Many of you may remember Jon Talton.  Jon was a resident of Central Phoenix and a Columnist with the Arizona Republic for 7 years.  Jon has moved on to live in Seattle but is maintaining some ties to Phoenix and is actually authoring a Blog where he comments on both Phoenix and Seattle.  John will be contributing his thoughts on Phoenix a  couple of times a month here at www.downtownphoenixjournal.com .

Jon's Bio

Here is Jon's first article:

I moved from Phoenix to Seattle last August. In Phoenix I lived in the center city (in Midtown, where I had grown up), just like I did in every other city in which I have lived. I’m an urbanite. I get the creeps in the suburbs. So naturally, I’m in the downtown Seattle neighborhood of Belltown – formerly edgy, now gentrifying at jet speed. I love it. But it also brings up some thoughts for Phoenix.

First, some of the big amenities and assets I enjoy here.

--Everything is walkable. This is a pedestrian city. The world famous Pike Place Market is only a few blocks away. The shopping district, with Nordstrom, Macy’s, and hundreds of shops is a quarter mile away; it was magical during Christmas. One doesn’t need a car here. So when you hear people scream about Seattle traffic, I say, huh?

--Transit is easy, reliable and frequent, with a large bus system, a new streetcar linking downtown with the Lake Union biotech district, commuter trains and light rail coming in 2009. Even suburbanites have the choice to take transit and many do. Everybody here takes transit; it’s not just poor folks.

--Land use is smarter. Unlike Phoenix, Seattle doesn’t have block after block of empty land in its core. Historic buildings are rehabbed, not left empty or torn down.

--Private capital rules. There’s an amazing condo boom, even now – cranes all over the skyline. Also, hotels and offices keep rising. Major companies have their headquarters here. Safeco moved in from the University District last year. Amazon is moving to new offices in the Lake Union area adjacent to downtown. None of this is driven by the city or any governmental entity. It’s private investment, the bedrock of any successful downtown.

--Downtown is the hub. From offices to all modes of transportation (ferries, Amtrak, commuter trains, intercity, suburban and city buses) to arts and entertainment to high quality neighborhoods, it all converges downtown.

--Downtown is diverse, with everybody from executives and techies to the homeless living downtown.

But how to transplant these lessons to Phoenix, which not only lacks Seattle’s diverse, quality economy, but also has spent years decentralizing and clear-cutting its downtown? Phoenix faces some unique challenges. But one thing is clear: the region’s fate will suffer without a great center city. With it, Phoenix can attract urban talent and pioneer the living arrangements that the future will demand.

In future dispatches, I’ll touch on these opportunities, some of which won’t be a surprise to my old readers from the Arizona Republic. In general, Phoenix must find ways to concentrate assets downtown, attract private capital and jobs, and add quality of life, all the while working with its de-facto big enchilada: ASU. The biggest need is shade, grass and other natural cooling elements. It may seem counterintuitive in a desert, until you realize how human civilization has survived for centuries in such places: the oasis.

Read Jon’s blog at http://www.roguecolumnist.com