Amsterdam has 47 miles of canals. Venice 125. And Phoenix has … 181! Amsterdam and Venice are widely known and lauded for their stunning canal-oriented cityscapes, while Phoenix has largely turned its back on this tremendous asset. 

Canal beautification efforts have been improving the pathways alongside the canals for recreational purposes--with public art, benches, landscaping, and shade structures" but we have failed to leverage the opportunity to create special places alongside these pathways that combine live, work, and play. 

Canalscape envisions vital urban hubs where canals meet major streets, distributed throughout the Phoenix metropolitan region. Each hub will be unique, responding to the needs of surrounding neighborhoods, while forming part of the larger Canalscape network that adds significant value to quality of life in the Phoenix area. An antidote to urban sprawl, this mixed-use infill development will provide much needed places to gather by the water and contribute to urban and economic revitalization. Canalscape offers a sustainable and authentic desert urbanism that artfully intersperses metropolitan living throughout the majestic Sonoran landscape.