought about by the modern development, such as the excessive urban disturbance and the increasing need for public aesthetic experience.

When conducting the design work, landscape architecture plays a significant role, along with urban policy and public support, when dealing with the challenges how a decreasing wetland be conserved inside a city when it’s surrounded by dense development, and what's the most economically feasible option to take. In order to achieve the goals 1) measurement be taken to protect the wetland from outside intervention, 2) bio-diversity be enhanced, 3) water sources in the wetland be recharged, 4) self-cycling and self-management be achieved, a new strategy was brought out.

In general, the strategy is to implement the “cell” theory (cytoplasm + cell nucleus) into the planning. Two different zones are established, the buffer surrounding and the core in the middle. The core is the original wetland, while the surrounding buffer zone is designed as the constructed wetland which acts as a barrier to protect the natural wetland from the urban intervention around. And also, the buffer zone can serve as a filter when the rainstorm with urban contamination flow towards the wetland. This is a win-win approach that can not only address the urban rainstorm issue, but also provide therapy for the disappearing wetland and its native ecosystem.

When looking back into the South Mountain Village, it’s easy to find that the two sites are both characterized by the unevenly distributed rainfall, which means they may suffer from severe rainstorm during a certain period of time in a year. So the first consideration should not be discharging the rainwater, but to collect, purify and store

the rain for better use like wetland recharge, groundwater recharge and water source for dry period of time. This case may inspire the South Mountain Village to find better strategies to take use of and benefit from the rainwater.

Questions: How can an isolated natural ecosystem keep in harmony with the surrounding urban context? Is it possible to achieve if there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any interacting and exchanging matter?

Is it significant to isolate a natural ecosystem from the surrounding urban context in modern society??

Resources:!

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www.asla.org/2012awards http://www.turenscape.com http://wwww.qunlinanan.com/ShowNews Beck, Michael Bruce, and Rodrigo Villarroel Walker. "Nexus security: governance, innovation and the resilient city." Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 7.5 (2013): 640-657. .

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[J][J].

, 2006, 5: 5-8.

Alisha Hubbell Paul Coseo Case Study: A Green Sponge for a Water-­Resilient City: Qunli Stormwater Park Haebrin City Heilongjiang Province China September 26, 2014

In 2009, Turenscape architecture was commissioned to preserve 34.2 hectares of protected regional wetlands within the middle of a new town. The city recognized a need to preserve the wetlands with a rapid increase of urban population densities. There are social, economical, and and ecological benefits for the community that provide “valuable services nature provides the human environment1”.

The preservation of wetlands brought together an idea to create an urban stormwater park to increase natural habitats and preserve a disappearing wetland. There is a great importance of incorporating green infrastructure within the built environment because there is a great need to collect stormwater runoff, create wildlife linkages, and bring together the separated terms of man and nature.

How do we preserve 300,000 square miles of disappearing wetland within an urban context? Is there economic value from an expansive wetland preservation? The Qunli Stormwater Park was designed to collect, filtrate, and pump water back into the aquifer, while rejuvenating ecological life and increasing outdoor recreation for residents. There is an importance within the community to reduce air pollution and to restore natural environments to reduce damages to the ecological communities.

There was a large support system from local states and governments to expand and preserve the 300,000 square miles of wetlands within their city limits. The examples of revenue collections included revenue bonds, transfer of developmental rights, and partnerships with the private

1

Archdaily

sector or non-­profit organizations2. There was an interest to increase multi-­use recreational trails, have natural and scenic routes, and provide educational opportunities for the community.

The central core of the wetland is to be left alone and to benefit the ecological environment. The central core can benefit ecological environments by reducing the chances of extinction. The wetland preservation reduces urban development moving into the natural landscape and the wetland preservation merges natural and built environments to have green functions. The stormwater management collects water from the city into pipes and distributed into the surrounding wetlands. There are trails and platforms that allow visitors to interact with the natural wetland environment. The programs are incorporating educational opportunities natural environments being apart of the urban context and promoting the exploration and adventure within city limits.

The South Mountain Village can benefit from the practices of the Qunli Stormwater Park by the stormwater collection, filtration, and pumping of aquifers from their city. Although we only receive 7 inches of rain a year, there can be a collection of water for certain periods of the year -­ monsoon and winter months to revitalize our landscapes while maintaining xeric practices. The Village can also embrace the natural environment into the built and promote an exploration of the Sonoran Desert and incorporating our history and natural context by maintaining a agricultural/vegetated oasis within a low water usage environment. The South Mountain Village can create a green infrastructure that works for our unique environment and bringing the community together for this green movement.

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ASLA

Sources: 1.

http://www.archdaily.com/446025/qunli-­stormwater-­wetland-­park-­turenscape/

2.

http://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=43532

3.

Stanley Park and the Green Infrastructure of Vancouver, Canada LDE 461 Katherine Reeves

The nature of the problem: Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban sprawl and decreasing health of habitats.

