David Krietor has served as CEO of the newly-formed Downtown Phoenix, Inc. (“DPI”) since April 8, 2013. In that time, he has begun work with community stakeholders to develop the downtown we want. “Your Downtown” shares his thoughts and DPI’s progress with the downtown community and beyond. Read the other chats here.
What’s the go-to place when out-of-town politicos, like Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Elizabeth Warren, find themselves needing much larger space to hold their public events? Why, the Phoenix Convention Center, that’s where. It’s great to see our convention center recognized for “hitting its stride” in the world’s leading news and online resource for the trade show, exhibition, and event industry. Congratulations and thanks to Convention Center Director John Chan and his team for being a connected member of our downtown community.
Traveling from Tempe into Downtown Phoenix earlier this month I counted nine large construction cranes. A number of factors are contributing to this urban building boom. One of the most important is that more people – across the nation and around the globe – want to live, work, go to school, and play near public transportation. This makes passage of Proposition 104 in Phoenix critical to our future as a vibrant urban city. Click here to read a few more of my observations about Prop 104. Our mayor, Greg Stanton, weighs in on the matter in this Arizona Republic op-ed.
In this time of summer stay-cations, I now bring you other “-cations” on several different topics pertaining to our downtown…
Mayor Greg Stanton and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego tap a keg at the Real Wild & Woody Beer Festival.
CAFE-CATION (FOOD)
- Be: Coffee, Food + Stuff now open on Roosevelt Row
- Blended & frozen cocktails with Ross Simon of downtown’s Bitter & Twisted
- Details announced for 2016 Devoured Culinary Classic
- Downtown centennial Old Spaghetti Factory gets face-lift
- Hidden Track Bottle Shop now open in Downtown Phoenix
- June restaurant openings, closings in metro Phoenix
- Mother Bunch Brewery’s Holly Arguello pairs food, beer, pickling & pork belly
- Westin’s Downtown Phoenix restaurant gets new chef, menu, look
- Real, Wild & Woody Summer Beer Festival showcases best of Arizona brewing
- Roberto Dadone & Luca Dagliano open Forno 301 in Downtown Phoenix
- Starbucks price increase deters few Downtown Phoenix drinkers
MONET-CATION (ARTS & CULTURE)
- Bomba Lucha! merges Mexican wrestling with burlesque at Paz Cantina
- Get your comic on at Comicon
- McDowell Mountain Music Festival announces 2016 concert date
- Need a little urban respite from the great outdoors?
- New public art dedicated on Roosevelt Row
- Phoenix metro art institutions poised for change
- ”Phoenix Loves Sci-Fi” film event celebrates Arizona scenery in movies
- Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture awards over $800,000 in grants
- Rosemarie Dombrowski on Phoenix’s literary scene
- The Nash on Roosevelt Row sets jazz offerings for July
ESSAY-CATION (EDUCATION)
- ASU downtown academy mentors next generation of public service leaders
- ASU downtown camp helps high schoolers get hip to health
- ASU downtown group works to create community for Native American students
- Construction of ASU’s law school is expected to bring tax revenue & jobs
- Higher density housing key to downtown Logan (UT) revival
- In a place: former Post Office in Downtown Phoenix
- New ASU nursing degrees include holistic, community-health focuses
PURVEY-CATION (BUSINESS)
- Game CoLab gets new grant, seeks developers for next incubator program
- Inside Roosevelt Barber Shop, where old school meets modern
- Local tech firm, WebPT, makes employee health, fitness a priority
- The history of the YMCA in Downtown Phoenix
- Theranos, ASU team on Downtown Phoenix lab testing site, open to public
- Startup PHX challenge winner to relocate to Monroe Building
- Velo Bike Shop looks to build Downtown Phoenix cycling community
SURVEY-CATION (DEVELOPMENT)
- AIA Phoenix Metro holds “Make a Place” downtown design competition
- Christine Mackay takes bold steps for Phoenix’s economy
- Coyotes tell fans they want to stay at Gila River Arena
- $18.25M financing secured for development of Edison Midtown
- How economic developers plan to boost job growth in the new fiscal year
- New Downtown Phoenix arena could bring end to Coyotes’ bumpy desert road
- New RAPID bus service connects local commuters to Downtown Phoenix
- Once-hazardous South Phoenix lot opens to development
- Phoenix creates shade on Roosevelt Row with giant planters
- Recent sale of One North Central high rise a good sign for downtown Phoenix
- Shipping container developments make their home in Downtown Phoenix
ALLAY-CATION (ISSUES)
- Campus police say bike thefts dropped significantly in Spring semester
- Charities house displaced homeless from closure of CASS overflow shelter
- Congressional leaders urge U.S. Senate to help phoenix fight the FAA
- Downtown Phoenix security increased with Muslim holiday, liberal convention, and immigration protest
- Drinking from sprinklers, Phoenix homeless scrabble to survive heat wave
- 20 years after Srebrenica, Phoenix holds first ever ‘Walk to Remember’
IN CLOSING
DPI’s What’s Happening Guide for the week of July 20 to July 26 is hot off the presses. It’s an excellent recap of what’s happening in our downtown. You can review and download a copy by clicking here. And… you can find the “latest and greatest” listing of downtown events at our online events calendar and Facebook page. Have an event that should be promoted in the What’s Happening or online calendar? Submit it here.
