Arcology
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Arcology is a set of architectural design principles as described by the architect Paolo Soleri. The word combines architecture and ecology. The principles are aimed toward the design of enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density. While some relatively small experimental constructs have been created at Arcosanti in central Arizona, USA, the term is generally limited to Soleri's writings and various works of fiction that have picked up the idea. These works generally use "arcology" as a noun, referring to what Soleri called a "hyperstructure": a self-contained structure containing a variety of residential and commercial facilities, arguably practicing a form of autarchy.
In science fiction, arcologies or hyperstructures are generally advocated as solutions to the problems of overpopulation and environmental degradation, as they reduce the ecological footprint of cities, though with a higher population density and massive modification on a specific piece of land. Soleri's book "The City in the Image of Man" actually posited the use of arcologies in all accessible environments: in space, under the sea, etc.
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[edit] Development of the arcology idea
According to Soleri, the basic ideas of arcology stem from concerns that urbanization is claiming an excessive amount of space on Earth and that a more efficient, technologically-driven but ecologically gentle option, is to increase population densities into minimal "footprints" that would preserve surrounding lands for natural ecosystems. In "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man," Soleri describes ways of compacting our city structures in three dimensions to combat two-dimensional urban sprawl. While this led to many science fiction interpretations of domed cities, Soleri's ideas aren't just the "human beehive" model popular in science fiction. They also encompass vast differences in societal thinking regarding some of the same things that Frank Lloyd Wright touched upon in transport, agriculture and commerce. Soleri deepened Wright's ideas of what might specifically need to be done by exploring resource consumption and duplication, land reclamation, elimination of most private transport in favor of public transport and greater use of social resources like public libraries. This concept also emphasizes, in a broader scale, more efficient use of resources and compacting of urban space to preserve the environment. It must be noted that the tone of Soleri's book is far from academic. Soleri's ideas crossed freely into those that are not a part of mainstream social science, into the purely hypothetical. "The City in the Image of Man" is based primarily on the principle that cities are like organic systems and should be designed as such; thus, "in the image of man."
Construction methods for arcologies are being tested at Arcosanti. Otherwise, arcology is restricted to paper proposals and fictional depictions, such as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty or as elements in computer and video games, such as SimCity 2000, Escape Velocity Nova, and Deus Ex: Invisible War.
The first arcology to be described in fiction was probably "The Last Redoubt" from The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson, first published in 1912. It is a pre-Soleri envisioning of arcology, including full artificial ecology, agriculture, and public transport by mobile roadways.
[edit] Real-life visions
Many cities in the world have had proposed or desired arcologies that never went far. Tokyo has had many, which are listed here.
Apparently, a new "eco-city" or self-sustaining urban centre the size of a large western capital is to be built at Dongtan near Shanghai [1]. The first phase is on target to open by 2010 and to be "completed" by 2040.
Co-op City in New York City could be considered a proto-hyperstructure, with many services provided on-site. A telecommuter might never need to leave Co-Op City, which is one of the principles of arcology.
Near the village of Cordes Junction, Arizona off Interstate 17 north of Phoenix, an arcologically-inspired hyperstructure is under construction: Arcosanti, a full city being designed by Paolo Soleri. However, the construction is very slow due to lack of funding.
[edit] Arcology in popular culture
[edit] Novels and comics
- William Hope Hodgson's extraordinary 1912 novel The Night Land features the first example of what we now would call an arcology, though the future Earthlings depicted - millions of years into the future, in fact - have different reasons for building their metallic pyramid.[1]
- In Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's collaboration Oath of Fealty (1982), much of the action is set in and around Todos Santos, an arcology built in a burnt-out section of Los Angeles that has evolved a separate culture from the city around it.
- In the novel The World Inside by Robert Silverberg, everyone lived in 'Urban Monads' which were self-contained three kilometer high hyperstructures. People hardly ever departed.
- In Isaac Asimov's Robot Series, Earth's population lives in large underground hyperstuctures simply called Cities.
- All the remaining cities of the Earth are hyperstructures in Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy.
- In the Judge Dredd comic stories, originally published in 2000 AD comic, the megalopolis of Mega-City One consists of many hundreds, if not thousands, of City Blocks, in which a citizen can be born, grow, live and die without ever leaving.
