The City of Peoria is the 9th largest city in Arizona, with its current overall population. The city continues to grow; in the year 2016-2017, there was an increase of 1.71%. With such growth, the city’s urban areas continue to expand to accommodate a more diverse population. During times of sustained growth, city developers, designers, and other officials are presented with a unique opportunity to incorporate elements of placemaking into all forms of strategic urban plans. Placemaking is a planning approach that aims to design and manage public spaces that capitalize on local community assets, promoting people’s health, happiness, and well-being. Critical aspects of placemaking include usage, access, image, and sociability. Using this multifaceted approach increases the likelihood that residents and visitors will connect more deeply, stay longer, or engage more actively with the community than they might in a city lacking identity or a sense of place.
For this project with Peoria, students in the JUS 305 Principles of Justice course developed a community-wide placemaking survey. The survey was distributed to Peoria residents to collect feedback on their sense of place in three significant public spaces in the city (referred to as Old Town, P83, and the Four Corners areas). Results were then analyzed, and recommendations were provided regarding entertainment, economics, and accessibility, with the end goal of assisting the City of Peoria in its future developmental endeavors. The student research aims to suggest improvements for public spaces to
serve Peoria’s residents and visitors better, as well as promote existing positive aspects of the city.