roseembolism (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
roseembolism) wrote2009-03-29 09:35 pm
roseembolism) wrote2009-03-29 09:35 pm
Entry tags:
Arcologies and Reality
So, I was doing a Google search of arcologies to look for ideas for Under the Green Moon, and I came across this quote by Paolo Soleri, the inventor of the Arcology concept.
"The problem I am confronting is the present design of cities only a few stories high, stretching outward in unwieldy sprawl for miles. As a result of their sprawl, they literally transform the earth, turn farms into parking lots and waste enormous amounts of time and energy transporting people, goods and services over their expanses."
I have to wonder if he considered that one of the main reasons cities are designed the way they are is the limitations of technology. A whole host of practical problems, ranging from load bearing architecture, to steel quality, to elevator technology had to be solved to make buildings above 10 stories feasible. And even for modern skyscrapers, the technology of elements like elevators and plumbing limit their convenience and utility beyond a certain height.
I suppose if there's an actual point here, its that there's a huge gap between interesting designs on paper, and actual physical accomplishment, and in the process, accommodations have to be made with reality.
"The problem I am confronting is the present design of cities only a few stories high, stretching outward in unwieldy sprawl for miles. As a result of their sprawl, they literally transform the earth, turn farms into parking lots and waste enormous amounts of time and energy transporting people, goods and services over their expanses."
I have to wonder if he considered that one of the main reasons cities are designed the way they are is the limitations of technology. A whole host of practical problems, ranging from load bearing architecture, to steel quality, to elevator technology had to be solved to make buildings above 10 stories feasible. And even for modern skyscrapers, the technology of elements like elevators and plumbing limit their convenience and utility beyond a certain height.
I suppose if there's an actual point here, its that there's a huge gap between interesting designs on paper, and actual physical accomplishment, and in the process, accommodations have to be made with reality.
Re: Paolo Soleri's quote and technology
And while the Arcology buffs may think that Arcologies are immune to the constraints of technology, the laws of physics and chemistry (not to mention psychology, economics, etc..) won't disappear simply because an architect draws up some neat plans. the problems with things like elevators, plumbing, stairways, access crowding and time-to-outside won't be simply handwaved away. I really hate to think of what the traffic flow patterns around an arcology would be like.
Also, communities have been built primarily around economic and political factors in the past, leaving all abstract nonsense about density and energy flows aside. Hence cities like Beijing and Rome have reached populations of up to a million even before the automobile, and facing serious technological constraints. The fact that Arcosanti is pretty much a failure indicates that while technology is a limit, it is not a sufficient factor.