- For Soleri, architecture and ecology were twin components of man’s relationship with nature – by treating cities as living, breathing, evolving organisms, humans could live in harmony with nature and with each other. He dubbed his defining philosophy arcology, a portmanteau of ‘architecture’ and ‘ecology’.
- Then again, it’s not as though Arcosanti itself is a perfect example of an arcology. It’s population has been stagnant for years. If arcology is the future of mankind, is it a mankind made up solely of bell-casters and ageing hippies?
beeeep Paging veen. veen, come in. you are needed for input on the post 259323. Thank you.
To my knowledge heavily "planned" cities like Brasília, Naypyidaw, and Washington DC are significantly less livable than older cities that develop organically. These cities often feature enormous, unnatural boulevards. These massive surface level highways separate neighborhoods, isolate communities, and prioritize cars over all other forms of transportation.
I own a 1st edition of Arcology. It's dope. It's also outsider art. Here's what they don't tell you about Paolo Soleri: the only things he ever designed that got built were: 1) Ceramica Artistica Solimene on the Amalfi coast. 2) Cosanti. 3) Arcosanti. Prior to starting out on Arcosanti, he had about as much urban planning experience and training as I do, which is to say less than Veen does. Arcosanti is dope - don't get me wrong. But an "arcology" it ain't. It's a hippie commune. The vibe there is pretty much "the Mos Eisley spaceport 10 years after the Empire bails." The inhabitants aren't aging, they're all in their late teens and early 20s. And they're not "building" Arcosanti, they're keeping it from sinking into the sand. The basic envelope hasn't changed in 20 years and the additions on Arcosanti aren't a part of any obvious master plan. It's also worth pointing out that arcologies and "planned cities" don't have a whole helluva lot in common. Arcologies were envisioned as a way to free up farmland in a Rachel Carson Silent Spring future in which our choices were Soylent Green or Mad Max. We definitely have an attraction to big f'n buildings but we have yet to successfully justify one. Planned cities, on the other hand... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brasilia_-_Plan.JPG Well, things haven't gone smoothly.
