Restoring Ecosystem Health in Frequent-Fire Forests of the American West - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 229

Part III
Desert Planning
Richard A. Malloy
The scarcity of water and extreme temperature that shaped the southwestern desert envi-
ronment have created a fragile balance between life and death for anything trying to
sustain life. Therefore, the idea of planning under these conditions is to find manners to
protect life and provide the means for civilizations to grow without adverse harm to this
population. The question is “how can you do this?” Ancient civilizations of the southwest
(Hohokam, Anasazi) and elsewhere around the world have disappeared without a clear
understanding of what caused the collapse of these communities. Was the force of nature
the cause or was it a lack of planning or understanding of sustainable measures needed
to survive under these conditions of scarcity? For modern civilizations, it is important
to understand the past to bring continuity to measures to develop the future in desert
communities.
To that end, we begin with Frederick R. Steiner's chapter, “Ecological Planning Method.”
This chapter provides the reader with an easy-to-follow guide to the steps of the ecologi-
cal planning process. The method outlined by Steiner is based on Ian McHarg's landmark
work in landscape ecological planning. The ecological planning method outlined here
attempts to bring together the best available scientific data and social science method-
ologies that can lead to the development of a landscape plan. This plan will involve the
community and takes into account multiple environmental constraints and opportunities
identified through the planning process.
Chapter 14, “Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer Look at Sprawl in the Desert,” by Sandy
Bahr, Renée Guillory, and Chad Campbell presents an overview on urban sprawl and
urban growth management as it applies to the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The Southwest is
growing rapidly, and the result of this growth is not always in the best interest of the estab-
lished residents of the city. Sprawl often bypasses existing urban infrastructure to accom-
modate new development on the fringe. The effects of urban sprawl have a negative impact
on the quality of life for urban residents, including urban environmental quality, traffic