On the Way to Jerome

We stopped at Acrosanti.

As I understand it, the inspired, ambitious, brill architect, Paolo Soleri envisioned a city built on smart sustainable concepts AND set about making it a reality 

In his city, the need for cars would be minimized if not completely eliminated. We, the inhabitants, would live in smaller, more sensibly proportioned apartments/homes instead of the jumbo sized, mansionette dwellings in which many of us now reside. Nature, not endless strip malls, would surround our towns. 

Arcosanti is the prototype for architect Paolo Soleri's vision of an arcology. 

~~~snip~~~ 

Arcology is Paolo Soleri's concept of cities which embody the fusion of architecture with ecology. The arcology concept proposes a highly integrated and compact three-dimensional urban form that is the opposite of urban sprawl with its inherently wasteful consumption of land, energy resources and time, and tendency to isolate people from each other and the community 

Not only will a town built on these concepts drastically reduce the phenomenal amount of pollution that we spew into the environment, we'd be living in closer, much more convenient proximity. 

Sure, having my very own castle with angry alligator infested moat sounds great...as long as I believe that my fellow planet riders are all wickedly vile and depraved. Yeah yeah, some days it sure seems like that's the case BUT no. Really. Also too, generally speaking, we two leggeds are social beasties plus even hermits need a helping hand from time to time.

An arcology’s direct proximity to uninhabited wilderness would provide the city dweller with constant immediate and low-impact access to rural space as well as allowing agriculture to be situated near the city, maximizing the efficiency of a local food distribution system. Arcology would use passive solar architectural techniques such as the apse effect, greenhouse architecture and garment architecture to reduce the energy usage of the city, especially in terms of heating, lighting and cooling.

LOVE this!

Of course I do -- I'm all about getting small.