New book tells inside story of Civano development in Tucson
Two friends of mine, Al Nichols and Jason Laros, have written a new book with the definitive account of the largest solar village in the U.S., proving once again that green homes and green development are viable in the marketplace.
“Inside the Civano Project: A Case Study of Large-Scale Sustainable Neighborhood Development” is the first book in ages to tell the inside story of a “bottoms up” effort by activists in Tucson to create an energy and water-efficient community with a New Urbanist flavor, with a special focus on using the abundant solar energy of the Sonoran desert. What makes the book especially interesting is the extensive interviews with the participants. The effort succeeded: today Civano is the largest sustainable mixed-use community in the country and a great model for others to visit. What’s also interested is that the development’s 60 percent reduction in heating and cooling energy and 55 percent reduction in potable water use is documented each year. And, what I find even more unusual, in Civano’s first phase, there are only two private pools for 600 homes, with everyone else using the two easy-to-walk-to community pools. Even in the current marketplace for home sales, Civano’s build-out continues, as more people are drawn to its community feeling.
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