I just picked up the latest issue of National Geographic and this excellent story about Orlando, Florida and Walt Disney exemplifies everything I dislike about Disneyland, Disney World and the homogenization of American suburbs. Those of you who care about this type of thing know what I mean, especially if you live in a place with abundant natural beauty like Tucson, AZ.

Developers here love to level Sonoran Desert land to bare soil and build huge, cookie-cutter homes 20 feet apart. (AZ residential zoning!) Sometimes they leave some natural desert between homes as green belts, especially in the more affluent developments. Then they go in and plant palm trees and oleanders, and couple of cactus so it looks more like San Diego than Tucson. Of course, they paint the homes different shades of tan and beige and put the same gravel in each front yard. At least there are no lawns because of water shortages.

Then of course these folks freak out when they spot a rattlesnake or bobcat in their yard! I know that people want to live in Tucson and other nice areas because they are outside the big cities, where folks can have more land. But can’t we learn to use the land wisely and save natural areas around developments? Can’t all developers learn to work with state wildlife organizations so there are migration corridors left for animals? Can’t they all learn to keep native plants instead of leveling the land? Why do neighborhoods and suburbs turn into Disneyland: sterile, insect and animal free, uniform, ordered, beige, lawn-infested, boring, with fake lakes and ponds and non-native plants everywhere? I don’t want to live in a theme park, that’s for sure.