Even as more people and companies flock to the state for its climate and economic opportunities, Arizona's water supplies are facing historic shortages.

"Arizona’s annual gross domestic product, nearing $380 billion, has more than doubled since 2000. New solar installations, electric vehicle makers, computer chip manufacturers, data centers, and corporate farming companies are piling into the state." Meanwhile, Phoenix is now the fifth largest city in the country. But as Keith Schneider writes, the state's booming growth is threatened by strained water supplies and dire projections for the future.
Climate change is disrupting the rules of the development game. Drought and extreme heat are emptying rivers and reservoirs, fallowing tens of thousands of acres of farmland, forcing thousands of homeowners to secure water from trucks and not their dead wells, and pushing Arizona ever closer to the precipice of peril.
The Colorado River, which provides over a third of the state's water supply, is 20 percent lower now than two decades ago. And, as we have covered in Planetizen previously, the two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both bordering Arizona, "now hold less water than at any time since soon after they were opened" at 30 percent capacity.
According to the article, the state is starting to take a harder look at ways to reduce its water usage and conserve for the future, but housing construction continues even as Arizona farmers face water shortages, some forced to reduce the amount of crops they grow.
FULL STORY: At Peak of Its Wealth and Influence, Arizona’s Desert Civilization Confronts A Reckoning Over Water

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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