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Civano Provides Sustainable Alternatives |
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Civano, a 1,000-acre new community in Tucson, Arizona, combines environmentally sound building practices and new urban design principles to provide an alternative to urban sprawl and its consequent loss of community and open space, traffic congestion, air pollution, and poor use of resources. Located on the rapidly developing southeast edge of the city at the foot of the Rincon Mountains, the planned community will include homes, a neighborhood center with office and retail space, and educational and recreational facilities. Special zoning also allows for in-home businesses and offices. "Civano is a New Urbanist planned community, but it is different in that it adds environmental, energy efficiency, and affordability layers," says Lee Rayburn, director of design and planning for the Community of Civano. Civano's residential and business developments must meet sustainable development performance standards, such as consuming 50 percent less energy, using 54 percent less potable water, and producing 60 percent less solid waste than the current, already high Tucson standard. By using pedestrian-friendly New Urbanist planning, developers also sought to reduce the number of miles that residents drive by 40 percent. In addition, the community is committed to creating affordable housing and jobs in Civano. Civano is becoming a reality through an ambitious partnership of city, county, state, and federal governmental agencies, in cooperation with various developers and community and citizens groups. Fannie Mae initially invested in the project as a passive investor, but in 2000 it became the sole owner of the project through its American Communities Fund (ACF). Civano is also a key project of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing, a HUD-led public-private initiative to improve the quality, durability, environmental performance, energy efficiency, and affordability of the nation's housing. Three builders are active in Civano: KE&G Homes, SolarBuilt Homes, and T.J. Bednar Homes. Two more builders, Doucett Homes and Contravest Properties, are just beginning to sell homes. Letting homeowners choose sustainability. "When designing the houses, we encouraged the builders to think of the house as a whole system and to figure out ways to make it more energy efficient," says Rayburn. Designs use passive solar principles, energy-efficient building envelopes, and proven alternative building materials, including straw bale, adobe brick, Integra block, structurally insulated panels, and RASTRA (a lightweight product composed of 85-percent recycled polystyrene foam). Most homes in Civano are built using wood framing, but builders also use techniques to improve the energy efficiency of traditional wood frame homes. Homebuyers can chose to install active solar features, such as water heaters and photovoltaics (devices which generate electricity from the sun), which take advantage of the city's average of 360 days a year of sunshine. All homes include solar control glazing, which, depending upon the season, helps reduce energy loss or gain. Some homes use structural insulated panel walls and roofs. All homes have active solar hot water heating systems to improve energy efficiency and take advantage of Tucson's huge solar capital. Civano's developers estimate that the community's strict energy and building codes will result in enough energy savings to prevent 1 billion pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere over the next 2 decades. Currently home to approximately 90 families, Civano will add as many as 2,000 residences over the next 7 years, including both rental and homeownership units. The community's xeriscaping program— landscaping that uses drought-tolerant plants, heavy mulch, and limited grass areas—saves 50 desert trees and plants for every acre developed. Plants salvaged from construction areas are moved to community facilities and individual lots in such a way that they provide shade in the summer and solar gain in the winter. Homes take advantage of the area's brief periods of rainfall by channeling runoff water to planted areas or into containers for later use. In addition, the community has a dual-use water reclamation system, which, like that of the city as a whole, makes some water safe for drinking while reserving other, less processed water for irrigation uses. The Civano Neighborhood Center, which currently houses the Visitors' Center, contains a state-of-the-art water conservation system that includes harvested rainwater, reclaimed water, and gray water strategies that reduce potable water use in outdoor areas by up to 65 percent. A community of mixed uses. Civano was designed to provide comfortable walking and biking distances. One-half of the residences and two-thirds of the jobs will be located no more than a 5-minute walk from the Civano Neighborhood Center. Many salvaged trees were replanted along the foot and bike paths. Streets are relatively narrow, and on-street parking is allowed. These measures "create an environment that puts pedestrians, bikes, and automobiles on a more equal footing," says Rayburn. The original master plan calls for a town center for commercial, cultural, and civic activities, with retailers such as a cafˇ and grocery store in the Neighborhood Center. Currently, four businesses, including the community's development office and a plant nursery, as well as a few home-based businesses, are located within the community. Unlike most New Urbanist communities, which tend to be targeted to high-income buyers, Civano is aimed at the middle-income market, with homes ranging in price from just above $100,000 to approximately $250,000. Ten percent of the housing will be priced at just under $100,000, making these homes affordable for households that earn up to 80 percent of the median income, or approximately $45,000 per year, in Tucson. Civano is committed to helping create one job for every two residential units built. The first commercial tenant was Global Solar Energy LLC, which designs photovoltaic materials for solar energy panels for defense-related, off-grid, and low-voltage energy applications. Global Solar will eventually employ 75 people. Because a Civano home costs 10 to 15 percent more per square foot than a typical Tucson house, Civano makes a concerted effort to sell potential buyers on the energy efficiency, health, and lifestyle benefits of the development. "We are trying to get people to think about the lasting value rather than the cost. We have found that if they make that shift, they'll buy," says Rayburn. From idea to reality. Civano, a Hohokum Indian word for "balance with nature," began as an idea for a "solar village" during the 1970s energy crisis. Despite the backing of environmental activists, forward-looking developers, and then-Governor of Arizona Bruce Babbitt, the idea never advanced until 6 years ago, when Tucson recast the Civano idea in terms of the broader concept of sustainability. In 1994 the city of Tucson appointed a full-time project manager to Civano to promote the project locally and nationally to prospective developers. Civano was organized as a public-private partnership of the city of Tucson; the Community of Civano, LLC; and Case Enterprises Development Corporation. Environmental and market research firms, architects and designers, homebuilding firms, and state and regional government agencies were also involved. The city invested $3 million on roads, water, and sewer improvements. Fannie Mae's ACF, dedicated to innovation in housing, initially invested in Civano only as a passive investor. However, that initial investment has grown substantially, as ACF has become the sole owner of the project. "Fannie Mae's investment was crucial," says Rayburn, because private investors, even those accustomed to providing backing for affordable developments, were initially cautious about the untested concept. "Fannie Mae gave us the seed money to get us going and the continuing support to keep us alive." For more information, contact: Lee Rayburn, Director of Design and Planning, Community of Civano, 10501 East Seven Generations Way, Tucson, AZ 85747, (520) 298-8900, www.civano.com. Or see: Innovative Local Economic Development Programs, U.S. Department of Commerce, November 1999, and Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes, Judith Corbett, 2000.
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