Clarkdale is a small community in north-central Arizona, nestled in the Coconino forest, along the southwest banks of the Verde River. Clarkdale was founded in 1912 as a company town to serve the United Verde Copper Company and was officially incorporated in 1957. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Town of Clarkdale was Arizona’s first master-planned community that still serves as a model of urban planning. With Spanish Colonial style facades and original brick exposed on most buildings, the historic downtown district is poised to capitalize on its quaint charm. Despite a regional economic growth trend that has benefited its neighbors, the Town of Clarkdale has not seen the same significant growth in recent years. Rather, the community has struggled to keep pace with the Towns of Jerome and Cottonwood; both have developed a unique character and identity, attracting both tourists and businesses alike, sometimes at Clarkdale’s loss. However, Clarkdale is well-positioned to tell a compelling story that celebrates the town’s history and positions it as a destination for tourists across Arizona.
Students in the culminating experience course for the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program (also with SGSUP) closed the project out by launching a public engagement process, resulting in the development of design guidelines for the historic downtown corridor and 89A commercial corridor. Students engaged with the town through a staff visioning session, then a public meeting with a tech-assisted visual preference survey and guided breakout discussions. For their final deliverable, students provided a detailed and professional document that will serve to capture the essence of public values during the town’s longer-term revitalization project.
Residents have expressed a clear desire for place-based branding and identity. The students’ analyses also support the need to establish anchor attractions in Clarkdale and solidify its brand awareness as a destination that complements the draw of neighboring Jerome and Cottonwood. The comprehensive design guidelines detailed in the latter part of this report help paint a vivid picture of what that could look like for the Town of Clarkdale, by capitalizing on existing attractions and untapped potential.