SW-NCA-color-FINALweb

278 assessment of climate change in the southwest united statesdevelopment patterns and constrain the potential for mitigation and adaptation to climatechange. Cities are the products of a particular historical period; most in the Southwestwere shaped by the concerns and aspirations of the early twentieth century. Thesecities were built in a time when there seemed to be no resource constraints, and so theirlocation and form may be less appropriate and functional than in generations past, asclimate changes over the next century and beyond. What were hot summers in Phoenix,for example, may become extremely hot summers by the second half of the century, affectinggenerations that are not yet born.Government characteristics of large metropolitan regions in the SouthwestThe largest metropolitan regions in each state are Albuquerque (New Mexico), Denver(Colorado), Las Vegas (Nevada), Los Angeles (California), Phoenix (Arizona), and SaltLake City (Utah). One characteristic of Southwest cities is that they are often part ofmuch larger urbanized regions. For example, the city of Los Angeles is one of eightyeightcities in Los Angeles County, a fully urbanized political jurisdiction. To distinguishLos Angeles from the other cities within the county in terms of its climate contributionsor impacts is difficult, as all are intertwined through shared infrastructure and airsheds(shared paths of airflow and pollutants). Thus, one of the important obstacles for citiesrelative to potential impacts of climate change and adaptation is coordinating governancein complex, fragmented metropolitan regions.Jurisdictional boundaries in these metropolitan areas are particularly importantfor the management of environmental resources. Political jurisdictions—such as cities,counties, and special district governments—are superimposed upon ecosystems, watersheds,groundwater resources, and climate zones in ways that do not conform to theirphysical processes and properties, making it challenging to manage them in a coherentor integrated fashion. There are few requirements for coordinated management or integratedapproaches across jurisdictions with regard to infrastructure, natural resources,or any of the daily tasks of local government. This jurisdictional fragmentation of thebuilt environment and infrastructure is complex and place-specific, making it complicatedto manage emissions from these large urban areas or to plan and implement mitigationand adaptation measures to address climate impacts. For example, coordinatedwatershed management for greater water recapture and reuse is difficult because of thenumber of jurisdictions that have to be integrated (Green 2007). Jurisdictional complexity,differences in scale, and differences in the way data are gathered and made availableare significant problems to overcome in order to understand regional contributions toclimate change and how those regions may respond.Southwest cities as distinctive federal creationsTo understand the distinctiveness of Southwest cities, it is useful to put their developmentin historical context. As the nation developed, lands west of the 100th meridianwere a source of interest to the federal government (because of their potential) and ofspecial concern (due to their aridity). For the region to become populous and developa viable economy, providing water was essential (see also Chapter 10). Localities, territories,and states lacked sufficient resources to develop the size and scale of water projectsnecessary to move water long distances and store it for when it was needed, or the