From heat island to sponge oasis? Resilient Phoenix launches in Maryvale to fight extreme heat

PHOENIX — Community organizers are launching a heat-resilience initiative in Maryvale to address extreme heat in one of Phoenix’s hottest areas.

RUMBO and GreenLatinos said Maryvale is the first focus area for the broader initiative, called Resilient Phoenix.

“Extreme heat is the No. 1 climate threat in Phoenix, and the area that we’re working in Maryvale is actually 4 to 7 degrees hotter than most greener neighborhoods,” organizer Dafne Cortez Jimenez said during a webinar Monday.

City data backs up that lived experience.

According to Phoenix’s own Shade Phoenix Plan, Maryvale’s tree canopy covers just 7.8% of the village, far below the citywide median of 11% and roughly half the canopy found in wealthier neighborhoods like Camelback East, 17.1% or Encanto, 14.3%.

The plan notes that tree canopy distribution is closely related to household income, race and ethnicity and vehicle access. These are the same factors that make extreme heat most dangerous.

What do residents actually want?

When organizers presented a menu of heat-resilience strategies, residents picked three clear favorites: shaded parks and playgrounds, shaded walking routes and shaded parking in public spaces.

Separately, RUMBO founder Luis said organizers are exploring the concept of a “sponge city,” reusing household gray water to irrigate neighborhood trees, though that idea would require changes to city water-reuse rules.

The initiative’s first report, based on input from hundreds of Maryvale residents, will be released May 20. Organizers also plan to hold a climate town hall in Maryvale that evening.

What solutions does Resilient Phoenix propose for Maryvale?

Avila said Resilient Phoenix wants to turn residents’ concerns into visible action.

“We at RUMBO believe that it’s a good time for us to create the civic infrastructure to ensure that our governments are responsive, that they are relevant, and that they actually are creating the visible action that we feel,” Avila said.

Organizers said their next steps include convening a multi-sector coalition, creating finance, governance and policy committees and advancing near-term projects in Maryvale, including around Desert West, Desert Sky and what they call the Maryvale Loop.

Avila said the findings should serve as a warning to Phoenix leaders as temperatures continue to rise.

“This type of report is kind of like a red flag for our leaders and our business community and everybody here in Phoenix to start thinking: Do people see a pathway to living in this hot city?” Avila said.

Resilient Phoenix plans to release a strategic plan in December outlining its governance, financing and policy framework, as well as the changes organizers say are needed to make Maryvale more resilient to extreme heat.

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