Sustainable Residential Development in the Southwest

Abstract

The goal of this study is to address the issues of sustainable residential housing in the United States, more specifically Tucson and the arid climate of the southwest. Until recent years the lack of awareness for sustainable practices has not damaged society, but currently, mankind’s impacts on the planet are unprecedented. As we progress into the future, acknowledgment of this problem needs to be addressed with innovation and solutions to secure a guaranteed healthy future for humanity, the species that humanity coexists with, and planet Earth. This study examines the principles of development that best produce sustainability and addresses building form and material use, solar orientation and shading, and land-use efficiency and governmental policy. These aspects of development are examined in detail by contrasting a typical University of Arizona rental development and a development that was constructed with sustainable consciousness for Tucson’s local population. Sustainable residential development is an issue that must begin on large scale with government policy and lawmakers, and end with individual home residencies and educated personal environmental decisions. The study found that, while there are many different aspects of sustainable development that are influenced by countless variables, a sense of cooperation among all phases of construction is the most effective way to guarantee a smooth transition into a more sustainable future.