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The existing neighborhood revitalization organizations operating in and around the area have begun to have a positive effect on the crime and blight brought on by decades of neglect. The task of those organizations is profound and their work should continue to be supported and enhanced by the city of Phoenix, by the state, and by private enterprise.
The capacity of the neighborhood organizations must be expanded if their mission to revitalize the area is to succeed. As the largest landholder in the area, the state should be represented on the board of the Capitol Mall Association (CMA).
Tasks that the neighborhood organizations could undertake include the following:
- Pursue a formal working relationship with the city's Neighborhood Services Department to target programs and to eliminate conflicting city efforts.
- Align themselves with neighborhoods to the north and focus on redeveloping both sides of the Van Buren corridor.
-Advocate for enhanced public infrastructure, such as the greenway on 11th Avenue.
The neighborhood groups must concentrate their limited resources to areas where they can be effective or they run the risk of spreading their efforts too thin. Careful attention must be paid to public policies that are at cross purposes to the revitalization efforts, such as the busing and drop-off of winter homeless populations within blocks of the areas attempting to revitalize and attract new home ownership.
At some point in the future, an assessment district similar to the Downtown Phoenix Partnership could be formed to provide the same level of service as exists in downtown Phoenix. At this time, neither the state nor the CMA has the capacity to engage in such an effort. Before any assessment district can be formed, existing problems must be addressed and residential redevelopment must be well underway. Economic development will follow the initial groundwork when new businesses and residential development find the area attractive.