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Shorter Blocks in the Northwest Quadrant of Downtown
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Reviewed Ideas
Forwarded to PlanPHX Leadership Committee and appropriate city department

Look at a map or a satellite image of Downtown Phoenix, and one aspect of the area west of 1st Avenue and north of Van Buren quickly emerges: The blocks in this part of the city are abnormally long. The avenues run without interruption from Van Buren to Fillmore, a long distance of a quarter mile. Compare this to the street layout on the east side, where Taylor and Polk intersect numbered streets at 1/12 mile intervals.

The result is that the northeast quadrant of Downtown, despite vacant lots in some areas, has far more walk appeal than the northwest. In the avenues between Fillmore and Van Buren, long block lengths inhibit pedestrian travel, making distances seem longer than they actually are and making it difficult to explore the area or make mid-course corrections after a wrong turn.

I don't know the reasons for the long block lengths here. I assume there's an historic basis for them. Nevertheless, they create long empty expanses that few people want to walk through. The upside is that all the vacant land on those blocks may present an opportunity to fill in the street grid. In particular, it might be worth considering building Polk Street between 7th and 2nd avenues.

In those blocks, the alignment Polk would follow would be largely through vacant land and alleys. Last year's demolition of the Pappas School, although a sad event, may have removed the biggest obstacle to extending Polk through this area. Of course, any newly constructed blocks of Polk should be a complete street, with sidewalks, parallel parking, and form-based zoning to encourage pedestrian-scale development.

You'll seldom see me submitting ideas about building new roads, but in this section of Downtown, extending Polk might make the area better for all. See the link below for a map of the concept:

More Info:
http://goo.gl/maps/TAccI
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