An east-bound train leaves the Rural Rd. & University Dr. light rail station by Arizona State University's Tempe campus. In total, 40 stations dot the 26-mile-long route which goes between three cities. By 2023, the city of Phoenix hopes to complete the South Central Phoenix Light Rail Extension, which would bring further transportation to one of the more impoverished areas in the Valley. Photo by Christina Van Otterloo.
Limited Outreach Leaves Residents Feeling Derailed
​
PHOENIX — Outreach efforts for the South Central Light Rail Extension have fallen flat according to residents.
The South Central Light Rail Extension is part of Phoenix’s partially taxpayer-funded Transportation 2050 (T2050) initiative that aims to better transportation in the area, the city’s T2050 funding and homepages said respectively.
​
The extension into South Phoenix will likely span 6 miles with 11 new stations and three new park-and-rides, according to the Valley Metro South Central Fact Sheet.
​
​
Valley Metro spokesperson Corinne Holliday expressed high hopes for the project, which will be completed in 2023.
​
“We have seen all the great benefits that light rail can bring to a community so we just can’t wait for those benefits to be in South Central Phoenix,” Holliday said.
​
While sharing Valley Metro’s optimism for the project’s long-term effects, South Phoenix resident Vicki Anderson was bothered by Valley Metro’s lack of communication concerning their events.
​
“I didn’t know these [workshops] were going on, and I’m on one of the light rail art committees,” Anderson said in a group interview.
​
In addition to workshops where members of the public can provide input about the design stage of the project, other forms of outreach included flyers, emails, door hangers, social media, and going door-to-door, Holliday said.
​
In a group interview, resident Kristin Antkoviak said she believed types of effective outreach had different factors.
​
“I think it really depends on the neighborhood, the culture…” Antkoviak said. “I think there’s not a ‘one-fits-all’ method.”
​
Antkoviak said her neighborhood appeared more responsive to face-to-face interactions rather than digital means.
​
Anderson shared this sentiment, finding paper means more useful.
​
“I know it’s a waste of paper, and I’m very environmental, but when I get something digital, I get so many things it’s buried in there — I never go back to it,” Anderson said. “So sometimes when I get a little piece of paper… I’m like, ‘Oh! OK,’ and then I take that piece of paper and immediately put it into my purse.”
​
Despite this preference, having been involved with the extension project since 2012 and having been a South Phoenix resident for 12 years, Anderson said she has not received any paper communication such as flyers since the 2012 case study when South Phoenix was assessed for its light rail potential.
​
Part of this communication vacuum may result from the targeted outreach areas.
​
Though the extension project is for South Phoenix overall, outreach is focused on areas within approximately a quarter of a mile of the extension, Holliday said.
​
Even within a smaller area, Holliday said outreach tactics were tailored for their target community.
​
“Each neighborhood is unique, so we have a customized business assistance program for each community that we’re working in. We’ve worked in communities before where maybe social media wasn’t as successful, so we make sure that we increase the other tactics,” Holliday said.
The business assistance program is a potential program for communities during light rail construction, Holliday said.
She added that the program seeks to support businesses during construction as the building process can be a disruptive time.
The South Central Light Rail Extension is still in its design phase, with its construction scheduled to begin in 2019, according to the Valley Metro South Central Fact Sheet.
Though a business assistance program is not yet incorporated into the South Central extension’s outreach plan, Holliday said it could happen in the future.
For now, residents can concern themselves with the design phase of the project which focuses on choosing art and styles for the new stations, in addition to landscaping.
This variety of feedback did not sit well with either Antkoviak or Anderson, who both attended Valley Metro’s first “Design Elements Workshop” where members of the public watched a presentation and then chose plants and light rail styles they liked.
“The big con for me is that I thought as a citizen I could really affect change, and to me this [workshop] wasn’t doing that,” Antkoviak said. “This didn’t give me the power as a citizen to make those kinds of decisions.”
Anderson also saw flaws in the presentation, specifically its aim at involvement.
“At any public project, sometimes I think they try to give the illusion that you’re going to have an impact when really you’re not,” Anderson said.
Aside from workshops, Valley Metro offers a number of ways for locals to get involved with the project, such as receiving emails, choosing artists for the stations and transfer hub, and by applying for an internship.