Casey Ratigan, AALC Intern
As a volunteer at Open Streets Tempe, I spent the morning crisscrossing downtown, helping set up tents, arranging yard games, and hauling skateboard rails for a pop-up skate park. By noon, I was strolling down Mill Avenue, bumping into old friends, meeting new ones, and window-shopping at booths run by local artists. It was exciting, fun, and genuinely energizing—a day packed with good conversations, great people, and, yes, aweing at the BMX riders.
Open Streets Tempe is one answer to the question: How do we get people to care
? When trying to explain the value of active transportation to someone outside the “livable community” sphere, no amount of polished messaging or academic data always lands. But witnessing that value firsthand— experiencing the joy of free movement and of the potential of city streets as a site of connection— is a powerful enough experience to shift perspectives. It invites others to imagine what’s possible.
How did this remarkable event come to be? How can we learn from this event to build coalitions, tell stories, and develop values in our own communities? To find out, I interviewed Jack Ketcham, president of Tempe Bicycle Action Group (Bike Tempe). Originally from Phoenix, Ketcham has lived in Tempe for over a decade since moving here to attend ASU. Beyond Bike Tempe, he also serves on the boards of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists and Three Feet Please, an organization advocating for safer streets. When he’s not organizing bike events or pushing for better infrastructure, Ketcham works professionally as a software engineer.
So, what exactly is Open Streets Tempe?
“It’s an event that promotes viewing our streets as more than just places for cars, and instead as places where communities and neighbors can come together and enjoy the freedom of movement when cars aren’t on the street,” Ketcham explained. The idea originates in Bogotá’s famed Ciclovía, where miles of streets are closed for walking, cycling, exercising, and play.
The concept took root locally thanks to Ryan Guzy, a longtime bike advocate in Tempe, who pitched the idea to the Bike Tempe board last summer. “We had just hosted our Pedalpalooza event that spring and were starting to plan what we wanted to do next year,” Ketcham said. Early talks with council members and city staff got the wheels turning.
Working with the City of Tempe and Downtown Tempe Authority didn’t bring any major surprises, but there was a learning curve. “We had to work with the City on establishing what the bounds of the event footprint would be,” Ketcham said. “It ended up being smaller than we were initially hoping for, but probably worked out better for our first event anyway.”
Jack’s favorite moment of the event? “Definitely the kickoff bike parade. It was great seeing everyone ride together through downtown streets that are normally reserved mostly for cars and instead see bikes take center stage.”
Talks of what’s to come expand the Open Streets concept even further: “We want to continue hosting the event every year and move it from location to location throughout Tempe to highlight different parts of what make the city special.”
He also hopes other cities across the Valley will adopt similar events. “If anyone has questions about how to start their own, or wants to get involved in organizing next year’s event, they can reach out to Bike Tempe!”
I, for one, am inspired to help events like these take shape in cities across Arizona. To fellow AALC members: consider how even a small-scale community gathering can bridge the gap between your cause and the lived experience of someone who already believes in what you stand for—they just don’t know it yet.
You can reach out to Bike Tempe at [email protected] or learn more about their work at https://www.biketempe.org/general.