ArchTam partnered with a local transit agency, Valley Metro Rail, Inc. (VMR), to develop the internship program that dates from a startup endeavor in May 2017 and ran through the two years where ArchTam led the South Central LRT project’s design phase. Approximately 25 students participated in the program which took place in June and July and consisted of eight daylong sessions.

During the program’s weekly sessions, the students – mainly high school sophomores and juniors – had hands on experiences in planning and design. In one week, students were divided into teams and used Autocad software to design and build model bridges. They then competed to see which bridge could hold the most weight. In another session, the students had the opportunity to speak in-depth with ArchTam engineering interns who are from similar backgrounds and are now seniors in civil engineering colleges.

Prior to the program, the students had no exposure to engineering or planning and little concept of what these professions were about. The weekly sessions provided insight and made the possibility of careers in these fields seem within reach, a major achievement for students who came from schools in the South Phoenix area a greatly underserved area that has limited resources. The hands-on experience, exposure to the ArchTam interns and engineering and planning professionals working on the South Central project opened students’ eyes to new possibilities of careers in the planning and engineering professions. One student, a senior in 2018, is now attending engineering school at Arizona State University.

The students were also introduced to leaders from the City of Phoenix, VMR and several community partners who discussed careers in design, engineering, planning and public service. College application assistance, financial aid counseling, ongoing mentoring and a $1,000 stipend were also provided to the program participants. The internship culminated at a graduation celebration at South Mountain Community College.

Investing in the communities in which we work is an important part of the work that we do and I’m proud we were able to introduce these students to our professions. This was a team effort and I want to give a shout out to my teammate Janet Yeow, our lead design manager, who organized the activities.

The program had been approved to run for a third year, but unfortunately was cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. I look forward to participating in the South Central LRT program once it resumes and always welcome the opportunity to give back to the Phoenix community and future designers, engineers and planners.

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This return trip, however, is really special. As ArchTam’s lead for the 2015 US-Australia City Exchange on Local Finance Mechanisms, I’m accompanying 20 city leaders from New South Wales, Australia, to examine innovative funding and financing mechanisms used by city counterparts in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

The 10-day peer-to-peer exchange is presented by the Future Cities Collaborative, an initiative of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia, with the support of NSW Trade and Investment and ArchTam.

Having kicked off in Los Angeles, California, yesterday, my US counterparts and I are looking forward to hosting exchange delegates (including mayors, councillors and business leaders) in each city and providing introductions to local civic leaders and case study projects that demonstrate “best practice” funding and financing methods for infrastructure and urban renewal projects.

As a firm advocate for government reform and innovation in procurement practices for critically needed infrastructure, I’m really excited at the potential for knowledge sharing during the exchange, and for positive action in and around our cities after it.

When I introduced this year’s exchange delegates to US funding and financing mechanisms in April and May during the Mayors’ Forum – a central component of the Future Cities Program held during the lead up to the exchange – I could sense a real enthusiasm among Australian government leaders to be bold in meeting the country’s infrastructure backlog. We all recognise the need to leave a legacy, not a liability, for the future. Well planned and appropriately funded infrastructure will be an important part of that legacy.

The cornerstone of the Future Cities Collaborative – the Future Cities Program – is to support both regional and metropolitan city leaders from New South Wales and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and resources to build sustainable and liveable communities.

With what we’ve got planned over the coming 10 days or so, I think we’re in great shape and, following the City Exchange’s conclusion on 3 July in New York City, we look forward to the release of a 2015 City Exchange report featuring case studies and “lessons learned” to share with NSW state and local government partners, US host city sponsors, and other supporters.

Follow our journey as we make our way across the US. Daily posts and images will be uploaded to the Future Cities blog, while ArchTam’s respective city leads will be sharing their own thoughts throughout the week, right here on Connected Cities.

Joe Langley is a technical director, Infrastructure Advisory, for ArchTam, based in Sydney. His Value Capture Roadmap is being released by Consult Australia in July.

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