There's definitely an argument for building homes more conducive to cooling (something plenty of Southern Europeans would jive with), but that's not an argument against AC -- it's just for maximizing AC's efficiency.

The neighborhood I live in right now was built at the height of the oil crisis, so we have all of these houses (not mine lol) that are built into the ground and have windows arranged to avoid direct sunlight during most of the day. The people in them probably are happy with their choices.