Desert Visions and the Making of Phoenix, 1860-2009

Contents

vii Contents tables xi figures xii acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Part I The First Desert Vision: An American Eden 9 1 Civilizing the Desert: The Initial Phase 11 Physical Realities and Early Settlement 11 The Town That Agriculture Built 16 Building a Town 20 Establishing the Public City 27 Building a Hydraulic System: Controlling and Using Water 29 Climate and Health 33 2 Building the Modern City: Physical Form and Function 37 Phoenix in an Urban Context, 1890–1920 38 The Changing Urban Form 42 The Changing Urban Form I: Downtown 42 The Changing Urban Form II: From Streetcar Suburbs to Automobile Suburbs 48 Remaking or Saving the Desert 52 3 Shaping the Modern American City: Social Construction 57 Making a Moral City 57 Making a Cultured City 61 A Lively City 65 Social Structures and Diverse Peoples 68 Governing the City 71 Selling the City 76 Crisis and Completion: The 1930s 79 Controlling the Climate 83 The Phoenix Economic Elite 85 Phoenix in 1940 88 viii Contents Part II Creating and Pursuing a New Vision, 1940–60 93 4 Creating a New Vision: The War and After 95 How the Military Reshaped Phoenix 95 Building an Aviation Industry 97 The Expansion of Military Aviation 99 The Military and Phoenix Politics 103 Postwar Trials and Shaping a New Vision 105 The Growth of Tourism 106 Migration and Health 109 Overcoming Climate and Distance 112 Planning the Future 115 Phoenix Leaders and a New Vision 118 Conclusion 121 5 Building a New Politics 125 Political Conflict 126 From Charter Reform to Charter Government 129 The Nature and Success of Charter Government 134 Political Debates and City Services 138 Managing and Planning for a Growing City 141 The Top Job: Water 143 Getting Around the City 146 Growth and Other Services 149 6 Growing the City: Economic, Cultural, and Spatial Expansion 153 Growth of the Postwar Economy 154 Planning for Manufacturing 156 High-Tech Firms and a Changing Economy 160 Shaping Identities: Western and Outdoor Cultures 164 “High Culture” and the Arts 167 Growth and Annexation 171 A Dramatically Different Place 180 Contents ix Part III Elaborating and Modifying the High-Tech Suburban Vision 183 7 From Houses to Communities: Suburban Growth in the Postwar Metropolis, 1945–1980 187 Building Homes 190 Houses for a Growing Population 190 Phoenix Builders and the Home Building Industry 192 Building Homes in Phoenix 196 The Structure and Size of Phoenix Homes 201 Building Affordable Housing 203 Building Communities 206 The Shift to Community Building 207 New Approaches to Residence: Retirement Communities 210 “New Towns” 215 Planned Communities 217 From Agricultural Satellites to Supersuburbs 221 Shopping for Community 225 Conclusion 227 8 Political Change and Changing Policies in the 1960s and 1970s 231 Charter Government and Politics of the Center 232 Charter Government as a Liberal Movement 235 A Conservative Turn and Charter Government’s Demise 240 Taxes and Revenues 243 The Politics of City Services 248 Civil Rights, Poverty, and City Politics 253 Mexican American Political Activism 259 x Contents 9 Changing the Urban Form: The Politics of Place and Space 265 The Politics of Housing 266 The Politics of Place and Space: Downtown 269 The Politics of Place and Space: Older Neighborhoods 273 Planning, Land Use, and Sprawl 276 Planning to Live in the Desert 279 Planning and the Urban Village 287 The Growth Crisis 289 10 An Uncertain Future: Looking for a New Vision 295 Creating a New Economic Vision 298 Prelude: A Maturing Economy, 1960–1980 298 Continuing Economic Strengths after 1980 300 Rising Economic Problems 302 The Collapse of High Tech 305 A Building and Financial Crisis 308 Planning and Responses to Economic Challenge 311 Creating a New Political Vision 314 Leadership and a New Politics 314 Representing Citizens and Governing the City 320 A New Urban Vision 324 Building the City: The Downtown Era 324 The Reemerging Role for Culture and the Arts 328 Sports, Politics, and Identity 331 Envisioning “Neighborhoods That Work” 335 Population and Communities: Growth in the Desert 337 A Hispanic City? 337 A Growing City 339 Communities and Community 344 Living Together in a Desert: Metropolitan Issues 350 Fighting over Growth 357 Conclusion Desert Vision, Desert City 361 notes 367 index 445 ...