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When using the term “desert”, we often think of a barren landscape, devoid of life and activity. In reality, deserts are active, environments as plants and animals adapt to limited resources and harsh conditions. A delicate balance to support this ecosphere can easily be upset with disastrous consequences. Those living within the desert may be unaware of their precarious existence but an outside observer can appreciate its fragility.
Deserts can exist in a different context as well. These are similar to those of sand dunes, lacking an ample supply of one or more vital resources. In some cases, just as the addition of an “s” transforms the word desert to dessert, with proper management a can bloom and thrive. A current challenge for our cities is the immense pressure to create affordable housing. Unfortunately, supply is woefully short of demand, creating an affordable housing desert.
Currently we are witnessing the demise of small and medium size business. As the insatiable hunger for housing continues, vacant land and existing commercial property is disappearing as tightly-packed housing units that often masquerade as retail “mixed use” projects. Many of these have lminimal retail space and cannot form a nucleus of commercial energy for themselves or additional shops. This lack of retail vitality can easily descend into a retail desert.
The idea of complete communities includes housing of course. But, people living in those houses, condominiums or apartments need a full range of services nearby as well. Schools, offices, ideal. The destruction of existing retail or land that could be used for retail operations is antithetical to that vision. The magic bullet of mass transit has also lost some of its shine as some of the workforce has transitioned to home-based telecommuting. We cannot afford to ignore where, when and how deserts are created or strengthened. To live successfully in a desert, conservation of limited resources is mandatory. Can we or should we adjust to life in the desert?
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