They do and the cities around the valley here often provide free trees to homeowners and have programs where they are trying to fill in as much as they can with shade. Some subsidized by the power companies I believe, to reduce power consumption by putting shade next to homes. I ride my bike a lot around the city here and there are a lot of sections with fantastic tree cover on paths and parks. Of course there are also barren sections, but trees can grow well and it is discussed often locally to plant them.

This is kind of overblown. I live in the Phoenix valley suburban sprawl and there are shopping centers mixed with the suburban zones every 1 mile at major intersections. I can already ride my bicycle to yoga, bars, restaurants, and grocery within easy range. These discussions use Phoenix as examples of bad design but I really don't get it and ride my bike all the time anyway. There are canal paths and stores spread out everywhere in the suburbs.