Follow the Cheerleader

It seems as though downtown Phoenix is finally taking shape as the vibrant place that the fifth-largest metropolis in the U.S. warrants. (Credit the long-entrenched arts community and local, independent businesses for fighting the good fight.) It even seems that, despite a few hiccups here and there, the civic leadership is close to understanding that a walkable, lively downtown won't happen by merely dumping prefab malls-in-disguise into the urban core.

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• Phoenix (Arizona)
• Phil Gordon
• Visual Arts
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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Balancing it all and trying to keep things in perspective is Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who will report on the city's swiftly rising circus during his State of Downtown Address. While essentially a cheerleading session for all of the buzz, Gordon’s talk is probably needed to counter the dunderheaded naysayers who opine online about the downtown they used to know and were scared of a million years ago.