Rendering of the proposed redesign of the canal at 16th Street and Indian School Road

Rendering of the proposed redesign of the canal at Third and Campbell avenues in Phoenix.

How the Third and Campbell avenue canal looks today.

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From Phoenix Magazine: "Venice’s 125 miles of canals and Amsterdam’s 47 miles of canals make these cities European icons and postcard darlings. Meanwhile, Phoenix has a whopping 181 miles of canals that most people ignore."

In 2008, I took a course in downtown Phoenix with ASU professor Nan Ellin. Her ideas about creating villages along Phoenix's canals and "sustainable urbanism" were awesome and inspiring. Ellin believes we should be utilizing these waterways instead shutting them off with infrastructure. Along the canals could be biking and walking paths as well as bridges, storefronts and condos.

I believe in canalscape and I know many of Ellin's former students and colleagues do as well. Check out some more about the ideas at canalscape.org.