Contacts - Sun Corridor Legacy
Dave Richins
Sun Corridor Legacy Program Director
602-393-4310 x 309
New Bill
Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-Dist. 3) has introduced HR 1799, which seeks to preserve critical tracts west of Phoenix that serve as important wildlife and recreation areas, safeguard the viability of Luke Air Force Base and the Barry M. Goldwater Range, and protect environmental amenities to boost economic opportunities for West Valley communities. Download HR 1799.
Resources - Sun Corridor Legacy
Publications - Sun Corridor Legacy
The Art of the Deal: Crafting Smart State Trust Land Exchanges in Arizona
A study of the current processes available for state trust land exchanges in Arizona, featuring case studies and recommendations on how to improve the overall process to maximize trust returns and develop a mechanism to release trapped value of isolated lands through exchange.
Download the report (PDF)
Wires, Roads, and Water: Developing Sustainable Infrastructure on State Trust Land
A detailed look at reasons planning for infrasturcture on state trust land in advance of development is necessary and options to make it possible in Arizona.
Download the report (PDF)
The Quarrel Between Past and Present: The Economics of Reforming Arizona's Century Old State Trust Land Rules
A comprehensive report anaylizing the history of state trust land and how the current management regulations keep the Arizona State Land Department from moving into the 21st century.
Download the report (PDF)
Routes, Rails, and Roads: Transportation Infrastructure Development on State Trust Land
A look at options to improve Arizona State Land Department's ability to site transportation infrastructure in advance of development.
Download the report (PDF)
Tucson’s New Prosperity: Capitalizing on the Sun Corridor
A new Institute report encourages Tucson to start viewing Phoenix as an asset instead of a competitor.
Download the report (PDF)
Read the Press Release.
Strategies for Renewable Energy Projects On Arizona's State Lands
Examine the strategies which would allow Arizona State Land Department to capitalize on its extensive land holdings suitable for solar development.
Download the report (PDF)
Riding The Rails To Sustainability
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Where We Work Southwest Sun Corridor Legacy Worker Attraction Study
Worker Attraction Study: The role of Arizona's open spaces in attracting critical high-skill workers
The Sonoran Institute is investigating the connection between conserved public land and a thriving economy through our Worker Attraction Study. This groundbreaking research will demonstrate how year-round outdoor recreation in Arizona's spectacular scenery attracts the high-skill, high-wage workers that are critical to a modern economy.
Workers such as engineers and health care professionals have very portable skills, which allow these workers to live in areas that suit their desired lifestyle. The Sun Corridor is uniquely positioned to recruit these highly skilled workers. With the largest economic market in the Intermountain West providing work opportunities, a warm climate, and millions of acres of nearby public land for outdoor recreation, highly skilled workers have been drawn to the Sun Corridor for decades.
The ability of the state's natural features to attract desirable workers has been acknowledged anecdotally for years, but the Sonoran Institute's work is the first research to attach firm data to this concept. Other studies, including some by the Sonoran Institute (see below), have shown that protected public lands are an asset to a region's hospitality and tourism industries. While this is undoubtedly the case, we believe that there is a larger effect at work in the Sun Corridor as public land attracts both workers and firms in high-skill, high-wage industries such as electronics and aerospace. Additionally, while previous studies have focused on the effect of public lands on the economies of rural towns and counties, the Worker Attraction Study is measuring the effect of these lands on an economy of over $200 billion annually. Look for this report in the summer of 2013.
For more information, please contact
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, Economic and Policy Analyst.
Backcountry Bounty: Hunters, Anglers and Prosperity in the American West