Through the camera lens: (1) The Valley is a massive place. (2) Downtown, however, has a feel of its own that
wins my heart. (3) Whether a midnight gaze upon the tallest building in Arizona or (4) a meeting with the
coolest and funkiest Mayor around. (5) It’s the cutest coffee shop in town and (6) a friendly visit to a used
bookstore. (7) It’s new light illuminating an older mural, (8) a wheat paste that was only up for one day
and (9) the first Phoenix Festival of the Arts. (Photos courtesy of Gabriel Radley)
As my peers prepare to journey home for the holidays, I find myself lucky enough to be able to kick my feet up on my desk and simply look out the window and see my home glow in the setting sun.
Over the last year and a half, I have learned more about this city than I thought possible.
Phoenix is not perfect, and it’s not for everyone, but for me it has become far more than simply a place to sleep and study.
Phoenix is my home now, for better or worse, and I think you should consider it as well.
The desert has always presented a challenge for residents, yet people have stuck with this plot of land. They have adapted and struggled to make a life here against the odds. Whether out of love, greed or sheer stubbornness, people persevered, and slowly a city was born.
This city has seen its ups and downs, but every time it has gone down, it has come back up. And right now, we are at the start of what is shaping up to be quite the upswing.
The Phoenix metropolitan area has spent a long time growing outward, but now we are seeing a flood of life and business back towards the center. People are returning to the Phoenix portion of Phoenix, and it is an exciting process to watch.
In the short time I have been here, I have seen a vacant lot turned into a plot of sunflowers, the rise of a boutique bow tie company and, most importantly, the birth of a community that not only wants Phoenix to succeed but is taking an active and vested interest in making the district blossom and grow.
This has much to do with the fact that these people are not inventors or philanthropists — they are residents, who through love and a strong sense of self-preservation are willing to truly fight for the good of the place they call home.
As Mayor Greg Stanton once said, “Phoenix is for fighters.” These words ring true today — as they have many times — while I watch my neighbors dive head-first into the fight against the proposed 16-pump Circle K. Their passion is infectious in all the right ways, and it is a perfect example of how a community can come together to fight for a cause.
To watch them battle is to learn what it means to truly support something, and to see that level of passion in action makes it hard not to feel the pain and joy at every development. Watching this saga unfurl provided the first level of commitment needed on my journey to calling Phoenix my home.
Phoenix is also for friends, and the camaraderie witnessed on a day-to-day basis inspires the kind of good will that is needed to develop any community. The friendly nature of the community is apparent not only in the witty banter taking place at any local business, but also in the way the neighborhood gathers around a friend in need.
The way people gathered to help repair Lawn Gnome Publishing’s backyard after an act of vandalism and theft shows the shared love and kinship of the people downtown; it’s this friendship that binds this small community together.
Most importantly, Phoenix is a family. A family made up of families, traditional and nontraditional alike. This family has been formed by bearing witness to and participating in the shaping of Phoenix. The shared experiences and memories create an environment that changes daily, and that environment creates a need for all manner of people to join the downtown family.
The inherent diversity, constant challenge and a need for people with passion make downtown an enticing place to live. The fighters, friends and family of Phoenix are what take it to the next level and make it a place I am proud to call home.
Gabriel Radley is a criminology and criminal justice sophomore at the College of Public Programs, vice president of Barrett Leadership and Service Team Downtown, founding member of the Student Residential College Advisory Board and an active member of ASU Downtown Alive!
