Land Use and Traffic Congestion is an investigation into the links among land use, travel behavior, and traffic congestion. Researchers focused on four transportation corridors in the Phoenix area: three older neighborhoods with relatively mixed, higher density land use, and one suburban area with lower density but high traffic volumes. The analysis suggested that the higher density corridors exhibited less congestion due to the greater mix of uses, shorter trip lengths, more travel by transit and non-motorized modes, and the presence of a secondary street grid system.

Artist Wayne Rainey’s Shade magazine is a good sign for the Maricopa region. The bi-monthly publication covers contemporary art and culture, supports downtown redevelopment efforts, and works with many institutions to encourage the arts. However, as promising as Shade and other inventive ventures are, the fact remains that the Maricopa metropolitan region is just waking up to the need to recognize and support arts and culture as a critical contributor to a knowledge economy.

At one time, arts and culture have intrinsic value, economic value, and value as tools to further an all-important “sense of place” as well as to aid in such areas as workforce development, education, and community revitalization. As a result, arts and culture both enrich residents’ lives and give places meaning, identity, and economic opportunity.

This report provides statistics and information that give a sense of local arts and culture resources and challenges in the areas of 1) performing, literary, and visual arts; 2) history and preservation; 3) science and nature; 4) landmarks and events.