Touring Arcosanti

One of the places on my ‘bucket list’ was Arcosanti.  My brother and his wife came for a visit and we were able to tour Arcosanti.  In a previous post, I shared my visit to Cosanti in Phoenix.  The architect, Paoli Soleri developed an architectural concept for cities and both Arcosanti and Cosanti  were the beginning of his experiment. 

Concept - Arcology

When I was in college in the early 1970’s, I studied housing and interior design.  Soleri’s concept of a city without cars where people lived, worked and played near each other was the opposite of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept where everyone had an acre of land and a car.  I was very excited and curious to see how the Soleri experiment was developing.

Entrance

Arcosanti is very slow growing city in an urban laboratory.  There are 60 to 100 people living together, working in a bronze foundry and a ceramic clay foundry.  The development is mostly financed through the sale of bronze and ceramic bells.  The process of making the bells is well worth the visit to either Cosanti or Arcosanti. 

Ceramic Bells Made Here

Bronze Bells -each unique

Arcosanti is a concept with several built structures- asps for the foundries, a community center, several apartments and living spaces, a café and a gift shop. 

Living Quarters

Community Center

 The future success depends on funding and people willing to bring businesses to this desert ‘city’.  It seems to me that the experiment is well worth the effort.  We can gain information on ecology, the environment, how people interact and how we can improve our overcrowded cities. 

I am so glad I could share this visit with my family and with you! 

http://www.arcosanti.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcosanti

 http://www.lindabrittdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/pouring-soleri-bell.html