Agreed. Also behaviorally. So many people would tell me I was crazy for living without A/C while they were standing in their house with the blinds open, windows closed, dishwasher and stove on in the middle of the day. If you make your home into a greenhouse with a heater in the middle, yeah it's gonna be hot - maybe don't do that.
But I think my last phrase is the issue. People really hate having to not do what they want, when they want. Like not cooking or whatever until the cool part of the day, when the heat can be managed by ventilation.
I also neglected to add that I have shade trees :-)
You just described a typical suburban 'smart development', which is not dense at all by european standards, and really it is just like a typical strip mall area eveloved a bit, but still way behind.
Fredericksburg & New Braunfels have major German culture and German buildings from the 1800s, but they are larger cities now as they have expanded, but the downtown areas reflect what you guys want, but ya' know, connected to the world via roads.
Most of Texas small towns have co-ops, communities of 3000 give or take, and it's all walkable and drivable (usually one road going through them linking towns via backroads)
Usually they are pretty self sufficient because they are isolated, but you still need roads to connect the outer farms and other towns for supplies to reach downtown, and when you want to travel to bigger cities for larger hospitals, cinemas, family, clubs, etc. In West Texas you need it especially because good luck growing anything there.
This author is just ignoring existing culture and trying to apply direct European culture ignoring the fact that immigrants from those cultures have already merged and influenced small towns across Texas.
My advice, take a road trip through the backroads that connect Texas, you'll get a large dose of many cultures, nice people, great food, and massive highschool football games for entertainment on Friday nights.
Also, Texas is a big place. It spans multiple climate zones. The author seems to be describing West Texas but other parts of the state are completely different.
My advice * It's hot! (And often very very humid depending on local. ) You need AC. * The worst part of Texas towns are 4 lane highways bisecting most of them. Avoid that... * But you still have to plan to allow people to use cars. That has to be incorporated into the design. As does pedestrian and cycling life. All need to be facilitated to some degree. * Sidewalks, please. I've lived in FL, OR and now TX in the past 5 years. Far to many residential streets in all these places completely lack sidewalks. It makes taking an evening stroll with the family stressful when you are sharing the space with cars. * Parks. Can't have enough of them.