Buckeye Shows Why Zoning Not the Same as Planning – 600 Sq Miles Zoned for Development and Nothing Happening

Here is another excellent example as to why the white paper is wrong in not seeing Zoning as a tool of good planning but a substituet for it.

40 Miles West of Phoenix Arizona the town of Buckeye has a general plan zoning 600 square miles an area bigger than Phoenix for a city of nearly half a million – incredibly low density sprawl. Yet nothing is being built – why?

Phenix and Las Vegas are the two largest American cities not connected by an interstate. Incredibly between the California Central Valley and East of the Rockys there is no North South transport corridor, even though it has the fastest growing cities. For years an I11 interstate has been studied between Las Vegas and Pheonix. and possibly Reno and Tuscon, even Canada and Mexico, a NAFTA corridor. But it lacks funding. In anticipation many have bought land in speculation, including Bill Gates prompting the silver foil hatters to speculate about vaxs and smart city conspiracies.

Of course without infrastructure you get no development. That is why the plan must come first and zoning after. If the only infrastructure is an interstate all you get is sprawl. The Buckeye General plan is not driven by a masterplan, a design a vision. Is is sprawl by numbers.

However the idea of a pan continental corridor is a good idea. In a world where trade is no longer squeezed East West only it could become Americas version of Belt and Road, together with the sadly abortive concept of a pan Texas corridor, that would have focused infrastructure and rail routes for great efficiency saving but sadly was thwarted by grasping ranchers.

The concept of a rail corridor is a good one. Rail is better than roads in wilderness areas because there is less risk of human impact along the corridor. There is already high speed rail planned from LA to Las Vegas. It could easily extend to Phoenix. And with California adopting Shinkansen technology you could have proper planned cities every 40km or so along it. Of course water is a challenge however only with masterplanning can you properly plan low water new communities.