New position: Livability engineer/planner

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New position: Livability engineer/planner
Updated: Aug 29, 2012 Tina J Forwarded to PlanPHX Leadership Committee and appropriate city department	10 20 9

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There are a number of positions (e.g., traffic engineer) that consider and assess how cars move around, but none I know of dedicated to considering and assessing how people experience the city...whether being in the city is a pleasant or unpleasant. Create a new position (something like livability planner) to advance ideas that will make the city a more pleasant place to be.

A significant portion of the livability planner(s)' time would be devoted to actually going out and experiencing the city. Every corner of it. Even the 'bad' parts. Even in 112 degree weather. I'm not just talking a quick driveby in the car. Actually get out of the car and spend an hour walking around and asking qualitative questions like: How easy is it to get around? Is it a pleasant experience? Would I want to live here? How can we improve the residents' experience of living here?

9 Comments

by Ardyce E If you don't trust your particular village committee to collectively perform this task, then you could do it yourself for a few months and speak from the audience.Maybe the committee members would catch on. Or you could request that Debra Stark provide a short training session for all committees.

Oct 11, 2012 at 5:26 PM
by Patrick B4 Most transportation measures seem to be discussed in village committees, but not necessarily for a vote. For instance, I'm still dumbfounded as to why Valley Metro placed a park and ride facility at 27th Avenue and Baseline in Laveen, despite being told none was needed there (although we could really use one a mile to the west). LVPC never got a vote. We were just asked for input about landscaping, etc.

Oct 11, 2012 at 6:14 PM
by Sean S7 This position would require a strong, *holistic* background in transportation.

Sep 01, 2012 at 12:42 PM
by Chris A4 Agreed. This should be what the planning commission considers, but more and more they just sign off on what is funded and passes code - not necessarily what is best for the city. This "Livability Engineer" would take the traffic and fiscal feasibility into consideration, but add in this livability element that is currently overlooked. With the world's best School of Sustainability as our neighbor, this should be an easy position to fill.

Aug 29, 2012 at 9:57 AM
by Ardyce E I'm on a village committee. Most of our members either drive to the property or use Google maps to examine the area. So we have a variety of conclusions and recommendations.We don't need a livability engineer to give us a single opinion and we"d check out the property ourselves anyway.

Oct 11, 2012 at 5:11 PM
by Tina J Your comment made me realize that I may have left out a crucial part of the description of this position: The livability engineer(s) would be required to actually go out and experience the city. Every corner of it. Even the 'bad' parts. Even in 112 degree weather. It's the only way to avoid to abstraction of looking at plans and code in an office and really see the impact that planning (or lack thereof) has on residents. I've had a few acquaintances who were planners. They admitted they refused to go to some of the places they were responsible for. That's just wrong. And when I say the livability engineer should 'experience the city', I'm not just talking a quick driveby in the car. Actually get out of the car and spend an hour walking around and asking qualitative questions like: How easy is it to get around? Is it a pleasant experience? Would I want to live here?

Aug 29, 2012 at 1:33 PM
by Ban B I agree, and it is obvious that a lot of us are asking for something that is nothing out the ordinary. All we want is a city to be a real city, as it should be and not a bunch of small/large villages.

Aug 28, 2012 at 11:15 AM
by Will Novak Agreed! and I'd add, this position needs to be viewed as "higher" than transportation/traffic planners. For too long traffic planners have ruled PHX with an iron fist at the expense of transit, parks, density, etc. Time to change that.

Aug 27, 2012 at 11:26 PM
by Ben M8 Authority of this position would have to be pretty broad because it reaches so far beyond transportation. What little I know about the machinations of the City indicates that this position would have to have influence in zoning proceedings as well as other considerations that provide for quality-of-life elements, like whether and how to pay for and maintain abundant shading, transit oriented development decision, bike lane design and designation, yada. The major shift here is from traffic flow to livability... it takes more than just vehicle right-of-way to make a city a great place to live

Oct 11, 2012 at 2:19 PM

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