The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce says Downtown Phoenix's transformation over the past decade is the result of multiple redevelopment investments.
In a recent article on its website, the Chamber cites data that tracks businesses' $5.03 billion redevelopment investment in the Downtown Phoenix area. The Chamber states this investment has helped transition downtown from a strictly business area to a growing urban cultural center featuring businesses, students, arts and entertainment, restaurants and tourist attractions.
The Chamber also lists education and transit as the "driving components of this growth" including Arizona State University and all three of the state's public universities' presence on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
The Chamber notes in its article that light rail's connection to downtown, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and to Tempe and Mesa has also played a significant role in the transformation.
Approximately 9,000 people now live in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, with about 6,000 housing units added since 2000.
Among the other statistics from Downtown Phoenix that the Chamber cites in its article are the 9 percent employment growth in downtown between 2006 and 2015 and the 2,000 additional apartment units under construction in downtown.