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Local First Arizona’s For(u)m returns for 2017 with revamped memberships, programming, and an ever-expanding commitment to a responsible built environment in the Valley.
Taco Guild, example of adaptive reuse.
For(u)m launched in March of 2016 with the mission of promoting the growth of civic engagement and pride around thoughtful, sustainable, walkable, and inclusive infill development in the Phoenix metro area, with a particular focus on the Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa urban cores. Since it’s founding, For(u)m has since built a framework around which the building industry networks within itself, connects to the massive small-business pool of Local First Arizona, and advocates for policy within city government.
“Much of our work to this point has been focused on the education component,” says For(u)m program director Connor Descheemaker. “For 2017, we’re looking to refocus on what our members have expressed as our organizational strengths: connections to our local business network for potential tenants, and a solidarity network to make development of this type more streamlined.”
Remaining focused on infill and adaptive reuse development, For(u)m is bridging what it sees as gaps within the current development industry—connecting local businesses to local developers, and local developers to local subcontractors. Current real-estate opportunities from For(u)m members will be on rotating display, and the projects of developers will be shown off as best-practices.
“We want to find cool local businesses that we can grow with,” says Kevin Rille of KLMN Properties of finding tenants for his latest project, Roland’s Market in Eastlake Park near downtown Phoenix.
Expanding on its education component from 2016 that highlighted topics ranging from financing creative development to teardown culture, For(u)m’s 2017 spring programming connects with new organizational partners to offer a new suite of workshops, tours, networking events, and more. All events are $10 to attend and are free for members of Local First Arizona’s For(u)m initiative.
Schedule of events:
Cultivating Temporary Use
Thursday, February 16, 2017, 4:00pm 5:30pm
The Ro2 Lot, NE Corner of 2nd St. & Roosevelt St. in Phoenix
Part of Phoenix Urban Design Week, For(u)m gathers the policymakers and practitioners behind projects such as Valley of the Sunflowers, Agave Farms, and PHX Renews to discuss how exactly such activations happen, at an evolving example of this practice, the Ro2 Lot. Registration and details are available here.
West Camelback Development Bus Tour
Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 3:00pm 6:00pm
Camelback Rd. & 3rd Ave. in Phoenix
For(u)m partners with the City of Phoenix and LISC to present a tour of success and opportunity–showcasing recent housing, commercial, and nonprofit developments, as well as sites primed for investment in the West Camelback Rd corridor. Already lined with light rail, the area is populated by a diverse set of locally-owned businesses, from The Newton and a series of new developments from Venue Projects, the unique Urban 188 apartment rehab, the IRC aquaponics hub, and a core of refugee- and Vietnamese-owned businesses that have long occupied the area. Tickets and information will be posted to localfirstaz.com.
Repositioning Modernism Through Sustainability & High Design
Monday, March 27, 2017, 6:00pm 8:00pm
Location TBA, Phoenix
In concert with AIA Phoenix Metro as part of our annual modernist celebration, Modern Phoenix Week, For(u)m is proud to share the stories of those at the vanguard of this movement. The panel gathers representatives from Upward Projects, 180 degrees design + build, and Allen + Phillip to discuss the modernist renaissance in the Valley, and how it relates to sustainability and reuse. Registration and details are available here.
Commercial Tenant Selection
Tuesday, April 18, 2017, 6:00pm 8:00pm
Location TBA, Phoenix
For(u)m gathers in an in-progress adaptive reuse project in a transitional neighborhood to discuss how developers select the right tenants for the right projects, and build new anchors to their neighborhoods. Tickets and information will be posted to localfirstaz.com.
Overlay & Character Area Development
Tuesday, May 23, 2017, 6:00pm 8:00pm
Location TBA, Mesa
For(u)m heads to burgeoning downtown Mesa, sitting at its own edge of cultural redevelopment, to discuss character areas and overlay districts, something that has proved vital to that city’s own ongoing transformation. Tickets and information will be posted to localfirstaz.com.
Subcontractors & Localized Supply Chains
Thursday, June 15, 2017, 6:00pm 8:00pm
Location TBA
For(u)m combines forces with Local First Arizona’s business coalition to discuss subcontracting with a hybrid networking event dedicated to building a hyperlocal supply chain for development. Tickets and information will be posted to localfirstaz.com.
Images courtesy of Local First Arizona.
