Architecture + Ecology = Arcology: Could Arcology Aims Be Scaled Up The Benefits of Mixed-Use Development and Sustainable Mobility?
(Arquitectura + Ecología = Arcología: ¿Se podrían ampliar los objetivos de la arcología del metaverso para aprovechar los beneficios del desarrollo de uso mixto y la movilidad sostenible?)
A blending of the words “architecture” and “ecology”, pertains to the urban perspective that, much like organisms, communities evolve and become more complex systems.
Arcology is the fusion of architecture with ecology, a comprehensive urban perspective. In nature, as organisms evolve, they increase in complexity and become a more compact system. A city should similarly evolve, functioning as a living system.
Arcology is a concept introduced by architect, Paolo Soleri, who defined it in his book ‘Arcology: City in the Image of Man’; the idea of a fusion between architecture and ecology and an ecological vision in response to city growth. It is an architectural design approach developed by him to produce large buildings that will provide housing to a dense population.
The concept was created as a solution to one of the serious problems faced by modern society: the overcrowding of cities as the result of population increase and the consequent loss of natural environments. Thus, this new wave of architecture opts for vertical growth, with the construction of huge skyscrapers that occupy the least space possible, as well as making a commitment to minimizing environmental impact.
Paolo Soleri published a book full of proposed arcologies, and Soleri and others have added new ideas to the canon ever since. Here are a few of the most interesting: Beyond Arcosanti, Arcologies of All Sorts.
In nature, as an organism evolves it increases in complexity and it also becomes a more compact or miniaturized system. Similarly, a city should function as a living system. Arcology, architecture and ecology as one integral process, is capable of demonstrating positive response to the many problems of urban civilization, population, pollution, energy and natural resource depletion, food scarcity and quality of life. Arcology recognizes the necessity of the radical reorganization of the sprawling urban landscape into dense, integrated, three-dimensional cities in order to support the complex activities that sustain human culture. The city is the necessary instrument for the evolution of humankind.
— Paolo Soleri.
The concept has been popularized by various science fiction writers. This notion envisages efficient use of natural resources in living spaces called ‘hyperstructures’. Hyperstructures are gigantic structures located in megacities, like Judge Dredd, the hero of the comic book ‘2000AD’. William Gibson mainstreamed the term in his seminal 1984 cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, where each corporation has its own self-contained city known as arcologies. They are often portrayed as self-contained or economically self-sufficient.
Arcology recognizes the necessity of the radical reorganization of the sprawling urban landscape into dense, integrated, three-dimensional cities in order to support the diversified activities that sustain human culture and environmental balance.
The experimental city, which was founded under the name Arcosanti in Arizona, USA, was designed with the principles of arcology in mind. Arcosanti is the world’s first prototype arcology. The goal of Arcosanti is to explore the concept of arcology, which combines architecture and ecology. Founded in 1970, It is a project of The Cosanti Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire a reimagined urbanism that builds resilient and equitable communities sustainably integrated with the natural world.
Daily tours of the unique architecture and grounds at Arcosanti, led by a knowledgeable resident tour guide, are held multiple times every day of the year except for major holidays: Explore their workshop programs and events.
Most proposals to build real arcologies have failed due to financial, structural, or conceptual shortcomings. Arcologies are therefore found primarily in fictional works. Could metaverse arcologies design aims be scaled up the benefits of mixed-use development and sustainable mobility? It remains to be seen whether arcology designs can become a consistent part of that urban future, and whether they can be part of equitable communities instead of being utopias for the wealthy.
To accommodate nature, the bio-cities of the future must be well-planned, resource-efficient, consider biophilic design solutions, connect places to live with humans and animals. We must rethink how we can renovate our cities and buildings together with human habitats, following the principles of biomimicry architecture.
