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Research Article

Do Sustainable Urban Designs Generate More Ecosystem Services? A Case Study of Civano in Tucson, Arizona

By Turner, V. K., & Galletti, C. S.

Full Citation

Turner, V. K., & Galletti, C. S. (2015). Do sustainable urban designs generate more ecosystem services? A case study of Civano in Tucson, Arizona. The Professional Geographer, 67(2), 204-217.

Key Findings

Using the case study of Civano, a planned development that was designed and marketed as a sustainable community in Tucson, Arizona, we quantify fine-scale differences in urban form and delivery of ecosystem services. We found that the urban design of the first phase of development translated to the lowest surface temperatures and highest albedo and vegetative density. The first and second phases of the development greatly reduced potable water consumption through the addition of nonpotable resources; however, the second phase had higher temperatures and less dense vegetation. Our results show modest improvements in environmental performance through sustainable urbanism and suggest further refinement in fine-scale spatial analysis of the role of urban design in the provisioning of services.

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