Tempe at Dusk

[soleri]

Tempe is a suburb of Phoenix and home to Arizona State University. It has a population of 160,000. Around 20 years ago, it began to consciously lay the groundwork for an actual city in place of a sleepy bedroom community. Today, those plans are bearing spectacular fruit. In a state that celebrates uncontrolled sprawl, there are suddenly thousands of urban condos under construction or planned. Light rail will connect Tempe to the airport and downtown Phoenix (with its satellite ASU campus). The "Town Lake" (a dry riverbed was dammed then water pumped in) has proven to be a huge success. This urban amenity is the magnet for most of those new condos. Best of all, Tempe kept its historic downtown intact, allowing for a 24/7 pedestrian-scaled experience. So far, so good. But is Tempe in danger of becoming an overpriced playground for yuppies? Time will tell, but that's the kind of problem urban planners don't seem to mind.



New office construction


On the left, the Hayden Flour Mill, scheduled for redevelopment.



The pinkish building is Frank Lloyd Wright's Grady Gammage Auditorium, originally designed as the Grand Opera of Baghdad.


Centerpoint condo tower (22 towers). An adjacent 30 story tower is under construction and two more towers are planned there.




Corporate headquarters for US Airways. In the background, downtown Phoenix, about eight miles distant.


Another angle showing uptown Phoenix high rises.


The concrete ribbon at the bottom is light-rail, due to be finished late next year.


ASU is a architectural hodgepodge, mostly built since the 1960s. Vacant lot in front will be home to more high-rise condos.


The Orchid House, downtown Tempe's first mid-rise condo project.


Town Lake looking east. The project beyond is a suburban-style shopping complex, proof that old instincts don't simply die.






Sun Devil Stadium.


Joggers running up A Mountain (Hayden Butte). Looking west, the old Hayden flour mill, Town Lake, and in the background uptown Phoenix's string of high-rises.


Camelback Mountain in the background (and in front of it, the Papago buttes). Below, condos under construction beside Town Lake.


Sunset framed by the Estrella mountains.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Man, people thought the Orchid House was doomed to fail, but look at all the development that's spawned since it opened. Good stuff. Tempe sure as hell isn't the same place it was five years ago.

[Exiled_Boulderite]

I will be in Tempe in 3 days time. Can't wait.

[Evergrey]

nice pic of the mountain joggers

[peacefu603]

Beautiful place!

[IdaBoi]

I was in Tempe this past weekend visiting old college friends and noticed that this city is trying to obtain its own identity apart from Phoenix.

[Exiled_Boulderite]

It's been doing that for a while. Last time I was there it was small things like different styles of street signs but it's definitely distinct.

[Upward]

Thanks for the pictures. It's interesting to see how fast this area is changing.

Originally Posted by soleri

But is Tempe in danger of becoming an overpriced playground for yuppies? Time will tell, but that's the kind of problem urban planners don't seem to mind.

That's exactly what I worry will happen. When I was at ASU from 2001-2005, I watched as the area became more yuppified and increasingly priced beyond the means of ASU students. Tempe has always had college-town atmosphere, but that's what is being sacrificed for the upscale projects downtown.

[MarkDaMan]

I used to live in Tempe...I love what's happening to it now...You guys needs a streetcar line up Mill Avenue connecting with the light rail, than downtown will take off.

What are the height limits around the 30 story tower?

[innov8]

Thanks soleri for the story behind the photos I love Tempe...
I have fond memories of living there and the Valley of the Sun

[flar]

Interesting place. I've never really been to a place like this, everything is so new and "engineered" (in a descriptive sense, not pejorative)

[BG918]

I was there two months ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. I stayed in Scottsdale but found myself going to Tempe because it seemed more unique. Seemed like a lot of construction going on and Town Lake is a great amenity along with that huge mountain by ASU. Where I go to school in Norman and its close relationship with much larger Oklahoma City is similar to how Phoenix and Tempe seem to be combined but still separate. Like in Phoenix/Tempe I presume it can be difficult sometimes for what would be another suburb to keep its "college town" identity intact.

[oliveurban]

Good pictures. Nice to see a different, elevated view of the new Tempe Transit Center's construction site.

[JAHOPL]

Thanks for the pictures, soleri. It's exciting to see the buildings going up now and in the coming year in Tempe, my next door neighbor.

[excel]

cool place.

[sundevilgrad]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I used to live in Tempe...I love what's happening to it now...You guys needs a streetcar line up Mill Avenue connecting with the light rail, than downtown will take off.

What are the height limits around the 30 story tower?

I don't remember what the exact limits are, but the 30-story Centerpoint tower is slated to be ~343 ft. Anything in that height range (or higher) would have to be cleared by the FAA because of potential flight hazards for malfunctioning planes at Sky Harbor International airport.

[Sekkle]

Nice pics, Soleri. Thanks for posting.

[plinko]

So nice to see Tempe's $1Billion gamble 10 years ago paying off. Neil Giuliano really laid some wonderful groundwork for creating a sense of place for Tempe. I went to ASU from 94-99 and now DT Tempe feels like a vastly different environment. I still weep for the loss of Changing Hands though (only because it's now in a butt-ugly strip mall). I also still think the lite rail is routed entirely wrong through there...but that's just my opinion.

Nice pics.

[loftlovr]

Soleri-
Cool pics-
I love the one of the night joggers!

[Derek]

good work