After War World 2 a new type of living was beginning to develop in north America that would impact the rest of the world, a phenomenon that today is becoming a serious issue and the impact it is having on our planet: the suburbs. Between the 1940s and the 1950s the social structure of living changed towards a new type of urban
architecture where people would move out of the city and claim the outskirt with a massive invasion of copy-paste housing. The suburb became quickly the symbol of the American dream: a house built for four people a backyard and a barbecue. That was the status quo that up until today seems to continue to thrive among the people of north America. It is considered a prize for the majority of people who aim to raise a family. You know the suburbs, quiet roads, nice lots and house space, playgrounds where the kids can play together, the ice cream truck buzzing around in the summer, the school bus, poker with friends in the basement and family bbqs on Sunday.
The problem is that now this urban sprawling is starting to saturate and consume more than it can produce. The massive land portion it requires is becoming bigger every year, some lots have pool and consume more water
than others and in US states like Nevada or California water is becoming very precious and expensive. Urban sprawling is easy, relative fast and cheap to build because it is made of the same shapes and materials, there is no diversification and thus it becomes appealing in satisfying people's dream of having a piece of the American dream.
Unfortunately this construction philosophy cannot continue to exists because it will eventually deplete natural space and available resources. Some cities eventually slowed the expanding of suburbia and built vertically downtown again over old buildings and promoting the city living once more. But the issue isn't resolved because the land masses required for suburban units is overwhelming in relations to a downtown residential building, that's why there is the need to reinvent the living spaces and to change people's thought on homes.
Paolo Soleri is an Italian architect born in Turin, Italy, and moved to the US to develop his vision of new urban spaces, so he invented Arcology which is a mix of architecture and ecology, where a sustainable way of life is possible bringing nature inside people houses, but with plants or other vegetation; rather living in an habitat with food grown by the same people who eat and live in this envorinment.
In 1970 Arcosanti became reality with the beginning of its construction 110km north of Phoenix in Arizona. Paolo and Colly Soleri bought the land and developed a structure that could host people in a space where they would be actively involved in the structure's progress and people's needs.
The structure is an ongoing experiment that proved to be successful and fully operational, the life that people live is totally different from the suburb type, in fact there are no cars, you have to walk your way around from. This prompted appreciation from many people since a more dynamic life style is in place rather than using your car to move wherever you need to. It is about living a healthier life and drastically reduce the impact you have on the planet.
Being only an experimental city, Arcosanti offers its visitors skills and trades to learn and to use: from pottery to agriculture, from cocking to communications; all this happens in a four weeks where the structure continues to expand with the help of its alumni.
Now imagine if we would all live in cities like this without transportation challenges, without limited pollution and with healthier eating habits. It will be a step forward towards a better civilization and care of our planet and the resources that are becoming scarce and objects of political and social conflicts.
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