Urban Space

Transformative Community Spaces

Creating equitable urban environments through innovative land use policies

Urban Space

Land Use Coalition for Open Space Equity

Building sustainable communities through collaborative action

Urban Space

Community-Driven Development

Empowering neighborhoods to shape their future

Urban Planning

Introduction

LUCOSE (Land Use Coalition for Open Space Equity) was established to address inequities in urban land use policies and practices, which have historically marginalized low-income communities and underserved populations. Within Phoenix's sprawling, developer-driven landscape, these inequities manifest as legacies of suburban flight, systemic racism, and neglect, leaving inner-city communities bearing the brunt of undesirable uses and fragmented planning.

Public parks are scarce, pedestrian pathways are hazardous, and highways and bypasses carve through neighborhoods, severing community connections. These inequities often manifest in limited access to open spaces, economic opportunities, and environmental health, disproportionately impacting the health and well-being of vulnerable groups.

LUCOSE leverages decades of combined expertise in public governance, legal practice, urban planning, and community development to create transformative policies and systems that prioritize equitable and sustainable urban development. With foundational support from the Creighton Community Foundation (CCF) and partners such as Quarles & Brady and Vitalyst Health Foundation, LUCOSE is uniquely positioned to foster systemic change through an inclusive, community-driven approach.

Community Space

Community Context

LUCOSE is chaired by Creighton Community Foundation serving the 15-square-mile Creighton area in east-central Phoenix, Arizona, a predominantly Latinx community where over 40% of residents live below 30% of Maricopa County's Area Median Income (AMI). This area faces stark health disparities, food insecurity, and limited access to open spaces. These challenges are compounded by historical underinvestment and systemic barriers, including restrictive zoning policies, high property taxation burdens, and limited community engagement in land use decision-making.

But while Creighton Community Foundation works to create cross generational transformation in life outcomes for Creighton's community members and households, LUCOSE is anchored by a vision of fostering systems and structural reform for improved community land use opportunities and open space private-public partnerships that will serve all urban communities across the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area, with lessons and policy impacts that could be extended to every Arizona city.

Community Development

Organizational History and Differentiation

LUCOSE's foundation in CCF's decade-long track record of addressing structural inequities sets it apart from other initiatives. CCF's engagement with land use began in 2013 through a transformational partnership with Creighton School District (CSD). This partnership exposed systemic inequities in land use through various projects, including a digital billboard initiative that became an immersive exploration of Phoenix's complex land use systems. Over 11 years, this work involved collaboration with over 500 stakeholders, engagement with 31 village planning committees, and partnerships with multiple nationally recognized law firms.

The organization's evolution included addressing challenges such as USA Fee Title parcel partnerships, community based park endeavors, community benefit set aside parcel portions on private lands, and even digital billboard land use entitlements for public, municipally unzoned entities for the sake of community funding. This legacy of on-going work, as well as collaboration and shared suffering with partners in other communities across Phoenix, highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles facing community-led initiatives. These experiences shaped LUCOSE's understanding of how low-income communities are often sidelined in land use decisions, with their needs overshadowed by systems that prioritize the status quo over equity.

Policy Focus Areas

LUCOSE's work centers on six interdependent but integrated policy areas designed to address the root causes of land use inequities:

Planning and Zoning Accommodations

Streamlining regulatory frameworks to reduce barriers and costs for community-based projects (CBPs), ensuring equitable land use practices.

Property Taxation Reform

Advocating for tax structures that incentivize the development of open spaces and community-serving projects, with legislative collaboration through the County Assessor.

Protections and Indemnification

Implementing legal mechanisms to safeguard communities and participants, preventing displacement and ensuring accountability.

Performance Guarantees

Establishing oversight measures to ensure project outcomes align with community needs, supported by mandatory audits and bonding requirements.

Structural Funding Solutions

Developing sustainable funding models, including public-private partnerships, to support long-term maintenance and governance of open spaces.

Community Empowerment Anchors

Empowering Community-based Projects with process and practice accommodations when projects are anchored in participatory governance and leadership, fostering local agency and resilience.

Implementation Strategy

Over the next 18 months, LUCOSE will:

  • Leverage policy-specific working teams to drive policy and systems action
  • Continue developing coalition expertise and knowledge in targeted policy and structural systems areas of focus
  • Expand community engagement and participation through:
    • Broadening stakeholder participation across diverse community sectors
    • Implementing community awareness campaigns about land use equity issues
    • Creating accessible channels for community input and feedback
    • Developing platforms for sharing community voices and experiences
    • Building partnerships with neighborhood associations and community groups
  • Continue member work in advancing community projects that demonstrate the utility or futility of open space development without, and while in need of policy and structural reform
  • Execute the development of policy need and approach briefs as prioritized by the coalition - legal blueprints for policy reform execution and legal viability of intended reforms
  • Develop and advocate for zoning, taxation, indemnification, funding, and practice/partnership reforms through:
    • Systematic engagement with community committees within the City planning structure
    • Collaboration and meeting with elected and appointed officials
    • Collaboration with key economic development organizations
    • Broad-based community action supporting "Community First Phoenix"

Reform Applied!

In unique support of LUCOSE's work, CCF has successfully piloted a one-acre community space integration project named Acre 51. This initiative demonstrates:

  • The opportunity to integrate community spaces synergistically with private land use
  • Transformation of underutilized parcels into vibrant community spaces
  • Successful public-private partnership models
  • Practical application of LUCOSE's policy framework
  • Approximately $400,000 of capital-dollar developed community open space
Community members constructing awnings at Acre 51

Contact Us

LUCOSE is a coalition of over 35 community organizations and agencies, and hundreds of community voices, co-chaired and organized by Creighton Community Foundation and Valley of the Sun United Way. You can reach the coalition at:

[email protected]

Land Use Coalition for Open Space Equity
c/o Creighton Community Foundation, Inc.
3219 E Camelback Rd, #376
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602.888.3770 (voice or sms)

LUCOSE represents a bold and innovative approach to transforming urban land use policies and practices. With its proven track record, interdisciplinary expertise, and steadfast commitment to equity, LUCOSE is uniquely equipped to lead systemic change that will advance healthier, more equitable urban environments for generations to come.