Flaneur's Diary: Master Planned Community
Driving along Union Hills Drive between 67th and 79th avenue, it is noticeable that the north side of the street is bordered with a concrete wall. Houses border the south side of the street, their front doors facing the street. The wall-protected north side of Union Hills Drive is the master planned community Arrowhead Ranch, specifically, Phase 1 and Phase 2. Before the master planned community was built, this area was a vast citrus grove. In the 1970s undocumented immigrant laborers went on strike to demand fairer wages and treatment conditions. They won the strike at that time, but since then, the groves have been paved to build the master planned community and businesses. There are still citrus trees that line some streets in the neighborhood as a reminder of what this area once was.
I began my flaneur’s journey in Arrowhead Ranch Phase 2, starting at 79th Avenue. Neighborhood roads vine off of 79th avenue and cul-de-sacs emerge off these roads. Concrete, pavement, and closed garage doors are the most obvious sights when driving along. I stopped in one cul-de-sac to walk down the street to the end. A man-made lake sat at the end of the cul-de-sac that stretched up along the community, separating the houses from the busy 101 Interstate highway. According to the Arrowhead Phase 2 Homeowners Association (HOA) website, the HOA owns and maintains 6 lakes that offer lake views to about 115 homes. These lakes are filled with effluent water and prohibit fishing, swimming, or boating. Their primary purpose is for drainage and stormwater runoff, irrigation, and effluent water storage. The maintenance of these lakes cost the HOA about $70,000 a year, HOA fees paid by the residents may go towards this expenditure.
There is a very subtle class difference in these communities. Viewing a satellite map shows that the western side of Phase 2 is likely for the lower classes of the Arrowhead Ranch residents. Houses do not line the lake as in the central and eastern side of Phase 2 and parts of Phase 1. Satellite images also reveal the higher density of the area with smaller houses, less land for each one, and not as many backyard pools. As I made my way up to Utopia Road and towards Arrowhead Phase 1, I could see the class difference in this master planned community. Houses are larger and the spaces between each house are more expansive as well. There are more varieties of trees and landscaping in this area. It was really living up to its street name, Utopia. Satellite images also revealed larger backyards with most homes having a pool.
Private golf courses spread through this area from the Arrowhead Country Club, a private club where membership dues must be paid to enjoy the green space that could easily be mistaken as public green space. I walked through Oasis Park in Arrowhead Phase 2 and Utopia Park in Arrowhead Phase 1. The parks had city signs and public space; however, the design of these parks in this neighborhood sends the message that outsiders are not welcome. The parks do not have any parking lots and very limited street parking. They also did not have bathrooms, this either assumes that park visitors live close by enough to use their home bathrooms, or they want to discourage homeless individuals from using their facilities. There was a ramada on a green space with a very clear sign that read “Private Property” belonging to the HOA neighborhood that one must be a resident of to enjoy this space.
Jon Talton examines the implications of master planned communities in his essay titled Phoenix 101: 'Master planned communities.’ His description of communities that leapfrog outside of the metro city and require long drives to shopping malls or work is not realized in the Arrowhead Ranch community that has a mall, many shopping centers, and business complexes. Twenty years ago these master planned communities may have seemed to be far away secluded communities, but since then the cities have grown outward and swallowed up these communities with shopping centers, restaurants, and business offices. Some master planned communities such as Vistancia, Maricopa, or Anthem are still far away lands, but the city may spread out into these areas in the next 20 or so years as well.
Much of Phoenix looks like a master planned community with walls that separate neighborhoods from streets and neighbors from each other. Talton describes these master planned neighborhood streets as a line of garage doors, with the front entry of the home tucked back out of view. Neighbors rarely see each other or interact. Was this created by design or by demand? Many people want their private home to be their own private space and turn off their social outlets once the garage door closes behind their car.
Talton brings up very real concerns, such as the rising summer temperatures that last far too long beyond the summer season and the sustainability of the water supply. The Phoenix population has been growing and master planned communities have become the architectural default to shelter this growth that follows an expansive, urban sprawl model. If the builders could incorporate more environmental sustainability and community partnership with the surrounding city, it may improve the relationship between master planned community and city.
