Arcosanti
"As urban architecture, Arcosanti is probably the most important experiment undertaken in our life time."
Douglas Davis, Newsweek,1976
The Arcosanti Project is developed by the Cosanti Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the investigation of new urban patterns. The project addresses the environmental, social and cultural issues faced by an increasingly urbanizing and global civilization. Arcosanti hopes to develop and demonstrate a sustainable urban system on marginal land in the American southwest.
As an urban laboratory, Arcosanti focuses on innovative design, community, and environmental accountability. The goal is to actively pursue lean alternatives to urban sprawl based on Paolo Soleri's theory of compact city design, Arcology (architecture + ecology).
Built by over 7,000 volunteers since the commencement of the project in 1970, Arcosanti provides various mixed-use buildings and public spaces where people live, work, visit, and participate in educational and cultural programs.
