Arizona's "Sky Village"

[colin]

Interesting cover story in the Tucson Weekly this week about a new concept in rural living: so-called "sky villages" which focus on harmony with nature and, in particular, the celestial pristine-ness of the rural sections of our state.

Community Under the Stars

There are other small-scale developments similar to this in the state, even near to the metros, including the Arcosanti "eco-village", but I believe that this is the first of its kind.

One thing that caught my eye:

The residents will be allowed to clear the scrub brush in the foreground, but must leave the desert landscaping as pristine as possible.

[traal]

That's really neat! It further cements Arizona's international reputation for astronomy. I hope they are able to preserve enough land surrounding the community to prevent more light from polluting their sky, although the article says the surrounding mountains should also help.

[colin]

I'm amazed that it got built at all. That area's gorgeous, but it has such a bad rep among landowners right now because of the border.