"It also kinda sorta ties in to my topic on Modern Southwest architecture. Even though all those homes have central AC, they still have designs that work with the climate (like outside eating and entertaining). So we can actually have architecture that is "the best of both worlds", but in many areas we don't."
Exactly.
Architecture, especially in areas where it gets not only hot but ungodly humid, like Washington, DC, has really changed dramatically since the introduction of the air conditioner.
For many years rooms got smaller, especially if the house was to be served by window shakers instead of central air. That's changing now that central air is more common, and floor plans are opening up a lot.
Porches pretty much disappeared, as did balconies. That's also changing, thankfully.
Ceiling heights standardized at 8 feet.
Windows got a lot smaller, and there were in most cases a lot fewer of them.
In a lot of ways air conditioning gave rise to the cookie cutter house.
I used to think I'd love to have a house like the one I grew up in, or the one Mom lived in for years -- a big, old, Victorian with tons of charm, eclectic rooms, high ceilings, etc.
Now as I'm getting older I realize that no, I do not want that, not only because it's a pain in the ass to take care of, you also generally have to give up central air conditioning.
