Water occupies a central role in the desert city of Phoenix. The city is criss-crossed with canals and public spaces are dominated by either water fountains or water misters off the commercial buildings.

The fountain above is from a tiny little strip mall in downtown Tempe, AZ. Phoenix is an architecturally adventurous city however the commonality of the water fountain is almost an under-lying celebration and fear of the role water has in the sustainability and viability of the city. Everyone is fully aware that if the water dries up then Phoenix will effectively cease to exist. The fountains in the public spaces are an uncomfortable expression of both the plentiful and scarce nature of fresh water.

The house was highly geometric and used the common themes of black beams, black windows, white drywall and birch accents. The outdoor area had a sliding roof for shade. It could be rolled back and forth depending on the angle of the sun.

There were clerestory windows around most of the house which gave a lot of light. The upstairs and downstairs floors were concrete. There was also Corten steel on the upper floors. This is steel which deliberately rusts and gives a color somewhere between orange and maroon depending on the consistency of the steel alloy.

Limelight Networks is a rising Phoenix startup. They are a CDN that deals in a bunch of customers reputable and not so reputable. The scuttlebutt is that they are moving from their semi-industrial offices by the 10 to a new building at Tempe on Mill right by the Light Rail.

There are now several businesses around the north end of Mill in Tempe by the Light Rail and Tempe Town Lake. Additionally Mill has gone a bit upscale lately and has more high rises and condos to appeal to the wealthy information working yuppies rather than the poor and impoverished Uni Students.

The north end of Mill has all the pubs, restaurants and other light entertainment shops before it blends into Arizona State University's sprawling Tempe campus.

The dynamics on Mill Avenue pretty much match Richard Florida's creative class thesis about economics, technology, information working, startups, universities, walkable suburbs and so forth.

It is interesting as Tempe has targeted that dynamic of creative class wealth. In comparison Old Town Scottsdale has gone for the traditional douche bag wealth and North Scottsdale is more sprawling nuclear family suburban wealth.

I think of the three Tempe and Downtown Phoenix are the best placed to leverage what they have. Which again, will probably make Richard Florida nod his head.