What the community did to resolve the problem: 2020 plan and Stanley Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan for habitat restoration

Stanley Park is located in what is supposed to be by 2020 the Greenest City in the World, Vancouver, Canada. Where they plan to have carbon neutral buildings by 2020, sweeping changes in how they handle waste and a plan for what the ecosystem of the densely populated Vancouver will look like.

The 2020 Plan focuses its vision, leadership, action, and partnerships on four major tasks: 1. Plan and implement a comprehensive corporate waste reduction and diversion program for all City facilities.

2. Develop a procurement policy and practice that supports the purchase and use of local food in City-run facilities, including community centres and Park Board restaurants and concessions.

3. Look for opportunities to green community events that the City runs, sponsors, and permits.

4. Plan and implement a program to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as fossil fuel use in City-run buildings and vehicles, and achieve carbon-neutral operations.

One of the ways Vancouver is looking to solve the plan of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use is through its Access to Nature plan which plans to plant at least 150,000 new trees by 2020 and make it so all of Vancouver residents live within a five minute walk of a park, greenway, or other greenspace.

In doing this they hope to fight ecological and public health problems. By adding more plants, they aim to negate the effects of emissions. By adding more public green spaces in the city, they hope to increase the recreational activity of the public in turn making it a healthier city. And in solving both ecological and public health problems they hope to create a better community for activities for children and neighbors to play, meet, and socialize.

Stanley Park is meant to be, what Benedict and McMahon call an ecological hub within the city. The park itself follows Vancouver’s values of green infrastructure and providing a nurturing community within the city. In maintaining the significance for the hub in a green infrastructure plan it is necessary to have supporting links which are often the cities landscapes and passageways to the hubs. Vancouver’s transit system, which in this case is a link for hubs, has two main goals: Make the majority of trips by foot, bicycle, and public transit and reduce the average distance driven per resident by 20% from 2007 levels. They implement these goals by creating passages that make citizens feel they can choose active transportation choices such as walking and cycling that are safe, convenient, comfortable and fun for all ages and abilities.

They create these transportation corridors by adding vegetation as a natural barrier between the pedestrian walkways+bike lanes and vehicular lanes; incorporating more routes throughout the city; and creating denser neighborhoods to encourage staying local and reducing transit time.

Stanley Park serves as a reminder of the history of the city, which was once covered in Red Cedars and Douglas Firs. The Stanley Park Ecological Society helps to implement and sustain the goals of the city within the park. They ‘undertake invasive species removal, habitat restoration and enhancement’ (Stanley Park Ecological Society, 2014) as well as provide an in depth educational approach for all ages.

Implications for South Mountain Village: “In the 1960s, Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood residents stopped the construction of a massive freeway into downtown that would have levelled their community and altered the shape of the city forever.” (Greenest City Action Plan, 2012) So can we learn from a city without any major freeways cutting through it when Phoenix is a city built for freeways?

Despite the lack of climate and geographical location similarities, Phoenix can take a lot of what Vancouver has to offer. They use basic ideas that can be applicable almost everywhere in the world. One element that Vancouver’s Green Infrastructure plan emphasizes is the linkage in nature and the urban environment.

Design With Nature to Create Livable Communities One thing that the city of Vancouver does, along with Stanley Park, is uses ecological information to influence designs. They do not tend to superimpose plans on sites as is often the case with Phoenix. In the last few weeks we have seen the detrimental effect that our lack of planning has with the few storms we have had. So planning for weather events and using the sites natural elements in the designs would benefit the plan overall in future not only for storms but for the environment. Stanley Park uses the Sea Wall as an education, recreational and ecological point within the park that engages the community and connects the natural world to the human.

Restore Habitats Stanley Park is hosting a variety of restoration projects where they focus on being stewards of the land, managing invasive species, improving environmental conditions, mitigating degradation, and improving habitats. Their current projects include bog restoration, forest de-fragmentation, invasive species removal, and replanting.

In Phoenix we also have the opportunity to follow in Stanley Parks footsteps, especially on our site. South Phoenix has a diversity of species and micro-ecosystem in due large part to urban sprawl which has isolated plant and animal corridors. South Phoenix has two major ecological forms, Rio Salado and South Mountain. The connection between the two can be instrumental in the green infrastructure plan.

Create a Pedestrian City An element Vancouver and Stanley Park emphasize is the relationship between the hubs and links within a city; a city with a strong green infrastructure program will have strong ecological hubs and links to connect them. A transit system that encourages users to walk, ride their bicycle, or use shared transportation is a good start to creating strong linkages.

References: Benedict. M, et al (2009). Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century. Island Press UK. 2020 Action Plan, Greenest City (2012) Vancouver, BC The Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC: Green Infrastructure. http://waterbucket.ca/ Stanley Park Ecological Society. http://stanleyparkecology.ca/