Last fall, students in a community building course partnered with Valley Forward (now Arizona Forward) to develop new ideas for vacant lots near Phoenix's light rail corridor. The same students presented their work to Arizona Forward this semester and the organization has decided to turn their suggestions into a white paper and toolkit.

The course instructor Dean Brennan helped teaching assistant Hannah Szabo and the students in the course to explore the cost and focus of vacant lot revitalization. School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning student Julia Kerran and School of Sustainability student Will Heasley presented the project’s results to the Arizona Forward committee.

“Temporary development creates a use for locations that can otherwise become a source of blight, filling in empty space and fostering creative ideas as well as promoting community activities,” explains Brennan, an ASU faculty associate and planning professional.