Radical thought of the day: Why build in the desert?
OK, some building is necessary, but when we have to engineer such massive and mind-boggling systems as we have already done, just to support human life, is it really worth the effort? I'm thinking sustainability here.
There is enough water in the desert to support a limited population. We have constructed an enormous system of water storage and delivery to expand that number, but it is becoming very apparent that even that is not enough. At the time it was constructed there was no thought to the environmental damage it would cause and we are just beginning to understand some of it. It goes beyond harming the environment to threatening the resource itself. Lake Powell contains concentrations of selenium (leached from the native rock) that pregnant women and children are advised not to swim in it. This is the drinking water of Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc.
I am all for architectural design to mitigate the extremes of a desert environment. I only question if we should be there in the first place.