Located smack in the middle of downtown Phoenix’s arts district is a building that might confuse those who enter it.
The first thing you’ll notice is the fascinating array of murals from local artists on the outside, murals of flying birds, a bicycle and a larger than life flower showing off its petals.
Perhaps you walk into Songbird, a café accessible from the front of the building, and quietly ask yourself why such a large warehouse, 14,000 square feet to be exact, houses such a small business to grab coffee.
You look further into the warehouse and notice colorful works of art hanging in an open area with strange looking sculptures. You say to yourself the coffee shop is located next to an art gallery, which is certainly nothing peculiar. But more surprises lie ahead.
If you should dare to venture farther on, you would hear the busy cacophony of office noises. Phones ring and chairs squeak from a loft upstairs that hangs above both the coffee shop and gallery.
Deeper into the surprise is the loud hum of machinery, where woods, metal and leather are in different stages of production in the manufacturing quarters.
This is MonOrchid, a warehouse originally built in 1937 that has since been readapted as a mixed-use space. But wait — you’re probably still a little cloudy from wondering what coffee, offices, an art gallery and manufacturing are doing situated in the same place.
Simply put, mixed-use development is the use of buildings or neighborhoods for more than a single purpose. While most zoning codes don’t allow for such development, downtown Phoenix embraces this urban philosophy, and MonOrchid is a beautiful example of what happens when a space is utilized for its true potential.
What could be the benefits of breaking up the sprawled out, suburban monotony of our city into this creative form of urban planning? To name a few, higher property values, less traffic and a stronger local economy.
But don’t just take my word for it. An Arizona Department of Transportation study concludes that mixed-use, compact housing development means that road congestion is eased and residents enjoy an overall shorter trip to the grocery story or their place of work.
A 2009 study in the journal, Real Estate Issues, finds that when properly applied, mixed-use development can help raise “office and retail prices, rents and occupancy rates” while simultaneously increasing customer traffic.
Not to mention the unquantifiable benefits of a diverse group of people working together in a single space, which creates a tightly knit community across a range of private-sector industries.
The next time you’re in downtown Phoenix, stop over at Songbird for a cup of coffee and experience a form of urban life that will hopefully be embraced by our city in the coming years.
Reach the columnist at Damills3@asu.edu
Follow the columnist on Twitter @Dan_iel_Mills
