If I were to choose a particular city

If I were in a childless couple looking to move to Phoenix, AZ, I would choose to move into the Central Business District (CBD) or Downtown Phoenix area, also referred to as zone number one, according to the concentric zone model for urban growth.  Although some may argue that gentrification can pose negative conflicts onto a community, a young and childless couple could gain from the growing gentrification currently occurring in the Downtown area.  Depending on what stage this couple’s professional lives are in, the Downtown area could provide them with either the convenience of a nearby university (ASU) or plenty of job/career opportunities.  All of the urban indicators of the Downtown area should be considered, especially the area of cost of housing.  Whether both are students who earn small incomes or high earning professionals, Downtown Phoenix has housing opportunities to meet either needs.  The Downtown area has both affordable housing, which are the older houses surrounding the city and higher priced luxury condos and high rises located in the center, both located in close proximity to work and school. For a couple who does not have the financial responsibilities of children, a downtown condo would be a great option compared to a suburban neighborhood, which in some cases may provide more space, but may also be more expensive per square foot of land and house. 

According to the Alonso Model, living closer to a CBD is much more cost effective, especially when considering transportation costs.  Phoenix as a whole is a very spread out city and when factoring in gas prices, parking fees, and insurance payments into a budget, these costs start to add up, not to mention the harmful pollution that is being contributed to the air.  The light rail located right in the middle of Downtown is both a cost effective and greener alternative to commuting in a car back and forth around the surrounding cities of Phoenix.     

I am a single student with no children attending ASU at the downtown campus, and I have made the decision to move Downtown.  As a college student, who is not earning very much income at the moment, deciding to make the move to Downtown Phoenix makes the most sense for me.  The two most concerning issues for me when deciding on whether or not to move was the transportation and parking costs.  The factors that contributed to my final decision is the convenience of the light rail, the affordable housing, and the job opportunities that are all located within walking or biking distance to ASU.  I also believe in the theory of taking an existing neighborhood that has potential to meet all of my needs and making the most of it.  Building a city out instead of up in most cases seems unnecessary and has many negative factors including environmental conflicts and transportation issues among many others.