About This Issue

摘要

The five articles in this omnibus issue report on research and scholarly work conducted in North America and on a map of Rome, Italy. Research methods used by the authors range from quantitative and qualitative survey research and design performance evaluation to historiography. Among the authors, there are three associate professors and two assistant professors at institutions in the United States. The article by Courtney Crosson examines the potential of transitioning Tucson, Arizona, to a net zero water balance, where water demand in the city equals locally available water supply by 2050. The article concludes that urban design strategies must assess all water as a single resource system. It suggests new forms and languages to integrate alternative water sources with existing city fabrics to achieve sustainable net zero balance water systems. In another setting in the desert landscape of southern Arizona, Kirk Dimond adapts the theoretical pattern language popularized by Christopher Alexander and colleagues in developing a new pattern for integrating solar photovoltaic cells into the urban landscape. He argues that such a system must efficiently integrate the location of solar energy production with the location of energy consumption to reduce energy sprawl in rural landscapes as growth of renewable energy systems continues to rise. The article surveys the judgment of various energy professionals in proposing a solar photovoltaic pattern for use in the urban environment.