Arcology: The City in the Image of Man

Arcology is the fusion of architecture with ecology. An urban experiment was envisioned by the US-based Italian architect who started by working closely with Frank Lloyd Wright, yet had a very different concept for urban spaces later. Instead of imposing cities on the environment, he oped for more sustainable, communal, and natural solutions. In the 70s, he started to create his progressive urban planning concept Arcosanti (Archology + Cosanti - which means anti-things), in the higher elevation of the Arizona desert. According to the plans and sketches, he wanted to build a city for thousands of people, a living organism connected to its resources and environmental conditions. A modernist version of Utopia?

Even though devoted volunteers helped build Arcosanti for decades, this bold idea was never fully executed. The vision of peaceful coexistence between community members and surrounding nature was pure and beautiful, just on the sketches. In reality, it was validated by its very creator. A few years ago, the architect's daughter Daniela Soleri stepped out to reveal that his father was sexually abusing her and other women at Arcosanti.

Now the space that calls itself an urban laboratory is occupied by up to a hundred workers and volunteers; they maintain the area and archives, run workshops and a slow food cafe but mainly cast iron bells. There are thousands of bells around the space. They start early in the morning in the open workshop, listening to Wagner at full volume, echoed by the surrounding rocks.

The community aims to "decentralise the narrative" and distance themselves from the architect showing that the place is not created by the architect's vision but by the community's effort. His name is rarely mentioned. Instead, you see people dedicated to their work connected to the local elements. And hear the soft sounds of thousands of bells moving with the wind. "It is either utopia or dystopia; we just make bells here' - one of the residents told me. He came here in his early 20s, ten years ago, and does not intend to leave.

The architect, Paulo Soleri, let’s introduce him at the very end, called this project “The city in the image of man”. However, the space that never became a city, survives despite his image.

You can stay at Arcosanti for a night in their modern but lovely apartments.

Read more here and here.