Why are SO many Illinois folk attracted to Arizona? (Chicago: tornado, living in)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bill-

It doesn't really upset me though as I am sure the house I grew up in sat on what once was someone else's playground.

You see, that bugs me, big time. It really bugs me when I see pristine desert mowed down for some homes or a shopping center.

[aragx6]

It should bug you. It should bug us all.

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

You see, that bugs me, big time. It really bugs me when I see pristine desert mowed down for some homes or a shopping center.

But it was ok to clear the land that your house sits on ?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bill-

But it was ok to clear the land that your house sits on ?

Building upon bought cornfields, while still bad, doesnt compare to tearing down super old saguaros, etc. The desert ecosystem is far more fragile than ours, and therefore should be treated with more respect IMO. You could come through a prairie and burn it down, and withing a year or two it will be flourishing again, unlike the Sonoran Desert, where some cacti take hundreds of years to mature.

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Building upon bought cornfields, while still bad, doesnt compare to tearing down super old saguaros, etc. The desert ecosystem is far more fragile than ours, and therefore should be treated with more respect IMO. You could come through a prairie and burn it down, and withing a year or two it will be flourishing again, unlike the Sonoran Desert, where some cacti take hundreds of years to mature.

So what would you suggest, limiting the private property rights of individuals to prevent development ? Saguaros are protected and can't be "torn down" they have to be incorporated into the layout or salvaged and relocated.

[desert student]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

You see, that bugs me, big time. It really bugs me when I see pristine desert mowed down for some homes or a shopping center.

So developing desert (which serves little purpose to society other than beauty, and recreation, and is in almost endless supply throughout the region) is worse than building cheap plastic homes and ugly, tacky strip malls on farmland (which Illinois is host to some of the most fertile in the world, and can never be reclaimed once built upon). I guess putting large amounts of people on an area that globally benefits few, compared to that which is the core of the "bread basket of the world" is worse? I guess the starving children of the world, that depend on American food for their nourishment, can thank Chicago for building cookie cutter condos on their food source. But heaven forbid we make the life of an ecosystem in a small area, in the middle of the desert, just a little but harder. Now what is the dumbest post of the year?

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by desert student

So developing desert (which serves little purpose to society other than beauty, and recreation, and is in almost endless supply throughout the region) is worse than building cheap plastic homes and ugly, tacky strip malls on farmland (which Illinois is host to some of the most fertile in the world, and can never be reclaimed once built upon). I guess putting large amounts of people on an area that globally benefits few, compared to that which is the core of the "bread basket of the world" is worse? I guess the starving children of the world, that depend on American food for their nourishment, can thank Chicago for building cookie cutter condos on their food source. But heaven forbid we make the life of an ecosystem in a small area, in the middle of the desert, just a little but harder. Now what is the dumbest post of the year?

Both regions have their own unique qualities. Both regions need to practice sustainable development appropriate to the geography, climate, ecosystems and landforms.

I know one thing that the Phoenix area, could do a little better, is to keep development off steep slopes (which tend to be more pristine, than the flat lands which may have indeed been farmed), do more multi-family denser development, doing some infill development around downtown Phoenix.

Golf courses!!! Golf courses!!!! What the hell are golf courses doing in the Sonoran desert!! Thats rediculous.

I like the laws that requiring xeriscaping (desert landscaping), no lawns. Things like that are good.

In NE Illinois, ordinances that require some amount of land being protected is good. Prairie Crossing in Grayslake is considered a model ecologically sensitive development. Lots of prairie restoration and even an organic farm that you can buy produce from. There are ways to develop more sensitively.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by desert student

So developing desert (which serves little purpose to society other than beauty, and recreation, and is in almost endless supply throughout the region) is worse than building cheap plastic homes and ugly, tacky strip malls on farmland (which Illinois is host to some of the most fertile in the world, and can never be reclaimed once built upon). I guess putting large amounts of people on an area that globally benefits few, compared to that which is the core of the "bread basket of the world" is worse? I guess the starving children of the world, that depend on American food for their nourishment, can thank Chicago for building cookie cutter condos on their food source. But heaven forbid we make the life of an ecosystem in a small area, in the middle of the desert, just a little but harder. Now what is the dumbest post of the year?

I agree. I'm not sure how building on top of sand, is any less eco friendly than building on top farmland. If you were to tear one of those Phoenix subdivsions down, you would be left would what you started with. I may not be a geologist, but sand is sand in my book. Once you put a subdivision on top of that great Illinois soil it ruins it, and you may never be able to farm it again. The sprawl of western Chicagoland is just as bad, if not worse than Phoenix's. I'm not saying that one area is more deserving to be preserved than the other. But between the two I think Phoenix is more deserving of sprawl than Chicago is.

[aragx6]

You're right. You're obviously not a geologist.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by aragx6

You're right. You're obviously not a geologist.

Well if it came down to sand or world class soil, which one would you feel less guilty puting your house on?