Houses with rooftop systems collect rainwater and generate energy. A man pulls a cart carrying groceries. A couple bikes to a nearby park.
People walk to church, children to school.
Now picture that on a grander scale. The government of the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, with help from the University of Texas, plans such a city near the Texas border at Colombia , north of Laredo along the Rio Grande. Today, Colombia is a small, century-old village of 500 residents. It is an ambitious project, but surely feasible. Colombia represents a new chance to do things right from the start and implement on a grand scale what has been demonstrated to be successful in smaller projects around the globe.