Sprawling To The Biosphere

1 June 2006 - 11:00am

When The Biosphere was originally built in 1991, it was in the middle of nowhere in the Sonoran Desert. Today, hyper suburban development between Tucson and Phoenix threatens its very existence.

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"In 1991, eight researchers in dark blue Star Trek-style uniforms entered Biosphere 2 -- a vast terrarium in the Arizona desert north of Tucson -- hoping to spend two years inside without importing food, water or even air. The goal was to see whether the sealed environment, considered a microcosm of the Earth's, could become self-sustaining.

As it turns out, the real science experiment was going on outside, as development conquered vast swaths of the Sonoran Desert. The Biosphere, miles from nowhere when it was built in the 1980's, is now within the reach of a building boom streaking north from Tucson and south from Phoenix (and which some demographers say will eventually join the two cities, once 100 miles apart).

The Biosphere was designed to simulate the Earth's environment. By succumbing to sprawl, it may have done just that."

Source: The New York Times, May 30, 2006

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Biosphere Estates

Biosphere sunk costs: $200 million
Biosphere land value: $ 40 million

Getting to name your new housing development
after the feature it will raze: Priceless