To preserve healthy, vibrant, diverse and safe neighborhoods that enhance the quality of life for all Phoenix residents through neighborhood vitality, by providing a range of housing opportunities and choices, supporting quality parks and open space, and enriching its populace with a strong art and culture infrastructure, and an accessible and quality library system.
Priorities
Support neighborhood vitality through strong partnerships, collaborations and by leveraging resources.
In order to preserve healthy, vibrant, diverse and safe neighborhoods, the city must support neighborhood self-reliance and enhance the quality of life for all residents through community-based problem solving, neighborhood-oriented services and public/private cooperation.
Strategies
- Encourage and continue to enforce compliance with city ordinances to prevent blight, address graffiti, illegal activities (dumping, signage and businesses) and deterioration in order to ensure a quality community.
- Strengthen the capacity of neighborhood organizations, volunteers, businesses, nonprofit, and faith based organizations to assist in addressing neighborhood issues effectively in partnership with the city to make Phoenix an attractive place to live and work.
- Focus revitalization efforts in a manner that maximizes private and public resources to the greatest extent possible.
- Enhance the physical and economic environment of principally low- to moderate-income neighborhoods citywide, including continued strategic revitalization through the various programs and services supported and funded through federal, local and private resources.
- Ensure that new development in or adjacent to neighborhoods is compatible and promotes adaptive reuse of vacant and underutilized buildings and structures.
- Promote aggressive and appropriate neighborhood infill development to improve Phoenix neighborhoods, reduce decay and take advantage of opportunities to maintain healthy communities.
Provide a diverse range of housing opportunities and choices to Phoenix residents.
Promoting diversified housing opportunities enriches the quality of life for all Phoenix residents, including low- to moderate-income families, seniors, persons with disabilities and the homeless. Providing a range of housing opportunities allows the City to continue to preserve healthy, vibrant, diverse and safe neighborhoods.
Strategies
- Support strong housing development by designing all housing units, subdivisions and site plans in a quality manner to promote health, safety, functionality, attractiveness and sustainability.
- Increase homeownership opportunities to help stabilize neighborhoods.
- Promote and increase the availability of decent, safe, and affordable housing and expand the supply of assisted housing choices.
- Encourage the development of special needs housing and supportive services for persons with disabilities, seniors, homeless and those with special needs. Work with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to promote and participate in a regional continuum of care system that will effectively transition persons who are homeless to appropriate permanent housing.
- Provide quality, affordable rental housing opportunities through the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing properties and construction of new rental units that focus on undergoing revitalization, receiving rehabilitation (federal and/or grant funding) benefiting low- and moderate-income households in collaboration with external partners.
- Support and ensure equal opportunity and fair housing by prohibiting unlawful discrimination in housing by addressing and reducing impediments.
Ensure Phoenix residents have quality parks and open space.
Partner with the community to provide a parks and recreation system that meets the needs of Phoenix residents and visitors that is convenient, accessible, and diverse in programs, locations and facilities.
Strategies
- Support healthy communities by providing clean, safe and accessible parks and recreational facilities that meet the needs of Phoenix neighborhoods and incorporate sustainable design standards with available resources.
- Support diverse and accessible educational and life enrichment activities that embrace art, dance, music, culture, fitness, nutrition, sports and out-of-school time as a foundation for recreational activities offered at parks and park facilities.
- Create a network of shared-use trails and pathways that are safe, convenient and connected within and between preserves and parks.
- Protect natural and open spaces, such as mountain and desert preserves, in order to preserve the environment and provide recreational opportunities for Phoenix residents and visitors.
Promote a strong arts and culture infrastructure.
Continue to partner with the community to provide strong arts and culture facilities and programs to create a more beautiful and vibrant city which contributes to a better quality of life.
Strategies
- Enrich and infuse arts and culture into all aspects of Phoenix’s life by integrating arts and culture into neighborhoods citywide and public art into planning and development of Phoenix’s infrastructure.
- Generate public and private support and resources to strengthen, expand and stabilize funding for the arts.
Provide accessible and quality library systems to Phoenix residents.
Partner with the community to provide a Library system that meets the needs of residents and visitors and is accessible, convenient, and diverse in locations, programs and facilities.
Strategies
- Develop and maintain a system of public libraries with sufficient technology, materials, hours and staff to meet each community's needs.
- Design, build and maintain signature facilities that are accessible to all residents.
- Continue an aggressive plan of library development, expanding and/or renovating existing facilities and building new ones to meet residents’ needs.
- Enhance library technology to provide greater access to the internet and electronic resources for library users.
