Phoenix Rising: Developing a Municipal Archaeology Program in Arizona, USA

Summary

In 1928, the City of Phoenix in Arizona was the first municipality in the USA to create a City Archaeologist position. However, it was not until 2000 that a comprehensive archaeology program was in place that included the review of both private and public construction projects. This paper discusses the various challenges in developing this program during the author’s 21-year tenure as City Archaeologist from 1990 to 2011. Because the Phoenix Historic Preservation Ordinance is ambiguous and limited in scope in regards to archaeology, a set of independent review policies and procedures were created by fostering an appreciation of the value of archaeology among city staff, and by garnering public support by sharing the results of the archaeological investigations in a variety of public venues. From 2000 to 2010, nearly 750 archaeology projects were undertaken, with up to 1000 construction projects reviewed annually as part of the city planning process.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Municipal Archaeology: Linking Archaeology, Urban Planning and Heritage   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-10,05