The North Sonoran Collaborative
SESSION SERIES

Since 1994, an interdisciplinary group of Phoenix city staff, and Arizona State University faculty, State of Arizona staff, and people form other local private organizations and government agencies have been collaborating on a variety of planning activities. Called the North Sonoran Collaborative, the focus of this collaboration has been on the northern, largely undeveloped portion of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. This area has been the subject of much public debate as Phoenix tries to balance the increasing pressure for development in the area and the increasing community commitment to preserve and protect the desert and lifestyle of north Phoenix. Unfortunately, prior to the work of the collabortive little information was available on the general ecology of the area or site specific analysis of resources. The Collaborative was specifically formed to try and fill this gap betweem knowledge of the area ecology and desired to develop or preserve the area. To date the collaborative's work has greatly influenced city plans and policy.

This series of papers discusses this unique approach to planning and specific projects of Collaborative members.

• A Collaborative Approach to Planning W.Brady, J.Burke, J.Ewan, R.Fish-Ewan, W.Miller, R.Quay, and F.Steiner

• Sonoran Desert Preservation: An Open Space Plan for the City of Phoenix, Arizona James P. Burke and Joseph M. Ewan

• Desert Preserve Acquisition Strategic Analysis Ray Quay

• Desert Character Overlay Zoning District Terry Newton

• Phoenix North Black Canyon Corridor Plan: Building on Planning Foundations Jim Mathien