Move over, neoclassical. Take a hike, new urbanism. Forget the Jetsons. There's a new future metropolis on the block. It's painted in a rainbow of purple, cactus-green and rust. It's built of strawbale, adobe, structural insulated panels, rammed earth, extra-insulated wood framing and rastra. Its diverse community of residents harvests rainwater, uses passive solar systems, and turns on to photovoltaics.

And, most importantly, they can afford to live there. This is Civano, home of "sustainability," the latest catch-word in new community development to promulgate the symbiotic interdependence between people and the environment.

Science fiction?

Science fact.

Combining traditional neighborhood elements (narrow pedestrian-friendly streets, garages in the back of homes and other "neoclassical" design features) with "green" building - reusable and efficient energy sources, systems, materials and techniques - Civano is Arizona's smart-growth answer to suburban sprawl, urban congestion, energy waste and ecological destruction.

It's not easy to get past all the technological builder-speak. But Civano has already passed muster with the President's Council on Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. The council, made up of representatives from business, government and non-profit groups, was set up by President Clinton in 1993 to develop a national strategy for sustainable development.

Civano is one of a few communities writing the book on sustainable development. The development is a public-private partnership between Tucson and Case Enterprises, a real-estate investment firm.

Together, they plan to develop 1,145 acres with 2,800 homes in four neighborhoods of homes priced from $90,000 to $300,000 with lower-density units fanning out from higher-density attached homes nearer the core. Tract home builders and custom construction firms are among the builders.

One of the companies, SolarBuilt, is constructing masonry homes with solar water heaters, solar electric systems and green-building materials such as engineered lumber, wheat board for shelving and carpet and tile manufactured with recycled materials.

Each home is being built to standards that are 50 percent above the current national model energy code and each distinct neighborhood will include a retail center and business core expected to generate 1,200 jobs within walking distance to Civano residents. Pedestrian-friendly, the development includes almost 400 acres left as open space with trails, bike paths and parks. One million square feet of commercial space already has its first tenant, Global Solar a manufacturer of photovoltaic panels.

The development's focal point is community center housing an art gallery, cafe, offices and open spaces for community activities and kicking back. In keeping with the development's theme of conservation the center's cylindrical shape is made of 16-inch fired adobe bricks to generate thermal mass and help stop summer heat gain. Inside, a cool tower, similar to a fan-less evaporative cooler, much like Middle Eastern wind towers, helps keep air flowing and cooled. Rainwater harvesting provides water for the tower.

Additional buildings are constructed of rastra, a cement and foam material, and strawbale, a waste product of wheat. Other sustainable energy designs and techniques used in the community center district include a solar water heater, roof-top photovoltaic cells, and passive solar design -- a balcony and overhang to shade office windows from the hot summer sun away from office windows.

Plants and trees, preserved from the site, add shade and color. In keeping with conservation, as many desert plants as possible - about 65 percent - were preserved and replanted within Civano.

In addition to the White House, Civano has attracted attention and funding from two other agencies.

Fannie Mae tapped it's American Communities Fund to grant $5 million to Civano. The fund was established to help finance hard-to-finance affordable housing and community development available.

Health issues prompted the American Lung Association, to select Civano for its Health House project, a nationwide program designed to improve indoor air quality. Two demonstration homes near Civano meet the association's requirements for healthful living: construction with non-toxic materials and indoor air comfort and ventilation designs.

Published: November 29, 1999

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A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the Deadline Newsroom.