Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Honored with Street Name ---- Celebration included MLK March starting at the UA Tech Park at The Bridges
On January 18, 2016, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was honored with the naming of the street M L KING JR Way at the UA Tech Park at The Bridges. The annual MLK March, which has been held in Tucson since 1985, followed the ceremony with 400 attendees walking from The Bridges to Reid Park. Speakers included Bruce A. Wright, Tech Parks Arizona, Pastor Otis Brown, University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart, Congressman Raul Grijalva, Congresswoman Martha McSally, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Councilmember Richard Fimbres, and President Doris Snowden of the NAACP Tucson, Arizona Branch.
The street name change kicked off the Heritage Path project, which will run along the eastern edge of M L KING JR Way. The Heritage Path will explore the rich cultural history of the region through interpretive nodes along the walking path. The Heritage Path is one segment of the Pathway to Discovery, a destination connecting the past, present, and future through culture, community and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). In addition to the Heritage Path, the other similar walking paths at The Bridges include the neighborhood path in recognition of the historic surrounding neighborhoods, a STEM component in the interior of The Bridges, and the community path which runs along Tucson Marketplace Drive.
The 2016 MLK Celebration Committee was responsible for organizing and executing the MLK March. The committee organizations included: The University of Arizona, Tech Parks Arizona, NAACP Tucson Branch, Arizona SERVES, Tucson Urban League, City of Tucson, Pima County, Swaim and Associates, The Planning Center and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.
Tech Parks Arizona is transforming the UA Tech Park at The Bridges into a destination for discovery. The University of Arizona is developing a world-class tech park on the property, it is being designed to create “interactive ground” that connects University, community, and industry for enhanced technology innovation and commercialization. As a mixed-use development, it will have space for technology companies at every stage of maturity. The site will soon be home to a dynamic community of technology companies, along with a science-and-technology-focused high school, recreational facilities, and high-quality retail and residential development, creating a live-work-play-learn environment.
Tech Parks Arizona creates the interactive ground that generates, attracts and retains technology companies and talent in alignment with the research, mission, and goals of the University of Arizona (UA). Tech Parks Arizona directs the UA Tech Park, the UA Tech Park at The Bridges and the Arizona Center for Innovation, placing the highest priority on recruiting companies desiring connectivity to the University of Arizona. Tech Parks Arizona is part of Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), an office of integrated teams creating an ecosystem of invention and commercialization throughout Arizona and beyond.
