If air conditioning is top 3, blinds (the kind that actually keeps heat out, which you find in Mediterranean countries, not the shitty ones you put inside the room) are worth a Nobel prize.
And stepwells, and latticework false walls, and high ceilings, and ventilators at the top of the house, and having a false-basement thing in houses where it's a bit cooler in the afternoons, and siestas and walking slowly from place to place, and loose-fitting linen clothing, and lemonade. But no. My shitty white plastic Carrier A/C is all I care about. Housing in the US is depressingly shite.
I think the idea is that Americans want to live like northern Europeans regardless of the actual climate of where they are.
Stepwells are picturesque, but they are also a public health nightmare.
Agreed. We're just learning now, in the current heatwave, how effective blackout blinds are in keep the heat out (white coloured backing facing the sun). It's great.
Look at Spain, Italy or Greece on Google Maps (or southern France too). You'll see that they put blinds outside the building.