In his debut book 鈥淎merican Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest鈥 author Kyle Paoletta explores the past and present of the region with the hope the rest of the country might learn to adapt.
Five cities are targeted in the book 鈥 Albuquerque, El Paso, Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas, Nevada.
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But it's a dry heat: 'American Oasis' delves into how five cities successfully emerged from the deserts of the Southwest
Kyle Paoletta
Courtesy of Amy Reichenbach
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