An update of Tempe's general plan, containing the city's vision of what Tempe will look like in 2040 and how it will function as a community. The plan is guided by these principles: balanced land use; enhanced quality of life and preservation of neighborhood character; increased economic vitality; sustained mobility/greater accessibility; and sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The city of Phoenix Planning Department was asked to prepare a land use plan to identify goals and policies to guide development decisions for an area beyond the banks of the Salt River and to complement the Phoenix Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project (Rio Salado Project). In response, the Planning Department initiated a five-phase planning process to develop an area plan. The resulting plan builds on the community's vision of how the area will develop in the future and identifies the steps needed to make that vision a reality.