BizECONOMY
continued from page 87 and “all the stuff that matters to companies and people” are all crucial. “This is our future and we have to plan well,” Hammond said. ASU President Michael Crow has shared the vision of the Sun Corridor with regional business and community leaders over the past several years. “The Sun Corridor illustrates the vast potential for diversifying and accelerating our state’s economy,” Crow said. “Investing in regional economic cooperation efforts, such as the Sun Corridor, establishes an economic base and helps build a skilled workforce. It also has a ripple effect. “All regions are interconnected by trade, infrastructure and movement of goods. What is good for the Sun Corridor is good for all of Arizona.” He also said the importance of Mexico as a neighbor cannot be overestimated. “Mexico is one of our largest trading partners, and its growing economic power and strength make it more important than ever,” Crow said. “We
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need to maximize our strong trade relations with our neighbor so that we share in that growth.” ASU’s Morrison Institute helped lead the way with its 2008 report – one of the first efforts to brand the urban heart of Arizona. Its 2014 update was prepared by principal authors Grady Gammage Jr. and Dan Hunting. Their policy recommendations include: u Aggressive
Mexico
u Improved
pursuit of trade with
freeway infrastructure
u Introduction
of passenger rail between Phoenix and Tucson
u Increased
international flights from Sky Harbor International Airport
The report raises concerns about issues that could mitigate the success of the Sun Corridor, including a lack of a global profile, limited water resources, a need for more coordinated leadership and improved public systems and spaces.
And while thoughts that Phoenix and Tucson might one day merge have long been the topic of cocktail party conversations, that is a common misunderstanding of the Sun Corridor concept. The corridor along Interstate 10 between the two cities will see increased development, but a continuous uninterrupted swath of development will never happen because of protected land, according to the report. An economic merging of the two cities and surrounding counties, however, could make the region competitive on the national and global stage. “By thinking of the Sun Corridor as a unit, urban Arizona becomes more important than the individual cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Glendale, Prescott Valley or Sierra Vista,” the report said. “The Sun Corridor becomes an entity which can be compared to other great urban concentrations. It becomes a brand to use when competing at the global level.”
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