You missed the point. There are alternatives to green watered lawns or urban concrete. When people live in arid climes sometimes they don't try to force what's not natural. As far as ABQ goes, I lived there 40 + years ago. The gravel rock yard adaptation had been there quite a while before I arrived and the choice isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's a desert.
In addition to having yards that are a natural response to the environmental conditions in which they live, some people like it and some people love it. Others live in Florida.
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