The COVID-19 pandemic carries many implications that are resulting in substantial shifts in the way people work, live, and socialize. Interest in the effects of the pandemic on residential mobility and discussions about the short- and long-term impacts on housing preferences have grown. Recent studies have explored the pandemic’s implications for the housing market. Yet, little is known about how COVID-19 is changing people’s housing needs and residential choices.This research narrows the gap in the literature by exploring changing housing preferences in the Phoenix metro area (PMA) among Millennials (i.e., those born between 1981 and 1996; Pew Research Center, 2019). The study uses data from (i) one- on-one interviews with Millennials and other generations, planners, and real estate agents, (ii) the U.S. Census, (iii) Zillow, and (iv) scholarly publications and regional media to investigate the push and pull factors shaping emerging Millennial housing trends in the PMA. This study also investigates the implications of Millennials’ changing residential choices on the PMA housing market, with special attention to impacts on social equity. The findings suggest that the pandemic has made Millennials reevaluate their residential choices. While this generation's locational housing preferences were strongly motivated by proximity-related factors (Ehlenz et al., 2020; Pfeiffer et al., 2019), telecommuting and online learning resulted in Millennials’ mobility to smaller cities, suburban neighborhoods, and areas far away from jobs and schools. This research also finds that Millennials are becoming more interested in privacy, flexibility in housing, and larger homes that include work and outdoor spaces. Finally, the study reveals concerns about the increasing risk of eviction because of the business shutdowns and employment losses caused by the ongoing health crisis. Overall, this research suggests that planners and decisionmakers should rethink PMA urban growth policies to avoid continued suburbanization and social justice challenges, such as eviction and foreclosures. It also highlights the positive outcomes of flexible housing as an effective tool for community development. The findings suggest that planners and developers should integrate considerations of generational diversity into housing practice and theory.

The research presented here aims to explore the perceived Quality of Life (QoL) and perceived accessibility among varying demographic and socioeconomic groups in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. A relationship between perceived QoL and perceived accessibility was further investigated. The data was collected through the Phoenix Area Social Survey (PASS), which sent randomized surveys to 496 people in the Phoenix region. The survey’s response rate varied, from a low of 22.2% in one of the lowest-income neighborhoods and a high of 55.6% for a middle-income neighborhood. Results were obtained through statistical analyses, such as correlations, chi-squared tests, and t-tests. Results for income, gender and ethnicity indicated similar and comparable perceived QoL and perceived accessibility in the Phoenix area. The data did not reveal a relationship between perceived QoL and perceived accessibility; however, accessibility did increase with increasing income. A striking finding revolved around disparities in access to walkability and transit across all income, genders and ethnicities. This presents implications for built environment and resource allocation planning in order to enhance the lives of residents in the Valley. Future research and investigation into the objective indicators of QoL and impacts of culture on QoL should be pursued.

This thesis explores the role and meaning of community in the community land trust (CLT) model, and uses a single embedded case study to examine the mission, organizational structure, and governance model of Newtown CDC, a CLT based in Phoenix, Arizona. The thesis seeks to answer the questions, “What does community participation and empowerment mean to Newtown CDC”, and “how does the organization satisfy the competing needs of community participation and affordable housing production?” Historical documents of Newtown CDC, interviews with CLT staff, board members, and national policy representatives, as well as a survey of current and former CLT residents, reveal the perceived meaning and role of community, its evolution, and successes and failures in engaging the community. The data finds that a change in political and cultural dynamics has contributed to more resources focused on developing affordable housing, and less focus on community engagement. CLTs have adapted to this change, and the role and execution of community engagement has also evolved.

Urban planning in the neoliberal era is marred by a lack of public engagement with urban inhabitants. Henri Lefebvre’s ‘right to the city’ theory is often treated as a way to empower disenfranchised urban inhabitants who are lacking control over the urban spaces they occupy. Though the right to the city has seen a resurgence in recent literature, we still lack a deep understanding of how right to the city movements work in practice, and what the process looks like through the lens of the everyday urban inhabitant. This dissertation seeks to fill these gaps by examining: 1) how a minority-led grassroots movement activates their right to the city in the face of an incoming light rail extension project in South Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and 2) how their right to the city movement demonstrates the possibility of urban society beyond the current control of neoliberalism. Through the use of participant observation, interviews, and media analysis, this case reveals the methods and tactics used by the group to activate their right to the city, the intra-and inter-group dynamics in the case, and the challenges that ultimately lead to the group’s demise.Tactics used by the group included protesting, organizing against city council, and creating a ballot initiative. Intra-group dynamics were often marred by conflicts over leadership and the acceptance of outside help, while inter-group conflicts erupted between the group, politicians, and pro-light rail supporters. The primary challenge to the group’s right to the city movement included neoliberal appropriation by local politicians and outside political group. By possessing limited experience, knowledge, and resources in conducting a right to the city movement, the grassroots group in this case was left asking for help from neoliberal supporters who used their funding as a way to appropriate the urban inhabitant’s movement. Findings indicate positive possibilities of a future urban society outside of neoliberalism through autogestion, and provide areas where urban planners can improve upon the right to the city. If urban planners seek out and nurture instances of the right to the city, urban inhabitants will have greater control over planning projects that effect their neighborhoods.

Arizona’s population has been increasing quickly in recent decades and is expected to rise an additional 40%-80% by 2050. In response, the total annual energy demand would increase by an additional 30-60 TWh (terawatt-hours). Development of solar photovoltaic (PV) can sustainably contribute to meet this growing energy demand.

This dissertation focuses on solar PV development at three different spatial planning levels: the state level (state of Arizona); the metropolitan level (Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area); and the city level. At the State level, this thesis answers how much suitable land is available for utility-scale PV development and how future land cover changes may affect the availability of this land. Less than two percent of Arizona's land is considered Excellent for PV development, most of which is private or state trust land. If this suitable land is not set-aside, Arizona would then have to depend on less suitable lands, look for multi-purpose land use options and distributed PV deployments to meet its future energy need.

At the Metropolitan Level, ‘agrivoltaic’ system development is proposed within Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area. The study finds that private agricultural lands in the APS (Arizona Public Service) service territory can generate 3.4 times the current total energy requirements of the MSA. Most of the agricultural land lies within 1 mile of the 230 and 500 kV transmission lines. Analysis shows that about 50% of the agricultural land sales would have made up for the price of the sale within 2 years with agrivoltaic systems.

At the City Level, the relationship between rooftop PV development and demographic variables is analyzed. The relationship of solar PV installation with household income and unemployment rate remain consistent in cities of Phoenix and Tucson while it varies with other demographic parameters. Household income and owner occupancy shows very strong correlations with PV installation in most cities. A consistent spatial pattern of rooftop PV development based on demographic variables is difficult to discern.

Analysis of solar PV development at three different planning levels would help in proposing future policies for both large scale and rooftop solar PV in the state of Arizona.