Twenty years after its completion, Civano remains a valuable model to emulate for environmentally appropriate growth accommodation, and creation of resilient communities of lasting value. It combines an aggressive environmental sustainability protocol with the social and design tenants of the new urbanism to create a model alternative to sprawl development.

Civano is a retrospective study of a pioneering urban development project in the Sonora Desert that was built in a traditional urban form based on a combined social, and environmental protocol.
In this book, the authors examine both the history and evolution of this unique architectural and urbanist experiment, and consider lessons learned that can lead to a new model of growth accommodation and community building that is more politically intelligent, environmentally responsible, and socially resilient.