Local property ownership, municipal policy, and sustainable urban development in Phoenix, AZ

Abstract

Sustainable urban development is increasingly associated with locally controlled economies. While ‘localist’ initiatives are usually addressed to energy, consumer goods, and capital, the efficacy of local property ownership for urban development outcomes is largely unexplored. This article investigates historical land ownership patterns in a downtown Phoenix, AZ, district ripe for infill property development. Findings indicate that local control over both developed and vacant properties has decreased significantly over the past twenty years despite a growing arts-based development initiative supported by locally embedded property owners. Concomitant studies of municipal, county, and state land development policies illuminate how localist ideals of community development are both supported and eroded by conflicting policy initiatives, producing similarly conflicting land use and development outcomes. This clash between use-inspired and exchange-oriented approaches to development enacts a larger ideological conflict that may increasingly emerge as local sustainable development is embraced in urban political economies.

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