THOUGHTS ON PHOENIX
This week, I spent four days in Phoenix as part of a leadership delegation from Philadelphia. Our assignment was to swap best practices on how to manage city systems and urban growth. The occasion was that Phoenix recently surpassed Philadelphia to become the 5th most populous city in the country. While Philadelphia bleeds jobs and population, Phoenix is exploding, so much so that some of its largest suburbs are now more populous than such older northern cities as Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.
Everywhere I turned, it seemed there was evidence of the cause and effect of such dynamic growth. Most of the people I met were not originally from Phoenix, but rather had migrated from California (for lower cost of living) or the north (for the sun). We met with the mayor, who was kind and affable, and the city manager, who has literally won “City Manager of the Universe” awards. We also heard from prominent leaders in both the public and private sector, and no matter where we went, we heard the same things over and over again: Phoenix is growing, people are happy, and partisanship and unions haven’t reared their ugly head. Some examples:
* The city manager gave us an org chart of how the city was managed. His box was underneath the mayor’s and above his deputies and department heads. But above the mayor and the biggest box on the page was “public.” Here’s a city that understands, like any successful business, that if you want more customers (i.e. a growing population), you put them first and take care of them.
* Almost everyone we met with was quick to point out that Phoenix is a relatively young city (combating the stereotype that it’s a retirement place – more true in the suburbs), that they have plenty of water (they did infrastructure right fifty years ago and as a result have been able to properly manage the relatively small annual rainfall), and that sprawl is not an issue (population is concentrated around where water is available). While I remain skeptical, I did appreciate the consistency of message.
* Phoenix really took off as a city after World War II, once air conditioning became available in homes. So it’s really only about 50-60 years old. As the city manager pointed out, some parts of it are just now reaching middle-age. So it’ll be interesting to see what Phoenix looks like in 40-50 years, when more things are falling apart and ugly politics have had time to fester for awhile.
* That being said, the political landscape is remarkably tidy. Most elections are non-partisan, in that candidates don’t run under a particular party – in fact, most residents couldn’t tell you what party affiliation their councilperson is. While politics is a contact sport in Philadelphia, in Phoenix most residents are satisfied and most politicians are trustworthy. The city manager has been doing his thing for almost twenty years, and there’s still a twinkle in his eye and an urgency in his voice when he says he wants city management to get faster and better.
* Lest this blog be too pro-Phoenix and anti-Philadelphia, being in Phoenix made me realize how fortunate we are in Philadelphia. Their wide boulevards and relative downtown sprawl make walking around difficult, while Philadelphia is easily walkable. It is difficult to mix the desert lifestyle with an urban feel; Philadelphia, on the other hand, is buzzing at the street level with the best of downtown living. And Phoenix’s youth means it doesn’t have as many aches and pains, but Philadelphia alone can say it was the nation’s first capital and its birthplace.
I really felt like I was taking an executive education course on city planning, in that I learned so much about how cities work by seeing what Phoenix was doing and comparing it with what is going on in Philadelphia. I’m thankful for the invitation to go, and curious to see how these two cities evolve over time to manage their respective challenges and assets. And in 2015, when San Diego overtakes Philadelphia to become the nation’s 6th most populous city, I hope to be sent there!
This week, I spent four days in Phoenix as part of a leadership delegation from Philadelphia. Our assignment was to swap best practices on how to manage city systems and urban growth. The occasion was that Phoenix recently surpassed Philadelphia to become the 5th most populous city in the country. While Philadelphia bleeds jobs and population, Phoenix is exploding, so much so that some of its largest suburbs are now more populous than such older northern cities as Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.
Everywhere I turned, it seemed there was evidence of the cause and effect of such dynamic growth. Most of the people I met were not originally from Phoenix, but rather had migrated from California (for lower cost of living) or the north (for the sun). We met with the mayor, who was kind and affable, and the city manager, who has literally won “City Manager of the Universe” awards. We also heard from prominent leaders in both the public and private sector, and no matter where we went, we heard the same things over and over again: Phoenix is growing, people are happy, and partisanship and unions haven’t reared their ugly head. Some examples:
* The city manager gave us an org chart of how the city was managed. His box was underneath the mayor’s and above his deputies and department heads. But above the mayor and the biggest box on the page was “public.” Here’s a city that understands, like any successful business, that if you want more customers (i.e. a growing population), you put them first and take care of them.
* Almost everyone we met with was quick to point out that Phoenix is a relatively young city (combating the stereotype that it’s a retirement place – more true in the suburbs), that they have plenty of water (they did infrastructure right fifty years ago and as a result have been able to properly manage the relatively small annual rainfall), and that sprawl is not an issue (population is concentrated around where water is available). While I remain skeptical, I did appreciate the consistency of message.
* Phoenix really took off as a city after World War II, once air conditioning became available in homes. So it’s really only about 50-60 years old. As the city manager pointed out, some parts of it are just now reaching middle-age. So it’ll be interesting to see what Phoenix looks like in 40-50 years, when more things are falling apart and ugly politics have had time to fester for awhile.
* That being said, the political landscape is remarkably tidy. Most elections are non-partisan, in that candidates don’t run under a particular party – in fact, most residents couldn’t tell you what party affiliation their councilperson is. While politics is a contact sport in Philadelphia, in Phoenix most residents are satisfied and most politicians are trustworthy. The city manager has been doing his thing for almost twenty years, and there’s still a twinkle in his eye and an urgency in his voice when he says he wants city management to get faster and better.
* Lest this blog be too pro-Phoenix and anti-Philadelphia, being in Phoenix made me realize how fortunate we are in Philadelphia. Their wide boulevards and relative downtown sprawl make walking around difficult, while Philadelphia is easily walkable. It is difficult to mix the desert lifestyle with an urban feel; Philadelphia, on the other hand, is buzzing at the street level with the best of downtown living. And Phoenix’s youth means it doesn’t have as many aches and pains, but Philadelphia alone can say it was the nation’s first capital and its birthplace.
I really felt like I was taking an executive education course on city planning, in that I learned so much about how cities work by seeing what Phoenix was doing and comparing it with what is going on in Philadelphia. I’m thankful for the invitation to go, and curious to see how these two cities evolve over time to manage their respective challenges and assets. And in 2015, when San Diego overtakes Philadelphia to become the nation’s 6th most populous city, I hope to be sent there!
Comments