They have it all. The most exciting developments in Phoenix combine retail, restaurants and residential … and office, hotel, education, entertainment and community space — or at least several of these on the same parcel of land. And if you think these are all high-density vertical towers in the urban centers of our Valley … think again.
Like the Phoenix that rose out of the ashes, the City of Phoenix is rising again. Reinventing once-suburban areas of the City into true mixed-use destinations; locations people want to experience and where they want to gather. One example is our older, once-dynamic retail malls that are being rethought and redesigned. Areas like Park Central, Paradise Valley Mall and MetroCenter are becoming vibrant once again. These projects have a combination of residential, hotels, education, medical, retail and restaurants, and office space. A common theme for these projects includes signature outdoor amenities, with our P3 providing for connectivity in areas of walking, biking and parking.
As a City, these mixed-use opportunities are key to reimagining the future. Helping to influence quality developments brings us all to the table to create a vibrant, sustainable community by giving these old projects new life. These projects are helping to not only redevelop specific sites, but are revitalizing entire areas around them, helping to create the new Phoenix from our past.
In Business Magazine calls it “All Mixed-Up” for this month’s cover story, but mixed-use developments are actually exhaustively well planned. And the many developers and other real estate professionals who join me in sharing their insights and expertise help In Business Magazine editor RaeAnne Marsh in painting a clear picture of this exciting trend in real estate and economic development.
In this month’s feature “Navigating Murky Waters,” former NBA player and Hall of Fame motivational speaker Walter Bond examines successful leadership characteristics — taking cues from the unlikely comparison to sharks, as analyzed from an unexpected angle.
A topic often talked about is safety. Dr. Jake Mazulewicz offers practical steps to actually take good ideas from talk to action in Focus feature “Build a Culture of Safety & Human Reliability.”
Addressing a situation where even talk may be difficult, Sarah McDonald uses her own experience to share “How Can Business Leaders Show Up for Their Employees Who Get a Cancer Diagnosis” in this month’s Roundtable, a candid forum.
And of course, In Business Magazine’s annual support of Arizona Gives Day in collaboration with Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits + Arizona Grantmakers Forum — this March edition includes the 2023 Giving Guide to help businesses participate in the event on April 4.
Patents, investor opportunities with Phoenix IDA and Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation, using AI to maximize heart attack detection — which spans the two important business pillars of technology and healthcare — are part of this typically content-rich edition of In Business Magazine. I’m pleased to help bring you this March edition of In Business Magazine.
Sincerely,
Christine Mackay
Community and Economic Development Director
City of Phoenix
Christine Mackay has served the people of Phoenix since August 2014. She is responsible for leading and fostering an environment where businesses can create and retain jobs, make capital investment and reinvestment in the community, and connect our workforce to employers and training opportunities. During her tenure, the department has facilitated the creation of 84,000 jobs, with the average wage increasing from $36,000 in 2014 to more than $80,000 in 2022, and closed deals with nearly $50 billion in capital investment.
