Urban Land Institute study: Phoenix kept its population despite

The purported economic demise of the Phoenix metro area is greatly exaggerated, as are claims that the population has dropped by hundreds of thousands people. That’s the assessment of a new study released Tuesday by the Arizona chapter of the Urban Land Institute. The research was conducted in conjunction with the ULI Center for Balanced Development in the West, which is based in Los Angeles. About 150 people crammed into a ballroom at the Marriott Phoenix Airport Hotel to peruse the findings of “Influx/Outflux: A Summit on Central Arizona’s Population and Housing Trends.” The prognosis? The population of Phoenix has not grown or shrunk significantly since 2007. “Rather, it seems likely that the total population of the Phoenix metropolitan area has remained virtually unchanged, absorbing several strong negative shocks but still being driven upward by a sound economic base, natural population increase and continued retirementand employment-related migration,” the report concludes. While the ULI report calms fears that irreparable harm has befallen Phoenix during the severe economic downturn, another report raises concerns about the quality of political leadership and job opportunities in the state.

Click here to view this article from its source.