PhxCAN: An Equitable Approach to Transforming Walking, Biking, and Rolling

​This fall, Pinnacle Prevention is proud to have joined the consultant team (including tremendous partners at Nelson \ Nygaard and Alta Planning and Design) to work with the City of Phoenix Streets Transportation Department on the Phoenix Connected Active Neighborhoods (PhxCAN) project.
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PhxCAN started in 2023 as a community-focused approach to improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in each of Phoenix’s 15 urban villages. PhxCAN builds on the City’s existing Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Road Safety Action Plan, approved by council in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Year 1 of the PhxCAN project took the effort to Phoenix’s Central City and South Mountain villages. This year, the team has been engaging with residents in Maryvale and Alhambra. Alhambra’s boundaries include 7th street to the east and 43rd avenue to the west, between the Grand Canal and Northen Avenue. Maryvale spans broadly from Grand Ave. to the east past 99th avenue to the west, between the I-10 and Camelback Rd.

According to Smart Growth America’s bi-annual report, Dangerous by Design, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metropolitan area saw 754 pedestrian fatalities between 2018-2022, up from 549 between 2013-2017. While PhxCAN alone won’t reverse the disheartening trend of ever-increasing pedestrian injury and deaths, it takes an equity-based approach, prioritizing early outreach and infrastructure improvement efforts in Phoenix neighborhoods with a higher prevalence and rate of pedestrian and bicyclist related injuries and fatalities.
Informed by community feedback, Year 1 infrastructure projects are in the final stages of being selected and the City will work to accelerate progress on getting them designed and constructed.
During the PhxCAN outreach process, community connectors are hired in each Phoenix village to help support engagement strategy and implementation. In the past two months, Alhambra and Maryvale community connectors have been joining the project team to talk to residents at YMCA’s, libraries, community centers, and community events. Additional community members have also joined the community connectors to participate in walk-audits in both urban villages (see photos below).​

Community Walk Audit on 27th Avenue (Alhambra Village)
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Pedestrians, Bicyclist, and Snack cart share a narrow sidewalk along 27th Avenue
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Better infrastructure, More Joy next to Rehoboth Housing Community 
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Next Steps: We need your help! Do you live or work in the Alhambra or Maryvale areas? Do you know folks that do? Please spend a few minutes to take or share the Alhambra and Maryvale Village Survey so we can ensure robust public input throughout the process:
English Survey
Spanish Survey
Interactive Mapping Activity