'Arcology' Pioneer

Soleri's conceptual design               from archdaily.com

I've said it before and I'll say it again: One can learn the most interesting things in the Obituaries section of the paper. Specifically, this time, it's all about Paolo Soleri, who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright at Tallesin and ended up creating Arcosanti, a "lean alternative," he said, to consumerism and car-dependent cities. The prototype, located in an Arizona desert, was begun in 1970 but never attracted enough residents and so remains unfinished. Still, his pioneering work and innovative ideas inspired others to build more eco-friendly centers: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-paolo-soleri-20130411,0,3778201.story
   As an architecture student in the 1990s, James McGirk spent five weeks living and working in Arcosanti. Here, he recalls the experience: http://www.wired.com/design/2013/04/arcosanti-paolo-soleri/