I took the above photo from a recent ride on the Santa Fe railroad. Top 10 Stupid Suburban Housing Attributes in America 10. Grass is not edible and it wastes a great deal of water.
Little attention is paid to orientation or passive solar design.
No thermal mass used in the design. Most houses with Natural Gas heat are not able to control heat on a per-room basis. All the water used by a household is potable. Only a tiny percentage needs to be, it is senseless to flush a toilet or water a lawn with drinking water. It is not easy to ventilate the entire house.