[edit] Films and television
- Arcologies are common elements in futuristic anime and manga titles. An example would be the post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk series Appleseed by Masamune Shirow, in which hyperstructures dominate the skyline of the city Olympus.
- In the 1982 film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, the main offices of the fictional Tyrell Corporation (a Megacorp) resemble a hyperstructure; The Genom Tower arcologies (among other things) in the anime Bubblegum Crisis were partially inspired by the Tyrell hyperstructure; the series also features an underground "Geo City."
- In the film Equilibrium, an arcology named Libria is the last human civilization, a society in which peace is kept by the forced administration of an injected liquid drug designed to completely suppress emotions.
- In the science-fiction movie series The Matrix, the last human city, known as Zion, is a hyperstructure. Due to nuclear scarring of the earth's surface and atmosphere, the hyperstructure is buried deeply under ground. While ecologically sparse, the habitat's climate is controlled by complex machinery in the lower levels. The population is in the realm of 1 million. Due to the nature of the aggression from the machines, Zion is an example of a heavily fortified hyperstructure.
- In the season four finale of the science fiction show Andromeda a large battle takes place in space around an antiquated space hyperstructure known simply as 'Arcology'.
[edit] Computer and video games
- The computer game SimCity 2000 allows the construction of four different types of arcologies. The most primitive arcology model in the game, the Plymouth Arco, holds relatively few people and produces considerable pollution, while more advanced models are clean and efficient. There's also a heavily polluted industrial model ("Darco Arco") that was inspired by dark science fiction stories, and is rumoured to be filled with mutants. With the exception of one landmark called the Braun Llama Dome, these are the tallest structures in the game. Incidentally, when a sufficient number of the most advanced model, the "Launch Arco" (see picture) are built, an "exodus sequence" starts, launching all Launch Arcos into space to colonize other worlds. This actually parallels parts of Soleri's book in which hyperstructures were shown as being appropriate for environments in space, under the sea, in polar lands, etc.
- A level of the computer game Deus Ex: Invisible War posits a futuristic arcology, simply called Arcology, on the edge of an ancient medina in Cairo.
- In the computer game Afterlife, the player controlling Heaven and Hell can eventually purchase Love Domes or Omnibulges. Functioning similarly to arcologies, these structures are the remnants of transcended/destroyed Heaven/Hells that are able to hold billions of souls.
- In the Computer game Civilization: Call to Power, the "Arcology Advance," found in a near future part of the technology list, grants access to the Arcology building, which reduces overcrowding effects in its host city.
[edit] Role-playing and table-top games
- In the table-top strategy game Warhammer 40,000, hyperstructures, called "hives," are extremely common and are the main method of housing large populations. Arcologies are so widespread that some planets, Holy Terra and Mars amongst others, dubbed 'hive worlds', are constructed entirely of hyperstructures.
- In the RPG Shadowrun, a number of hyperstructures such as the "Renraku Arcology" exist by 2050, most of which are mega-corporate controlled. A major theme to these is the desire of a large corporation to control every aspect of its employees' lives. A major meta-plot element was the sealing off one in Seattle when the advanced computer control system awakened into a self-aware AI which sought to protect itself.
- In the RPG Trinity, a number of hyperstructures exist, with the largest being that of the New New York Arcology run by the Psi-Order Orgotek.
[edit] See also
- Arcosanti
- autonomous building
- Bionic tower, Shanghai
- Broadacre City
- Cosanti
- Ecumenopolis
- Ekistics
- Megastructure
- Old Man River City/Super Urban Structure
[edit] References
2. Levy, John M. Contemporary Urban Planning, 3rd Edition 1994, pages 154, 156-157. (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ)
[edit] External links
- Arcosanti.org – Official Webpage for a prototype arcological development in Arizona
- Arcology.com – Useful links
- The Yahoo Group
- The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson (Full text online)
- Victory City
- A discussion of arcology concepts
[edit] External links re: usage of "arcology" vs. "hyperstructure"
- Arcology.com ("An arcology in southern China" on front page)
- Yahoo Groups: Arcology ("An arcology would need about two percent as much land...")
- Arcology ("An arcology is a self-contained environment...")
- SculptorsWiki: Arcology ("The only arcology yet on Earth...")
- Review of Shadowrun: Renraku Arcology ("What's an arcology? A self-contained, largely self-sufficient living, working, recreational structure...")
