Phoenix, the sixth largest city in the U.S., has a growing population of 1.4 million and stretches more than 500 square miles. Scattered within the city are pockets of culture that are hidden upon first glance, waiting to be exposed.
PHXexposed, an organization created in May that centers on connecting community to culture, is ASU alumnus Keith Mulvin’s attempt at unearthing downtown Phoenix’s unique assets.
Mulvin graduated from ASU in 2009 with a degree in urban planning and now works at the Phoenix Public Market near the Downtown campus.
Mulvin said he hears people compare Phoenix to other metropolitan areas such as New York, Portland, Ore., and Chicago, griping that Phoenix lacks culture and diversity.
“What I want to explain is that Phoenix is not this destination or preconceived notion that downtown everything is right in front of you and in walking distance,” he said. “We are this ongoing experience. What I am trying to do is connect people to that journey.”
Encouraging community members to take that journey, Mulvin puts on a monthly raffle through PHXexposed, in which the winner gets a night on the town in downtown Phoenix. Participants sign up for the raffle at the Public Market, on Pierce street and Central avenue.
Local businesses donate items such as concert tickets or drinks for the raffle.
Mulvin, a native Arizonan, said he is part of the generation that has the opportunity to build Phoenix into a city that we can all be proud of.
Mulvin said he questions why more young people don’t move to Phoenix because he sees it as a blank slate.
“There is something really exciting about making the city your own, with the potential of being successful because the niche is not even tapped yet,” he said.
PHXexposed is a part of Mulvin’s larger project, The Phoenix Campaign, which incorporates what he calls the three tiers of sustainability: society, economy and environment.
While PHXexposed focuses on strengthening society by connecting local events and businesses to the community, the other components of The Phoenix Campaign — Shade and PHX[is]Moving — will emphasize the environmental and economic aspects of his plan. Mulvin said he plans to implement the economic and environmental portions of The Phoenix Campaign by the end of this year.
Phoenix is at a juncture where the city has been formed, but now community members are fine-tuning the aspects that make a city a community, said Jim McPherson, who assisted Mulvin in organizing his strategic plan for The Phoenix Campaign.
McPherson, an active member of the community, said he believes it is crucial for people like Mulvin to continue developing the downtown area to pull Phoenix out of the doldrums of the recession.
There is a resurgence or interest in urban living that has created a movement of revitalization downtown, said McPherson, adding that PHXexposed helps to enhance that movement.
From 2000 to 2006, there was a population increase of 14.5 percent in Phoenix, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“Having people like Keith who are energetic and dynamic and have a vision for what great cities are is an asset for our community,” said Arthur Lebowitz, another advocate for the development of the downtown community.
Lebowitz, director of adolescent learning at ASU Preparatory Academy, said he shares Mulvin’s views that making downtown a hub for human creativity and human capital will enrich the city.
Reach the reporter at lghuffer@asu.edu
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