This story is part of America’s Evolving Cities, a USA TODAY Network project that takes a close look at four regions across the country and their unique paths to success — and how residents have benefited or suffered along the way.Construction cranes dot the downtown Phoenix skyline, bringing hundreds of new housing units to the urban core of the city where vacant lots stood for years. Arizona State University students fill the coffee shops and streets between classes as self-driving cars pass by.The energy and attraction of downtown is in stark contrast to the view of two decades ago, when the city center became a ghost town after government workers went home for the day.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDowntown, which didn’t even have a full-size grocery store until 2019, now boasts a huge presence from all three public Arizona universities, including a planned medical school. Two professional sports teams call downtown home, and more than 2,000 new apartment units will hit the market in the next year.The changing tapestry of downtown Phoenix mirrors the growth of the city as a whole, which has added population faster than almost any other large U.S. city in the past decade. In that time, Phoenix surpassed Philadelphia to become the fifth-largest city in the country.The population is growing, and a burgeoning food and entertainment scene is taking shape. And a willingness to embrace change has made the area a hub for innovation. On average, 280 more people moved to Phoenix than left it every day last year.They seek more options for food, entertainment, jobs and housing — and demand more of the city’s infrastructure.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHomebuilders added 38,310 new housing units in 2024 across Maricopa County, more than any county in the nation, according to census data released in May.Phoenix is a city of innovationPhoenix has reinvented itself time after time, mostly out of necessity. Developing in a desert requires proactive water planning. More than 100 years ago, Roosevelt Dam, about a two-hour drive northeast of the city, helped tame the Salt River, and the state now also gets more than a third of its water from the Colorado River.Living in a place where temperatures consistently top 110 degrees can seem impossible to an outsider, and access to places to cool off can be the difference …
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