Arcology: Green Century City

The Green Century Institute (GCI) is developing an initial study and general proposal for a model ecocity community of 7000-10000 people to be built in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Califia will combine a revolutionary "arcological" (architecture-ecology) design integrating cutting edge sustainable development and technology resources with community innovations. These innovations include extended family communal housing configurations, new kinds of public facilities and services, advanced power generation and recycling systems, permaculture farms and greenhouses, non-traditional financing and "social capital" programs. The dramatic, integrated complex will meld natural environments with dense urban spaces. It will be built in phases over a 10 year period.

I spent 18 rewarding months at Arcosanti between 1994-96. While I was there I had two project I was aggressively promoting. The first was a more integrated approach with living technologies to treat waste water and create sustainable permaculture, the second was a more supportive atmosphee for small-scale free-enterprise. At the time, both of these projects were rejected by Paolo Soleri and the long-time residents. Despite their anathema to free-enterprise, I took over and grew a small business, and divided the profits between arcosanti projects and my skydiving habit. It became clear at that time, that those who has made this there home were not particularly interested in seeing it grow. Despite that, the nature of an Arcology with it's mixed use urban plan, makes for a very dynamic and lively community. More than anything else, that sense of connection and community, plus the fantastic beauty of the area, made my time there the best year and a half of my life (so far).

Now 10 years later, it looks like they are taking living machines seriously.

What Arcosanti might look like if it gets completed.

This photo above is a real picture with a CAD drawing of the proposed additions overlayed. Just to the right of the picture is some small living quarters near a small river where I lived. For 50 miles in almost every direction, is nothing but raw nature and no sign of civilization. In fact, if you were to head directly east from this picture, you could walk for at least 75 miles and not cross a single road. Most of the time it felt like I was living on a remote 24th Century Federation research colony. It gave me a good sense of what life aboard a space colony would be like.

Posted by paul at April 1, 2004 02:04 PM | TrackBack