Introduction	Video Introduction to Capitol Mall Charrette by Arizona State Representative Tom Smith
Participants
Arizona Capitol and State District
Human Services for the Capitol District
Land Use Implementation and Regulation
Neighborhood Revitalization and Economic Development

The Arizona state capitol, built in 1898, is now surrounded by a variety of government buildings in an area known as the Capitol Mall. This area, currently defined by 7th Avenue on the east, 19th Avenue on the west, Van Buren to the north and the railroad tracks on the south, has been the subject of several planning efforts over the past several decades, from a 1957 master plan to a 1989 urban design plan that is now under revision. In spite of almost forty years of plans, visions, and ideas, the area has few of the elements that constitute either viable neighborhoods or pleasant work environments.

The Capitol Mall Charrette, a four-day design workshop and think tank, was held at ASU's Downtown Center and hosted by the Joint Urban Design Program of ASU's College of Architecture and Environmental Design. The core charrette team was joined by residents of the community, property owners, area employees, and service providers in an intensive effort to envision a new future for the Capitol Mall.

A central concern of the charrette participants was the 1996 Governmental Mall Urban Design Plan, a revision of the original urban design plan adopted by the Governmental Mall Commission in 1989. The 1996 plan is currently in draft form and is under revision by staffs of the city, county, and state planning departments. Many of the recommendations of this charrette are in response to the problems perceived in the current plan direction.