The AIA recently published a reprint from the National Associates Committee journal Forward by author Wellington Reiter, FAIA. The hot topic essay goes into great detail discussing how three U.S. cities – Detroit, Phoenix, and New Orleans – are serving as examples of the impacts of adverse planning and general continuation of unsustainable behavior. While in times past these cities have flourished, and grew on the assumption that the trend would continue inevitably, they are sharp reminders of the consequences of naivety in regards to long term sustainability. More after the break.
The vast urban sprawl of Phoenix, Arizona – one of the largest cities in the country – across the Sonoran Desert with single family detached homes presents an undeniable question of how long the growth can continue. With an area twice the size of Detroit, and a metropolitan area that dwarfs it, this automobile dependent city has thrived with the introduction of federal highway systems. This coupled with extremely low land prices, cheap labor, and a developer friendly environment has encouraged this horizontal city to continue its reach far into the desert. Of course, the housing market crash has reined in to some extent this behavior, one can only question if things will change as the market rebounds. Another serious issue facing this metropolis is our basic necessity of water. One only needs to look at the bathtub rings at Lake Mead to realize that a continual increase of population and sprawl within this region is completely unsustainable. As our peak oil era closes in, how long will individuals be able to commute from distant suburbs into the core of the city? These are just some of the main issues facing the booming city of Phoenix.
