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Nudging
Space Arcology : Photo : Tomiaki Tamura |
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 and time, tending to isolate
people from each other and the community. The complexification
and miniaturization of the city enables radical conservation
of land, energy and resources.
An arcology would need about
two percent as much land as a typical city of similar population.
Today’s typical city
devotes more than sixty percent of its land to roads and
automobile services. Arcology eliminates the automobile from
within the
city. The multi-use nature of arcology design would put living,
working and public spaces within easy reach of each other
and walking would be the main form of transportation within
the
city.
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 logistical efficiency
of food distribution systems. 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. Overall, arcology seeks to embody a “Lean
Alternative” to hyper consumption and wastefulness
through more frugal, efficient and intelligent city design.
Arcology theory holds that this leanness is obtainable only
via the miniaturization intrinsic to the Urban Effect,
the complex interaction between diverse entities and organisms
which mark healthy systems both in the natural world and
in every successful and culturally significant city in history. |
