We had a great Radiate Phoenix gathering at Turf Pub last night. As always it was a rich mixture of downtown residents, personalities and simply people who love the urban life. A few people we've been missing like Don Keuth and the boys from Make Phoenix Weird were there as well as many new faces.
After a bit of social time, Catrina Knoebl started things off by inviting urban activist, Yuri Artibise to talk a bit about Jane's Walk that is happening this weekend. Next we were introduced to Malissa Geer, our speaker for the evening.
Malissa Geer acts as a liaison between the ASU downtown campus and the community. I was immediately taken by her calm , yet strong presentation skills; Few adults have the speaking ease this young woman possesses. She clearly loves her role helping students acclimate to new surroundings and have a great social and academic experience. This is no easy task as she juggles the needs/wants of students, ASU, the downtown business community, City of Phoenix players, residents and more. She may get a job with Cirque du Soleil after this experience.
A few items of note we came away with included:
- The downtown Phoenix Campus at ASU wants to be a part of the downtown experience at a core level.
- Incredible opportunities exist for collaboration on events, services and more.
- Approximately 5400 students attend classes downtown and this number is expected to rise to the 20,000 range by 2015.
- 1300 faculty and staff currently work downtown. this will rise over time as well.
- Upon completion, the Taylor Street Dorms will house 1250 students.
- The School of Criminology is, in large part, moving from Glendale to downtown Phoenix. Several thousand students will be part of this program.
- Students play a large role in the staffing of many downtown businesses including the Sheraton.
- The ASU College of Nursing provides a variety of services available to the community and often at lower costs. Contact them to learn more.
Many of us know ASU had a lot of interplay with the community, but not not at the levels discussed. It is very exciting for the downtown community and holds great rewards for the future.
The evening ended with lots of people enjoying the digs at Turf, an Irish Pub and Restaurant on 1st Street. Many of us grabbed a bit to eat and the food was very tasty. I tried their "Paddy Melt" while others treated themselves on more traditional Irish fare. Naturally, I pulled out a pack of cards and did some close-up magic for the gang... I don't think they'd let me come if I didn't.
All in all, another great time was had. Thanks go to Catrina, Claudia and the staff at Turf for making Phoenix a better place to live.
Gene Urban
The UrbanTeam at Realty Executives
602-234-5777
P.S. Downtown Phoenix presents unique opportunities to people looking to buy rental properties. ASU's growth in the region suggests rental housing will be in demand. Let us know if you'd like to explore this thought.
