Houston,,, not really a desert:http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm I lived in both Arizona and Te

Houston,,, not really a desert:http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm I lived in both Arizona and Texas, and the issue is only supersonically the same. But even given that, I must agree with the spirit of the parent comment remark. Though, having spent some time in both Tucson and Phoenix, I'd strongly argue that the heat island affect just makes a bad situation worse. Replacing concrete with parks is a win virtually 100% of the time in that regard. Not to mention quality of life. The out door shopping in AZ and CA is much more pleasant than that of the strip mall experience.