Phoenix as Everycity: A Closer Look at Sprawl in the Desert - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 250

or not. Much of the undeveloped desert between Phoenix and Anthem lives on only in the
ubiquitous picture postcards of the area; in reality, this once open north Phoenix corridor
is rapidly becoming just another jumble of subdivisions and strip malls. 2
To the east of Phoenix in northeastern Pinal County is the planned Superstition Vista
development. It is being billed as “sustainable” development or even “smart growth,” but
a closer analysis demonstrates that it is more of the same for the Phoenix area. Superstition
Vista would be located on 275 square miles of state trust lands and developed to accommo-
date hundreds of thousands of houses far from existing infrastructure and transportation all
in an area that gets 7-8 in. of rainfall each year. At least two freeways are being considered
to serve the new development in this area including State Route 802 and the continuation
of U.S. 60. Superstition Vista, much like the sprawl development of the 1980s, 1990s, and the
current decade, will rely on the automobile and cheap gasoline, plus eat up thousands of
acres of open space. Is it “sustainable” to continue this kind of development in a place that
gets less than 10 in. of rainfall each year and where scientists tell us the impacts of climate
change are likely to be felt intensely? Hotter and drier projections are in the climate reports
for the southwestern United States. 3 This development seems like risky business for more
than the environment, though. The first land to be sold relative to this development was
affected by the real estate collapse as the parent company of the developer ended up in bank-
ruptcy and missed at least two payments to the Arizona State Land Department. 4
West of Phoenix there seems to be an unending sea of tile rooftops and examples of
sprawling development. The Verrado development, located in the Town of Buckeye, incor-
porates some “smart growth” concepts, including promoting a “neighborhood” feel with
real front porches as well as walkability, but it was still developed far from existing infra-
structure and means massive commuting on a crowded I-10 freeway. Probably, one of the
most outrageous examples of urban sprawl and the antithesis of sustainability is a water
skiing housing development in south Buckeye. Spring Mountain Ski Ranch includes lakes,
docks, and a “professional slalom course and ski jump.” This is all far from any current
development and in one of the driest parts of the Sonoran Desert. The housing bust has left
this development with a gate, docks, and water-skiing area, as well as a sign indicating the
need for dust control, but no houses (Figure 14.1).
To the south, a “Megapolitan” area often referred to as the Sun Corridor (think of
Phoenix and Tucson, amoeba-like, spreading toward each other and becoming one mass)
looms large on the landscape and is predicted to be inevitable. 5 A Megapolitan, as defined
by Virginia Tech Metropolitan Institute, is “two or more metropolitan areas with anchor
principal cities between 50 and 200 miles apart that will have an employment interchange
measure of 15% by 2040 based on projection.” Signs of this merging of Tucson and Phoenix
are evident as development to the north of Tucson and to the south of Phoenix continues
and sleepy communities such as Casa Grande, more or less midway between to the two
cities, are now known for acres of houses and big box development. Is this Megapolitan
concept merely a transition from suburban sprawl?
The collapse of the real estate market has been felt everywhere, but it has been more
intense in the Phoenix area than most parts of the country. A report on housing in the
Phoenix area published by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University
stated, “Since the market peaked in 2006 (after price hikes of 74%-81%), the southwest
region has fallen the most—59%—with the central and northwest regions close behind.” 6
Sprawl is not unique to Phoenix, of course. All Southwest cities—Tucson, Las Vegas,
Albuquerque, and El Paso—have their own challenges with sprawl and its effects. However,
Phoenix is an especially good case study on sprawl due to its size, its various attempts to
address the problems of sprawl, and its dramatic boom-and-bust growth swings since