In 2011, Drachman Institute contracted with the Arizona Department of Housing to develop a public education project about sustainable communities and transit-oriented development along the Metro Light Rail in Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa, Arizona. The resulting reports present neighborhood analyses and transit-oriented development issues for eight light rail stations selected by the Arizona Department of Housing and the Sustainable Communities Working Group, providing base information on the square half mile area surrounding these sites.

At a “micro” level, the study developed information and provided recommendations to assist each of the paratransit programs in the region to operate services in the most efficient and effective manner possible. At the “macro” level, the study considered alternative regional service designs and developed a regional service plan for the area that would improve mobility for people with disabilities and satisfy the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

With the agency integration of Valley Metro and Valley Metro Rail, the budgets for each agency are developed with a unified staffing plan but are maintained as two separate financial entities, with fund and project accounting to segregate revenues and expenses. Each Operating and Capital Budget has been prepared with the goal of delivering a fiscally prudent, balanced budget. FY 2006/2007 was the first full year of Proposition 400 Public Transportation Fund revenues; FY 2005/2006 reflected only five months of PTF revenues.

Pima County's Cienega Creek Natural Preserve surface water and groundwater monitoring project. This report summaries PAG's groundwater and surface water monitoring between July and June each fiscal/ monitoring year. The report contains monitoring methodology, comprehensive maps, and graphs of trends for surface flow volume, wet-dry flow lengths, groundwater levels and water chemistry. It also contains information on drought, erosion and repeat photography.

The historical advantages of Grand Avenue and the railroad that led to the development of the West Valley cities have become a detriment to the further development or redevelopment in the past few decades. There is general agreement that significant improvements are needed for the Grand Avenue Corridor. Identified transportation funds provide an opportunity to develop a more modern transportation corridor along Grand Avenue. This study addresses these concerns by developing, evaluating, and recommending transportation investment options.

The Committee selected the following environmental goal: A goal with the purpose of showing continued progress through 2018 by; 1) improving visibility to move days now in the poor/very poor categories up to the fair category, and 2) moving days classified as fair to the good/excellent categories. A progress
assessment will be conducted every 5 years through 2018. The members concluded that this option provides a clear, long term method to track visibility trends in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Additionally, the Committee reached general agreement that the index should not be used to affect short term actions because other programs, such as the High Pollution Advisory Program, are currently in place.

Conducted for the Pima County Flood Control District by the Pima Association of Governments in order to determine if stormflows on the Cienega Creek have changed over time when analyzed in terms of frequency, volume, and seasonallity. In a data search that extends back to the 1950s, they were able to determine the daily mean flow, the flows over base, and the annual peak flows of the Cienega Creek.