The Phoenix metropolitan area is known worldwide for the rapid and continuous expansion of its population, economy, and development of desert land. Even during recessionary periods, it has continued to grow. Leaders in other metropolitan areas envy this achievement and the many benefits it has created for Valley residents. But some members of our region, both leaders and lay people alike, consider the Valley’s phenomenal growth to be a mixed blessing. Indeed, they would say we are plagued by success. The purpose of this brief paper is to create a framework for discussion of how our region’s future growth can embody quality. It is not intended to be a comprehensive Morrison Institute for Public Policy treatment of the myriad issues of urban growth. Because of this paper’s brevity, some important details about growth are not included. Fortunately, detailed studies of the Valley’s growth have been done before (e.g., by Gruen Associates/Maricopa Association of Governments in 1975 and the Morrison Institute in 1988). Instead, this paper identifies key concepts and suggests questions to be used as a point of departure for steering a future course.

The reality of an aging nation has been discussed so much that the statistics no longer shock us. The figures, though, can still prompt us to marvel at the tremendous effect that more people living longer is having on our communities. Our goal now for metropolitan Phoenix is to implement the ideas behind Life Options in real time with real people. Demonstration sites are the next logical step, and pilot planning builds on the significant accomplishments of the Maricopa County Commission on Productive Aging. Between September 2002 and January 2003, this group of 71 community leaders studied how aging and retirement are changing and how new ideas about service, community spaces, and choices might be put into practice. The Commission’s energy and insights began an exciting process of change in metropolitan Phoenix and set the stage for this Life Options Initiative.

Fast Growth in Metropolitan Phoenix is the first product of a comprehensive effort to describe and analyze the region’s growth. The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy in Washington, D.C. presented the opportunity for this project to Morrison Institute for Public Policy. The story of growth in metropolitan Phoenix is a complicated, often surprising, tale. There is much to be proud of in the region. Yet there is also much to worry about, and much that needs to be done. Hits and Misses will have been successful if it becomes a catalyst for getting started.