| Cross-Country Ramble 15: A
Tale of Two Cities Sent: 96-04-30 20:46:03 EDT
Palm Springs and Phoenix have a lot in common. Both are
recently-big southwestern US cities plunked down in the middle of
the desert. Both have access to water that they pipe in from great
distances. Both have attracted big populations of retirees and
snow-birds. It's been weeks since we biked through these cities, but
they continue to be on my mind. I'm puzzled: how could two cities
that have so much in common display such apparently different values
with respect to water use?
Diving down from the high desert into the Palm Springs area as we
did is like being transported instantly to the wet side of Kauai
(the wettest of the Hawaiian islands). It's green. It's humid. It's
lush. We see tropical plants on all sides. Where the plants aren't,
there's lush green recently mown grass. Water is everywhere in
evidence. Sprinklers are soaking the landscape and the excess runs
down the streets. "Oasis" doesn't describe this. An oasis is defined
by the surrounding desert. Here, the desert is almost out of sight
and out of mind. This has more the look and feel of a wonderfully
landscaped jungle movie set. It's as though a whole city--actually a
whole group of cities--decided to create an effect that was as
different as possible from the natural condition of the land they
are built on.
Phoenix has a much different look and feel. The sides of the
streets and highways are lined with the same plants we saw in the
surrounding desert. The green limbs of the apparently leafless Palo
Verde trees contrast with their abundant yellow blossoms. Mesquite
abounds. We see all kinds of cacti, including the famous armed
Saguaro. Many are blooming. Between the plants, more often than not,
we see various kinds and colors of gravel and sand. Most homes and
business places echo the desert theme. Phoenix is a big city that
somehow has the appearance of being a community that is still part
of the desert. This city seems so associated with desert that when
we see a fountain used as an accent, as at the entrance to a
shopping area, the sight of the naked water is almost shocking. This
natural look, like the so-called natural look of some models,
doesn't come without effort, of course. Phoenix is a highly
landscaped city--more landscaped than most. Moreover, this natural
look is not low-maintenance. We see gardeners out and about trimming
and raking, and we know that irrigation systems are everywhere in
place to provide the water needed to keep even desert plants looking
this good.
I can't get these two cities out of my mind. It's not that one is
natural and one is not. Clearly both communities spend a lot of time
and effort on their makeup--uh, their public appearance. So, how did
it happen? How did these two communities with so much in common
decide they wanted to look so different? Well, how did they decide
they should look like anything in particular anyway? Do these
decisions tell us anything about their values? If so what?
One thing I like about biking is that it gives me lots of time to
turn things over in my mind. After a couple of day's reflection on
what we saw in these two cities, I had some conclusions to write
about, but I didn't do it. Now, after a couple of weeks of mulling,
the time came to write, but the answers I thought I had have
evaporated, leaving only the questions behind.
Ken
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