Arcosanti - Wikipedia
Coordinates: 34°20′33″N 112°06′02″W / 34.34250°N 112.10056°W / 34.34250; -112.10056
Arcosanti is a projected experimental town with a bronze bell casting business in Yavapai County, central Arizona, United States, 70 mi (110 km) north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet (1,138 m). Its arcology concept was proposed by Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri (1919–2013). He began construction in 1970 to demonstrate how urban conditions could be improved while minimizing the destructive impact on the Earth. He taught and influenced generations of architects and urban designers who studied and worked with him there to build the proposed town.
The goal of Arcosanti is to explore the concept of arcology, which combines architecture and ecology. The project has the goals of combining the social interaction and accessibility of an urban environment with sound environmental principles, such as minimal resource use and access to the natural environment.[1] The project has been building an experimental town on 25 acres (10 ha) of a 4,060-acre (1,640 ha) land preserve, 860 acres (350 hectares) of which are owned by the Cosanti Foundation, with the remainder leased from the state.
Ground was broken in 1970 to begin construction on the site and has continued at a varying pace through the present.[2] The most recently completed building was finished in 1989.[3] The population has varied between 50 and 150 people, many of them students and volunteers. The goal was for Arcosanti to house a population of 5,000 people.[4] Thirteen major structures were built on the site, some several stories tall. One master plan, designed in 2001, envisioned a massive complex, called "Arcosanti 5000", that would dwarf the current buildings.
