Historian and a tourism strategist map Old Town Scottsdale’s past and pitch 'show'‑based experiences

At the Jan. 7 special Scottsdale City Council meeting historian Joan Fadala traced Old Town Scottsdale’s transformation from early indigenous settlement through founding and incorporation to a modern arts and tourism hub.

Fadala highlighted milestones including the Arizona Canal and homesteading in the 1880s, incorporation on 06/25/1951, the rise of arts and crafts businesses, the creation of the Scottsdale Historic Preservation Program in 1997 and later civic investments such as the North Bank of the Arizona Canal (2006) and Southbridge (2007). She noted Old Town’s long-running public events and arts festivals and explained how preservation efforts and public art have helped form Scottsdale’s identity.

Tourism strategist Michael Lee followed with a presentation emphasizing that "experience" is the key commodity for downtown destinations. He argued that cities must craft a coherent story or "show" that emotionally connects visitors with place, and then model the economics and transport systems needed to deliver that experience. "If you put on a show," Lee said, "people are paying for an experience and that's what they want." He cited examples where design, programming and movement (including shuttles or trolleys) were used to encourage pedestrian circulation and longer visits.

Both presentations were offered as background for council consideration of downtown marketing, a proposed task force and parking and transport strategies intended to sustain Old Town’s tourism and local-business mix.