How the restraints of the future should influence urban planning today.

Tomorrow is holding up quite a large sack of uncertainty. What will the price of gas be? How congested will our roads, or our air, become? Will any number of factors make long-distance commuting unthinkable? Will the planet’s ecosystem, under duress from unchecked sprawled growth, lead to a greater sensibility in design, density, and living styles?

How much better for our long-term survival as a species would urban-centric, high-technology, mass-transit population centers be? Look at the math: take an average high-rise condo building on one singular footprint vs. tearing down acres and acres of virgin desert. Put up a sprawling mass of 70-100 stucco tinkertoys to match the housing units of just one high-density building and the realization hits you like a mallet. Simply finding the cheapest buildable land anywhere near a highway was the mantra of the past. Or forget the highway: we’ll build today and hopefully a highway will come (look at what and where Johnson Ranch was when commenced or the west end of today’s Ahwatukee). But the roads aren’t getting bigger, the subdivisions continue their growth, yet city and state revenues are getting smaller. Where is the financing of new roads to be generated (does everyone remember the ghost bridges of the 101 dotting the landscape of the SRPM Indian Community after the construction demise of the 80’s)?. Or who is going to build that once-planned commercial center or take a chance on a retail strip mall when half the homes in these outlying areas of Phoenix could sit empty? Too many factors that supported urban sprawl are changing rapidly for the worse. Our air is turning brown, today’s long commutes were simply unimaginable just a few years ago, the price of gas continues its climb with no ceiling in view, and massive stucco mini-mansions dot the landscape sucking the life out of the desert and consuming electricity and water with an ever-increasing ferocity. Urban living in higher density buildings allows massive savings on energy consumption, mechanical systems, infrastructure costs, commuting times, accidents and bodily injury, and maintains our green environment. Market demands, and the more “individualized” nature of urban development, allow developers to explore new green and high-efficiency technologies, space-saving floorplans and storage designs, and aesthetically-forward buildings. Thoughtful, affordable, and sustainable urban building designs and planning must morph into a dominate influence on tomorrow’s living: or our planet will have much more to say on our myopia.

Profile: Lofts at Fillmore

Walking through the hallways of the Lofts at Fillmore you get the instant feeling that the residents here are friends. With its large front porch and the photos and messages that cover many of the units’ metal doors. The Lofts at Fillmore is a unique property in Phoenix. It is one of the few projects that converted a historic property into updated residential condos (unfortunately because most of these types of buildings have been demolished in Phoenix). Originally built as the Moeller Building, a hotel/apartment, in 1929, this building was converted to 18 condo units in 2000. Units on the 1st floor have stairs that lead into their basement bedrooms that provide a cool place to sleep (both temperature and aesthetically). The architect and developer of the Lofts at Fillmore didn’t try to hide the age and imperfections of this building. Instead, they made it a part of the building’s character and design element. Original exposed brick walls, exposed piping & ductwork, and more mix with its modern finishes.

project: Lofts at Fillmore
type: Condos
location: 387 N. 2nd Ave., Phoenix, AZ | SE corner of 2nd Ave. & Fillmore | map
price: High $200s +
unit size: 900-1600 sf
community size: 18 units
year built: Originally built in 1929 | Converted to condos in 2000
developer: Bill Mahoney
architect: Carl Bruckman
details & features: Each unit is unique | Gated | Detached single-car garage + car port | All units are 2-story | Some units have yards and balconies
neighborhood: In the heart of Downtown Phoenix | Next door to the Lincoln Family Downtown Phoenix YMCA | Walk to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market at Central and McKinley | Walk to Valley Metro Central Station | Walk to future light-rail stations | Walk to restaurants, galleries, entertainment, and more.