Authoritarian Arcologies?

[roseembolism]

Arcologies are constantly popping up in the literature of Science Fiction, and there's something about huge, "cities in a building that just seems to appeal to the fannish sensibility.  I've always wondered why.  Well, apart form they're being spectacular, if impractical applications of extreme architecture.




But there's always been something monolithic and extravagant about arcologies that seems to hint at a sort of utopian monomania. In fact, the notion of an entire city in a single, pre-planned building implies a sort of top-down authoritarianism, as opposed to the organic growth that a normal city has.

So oddly enough, it was no surprise to find out that Soleri grew up in fascist Italy.  And multiple critiques  of Arcosanti, Soleri's perpetually-in-construction seed arcology by a former resident, has detailed a structure that denies dissent and critical discussion.  Aside from Dr. Neutopia, sociologist Paul Ray has reported on the lack of workers rights and freedom in Arcosanti.  The needs of the individuals in the community are subjugated to the vision of Soleri, which is odd, considering that Arcologies are supposed to be a better way to live. 

Certainly there seems no element of human scale in Soleri's designs, no scope for individual contributions.  It is also too easy to imagine a place like Hexahedron (above), being divided into the elite in the top half, and the workers in the lower section; the design seems all to  useful for restricting flow of people and items.  Critics like Neutopia have compared the management structure at Arcosanti, to that of China: "based on the age old authoritarian, patriarchal model of command and control of the masses."  Perhaps that's a reason why China seems to be leading the race to build a functioning arcology, and not just their need for low-ecological impact housing.

The larger question here, is whether this is merely a problem with Soleri's particular vision, or whether authoritarian governmental structures go hand-in hand with the idea of arcologies.  And if so, what does it say about the science fiction culture's fascination with the idea?

Comments

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

I would caution against taking these critiques as canon about the problems existing in Arcosanti, though, no doubt, there are some, as there are with any planned community. Considering that all these critiques are housed on the same website, and have the style and tone of being written by the same person, it seems to me like a concerted hate-on rather than an independent, unbiased analysis of the way the arcology is run. I would, therefore, like to see articles from other online or print sources examining on the social/architectural environment of Arcosanti, to get a broader, more realistic picture of what works and what doesn't.

I observed that the use of the word fascist/fascism in the essay by the former resident is often used as an inflammatory remark, rather than an actual descriptor of the socio-political structure used in Italy during Soleri's time there. No concrete examples of how fascism actually functioned are given to illustrate the author's opinion of Soleri's methodology and how it is totalitarian and fascist.

An example of "fascism" cited in the former resident's critique, in which Soleri expected women to take their children to work with them as was done in "fascist" Italy, seems to me to be less a question of fascism and more a situation that arose from Soleri's living in Turin, an urban area, with no set social structure for taking care of children during wartime, when the men were off to fight and the women went to the factories. Italian cities do not tend to have the agrarian family structure set in place (China, parts of Africa) wherein the parents work while the grandparents watch the small children full-time. No childcare provision was given, in Soleri's experience, because he grew up in an urban, male-dominated culture with strict expectations that women raise their own children, and no real back-up plan in case they couldn't-- it has little to do with fascism.

Also, I shall now step off my nerdbox and somewhat rudely submit that anyone who calls themselves Doctress Neutopia may wish to loosen their hemp shorts a smidge.

[palecur.livejournal.com]

laughs Doctress Neutopia's still around? She was a classic Usenet crank in the olden days. Lovolution! Massgasm!

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

All the articles cited in roseembolism's post are from lovolution.com

Massgasm? Good heavens, we'd better put tarp down!

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

*sigh* here's a few more. Not from Neutropia.

Recycling Arcosanti

Paolo Soleri

Soleri's Experiment

None of which are as harsh as neutopia, but well, she lived there. And has an axe to grind.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

*blinks* I hadn't notice the author, I too remember Doctress Neutopia. I supposed that one of the lessons of the internet is that cranks never truly go away.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

I agree that the statements of fascism are overused by Dr. Neutropia, and that former members of a charismatic organization tend to have axes to grind. I actually did look up other sources, a few of which tended to confirm the authoritarian aspects of Arcosanti, and others which were more in the nature of "Look at these True Believers out in the desert, poor sods". I honestly should put those articles in.

You do make an interesting point about Soleri's experience with women and childcare. Of course this also points out the problems with relying on a singular viewpoint, and the problems that may arise when an architect's vision is out of date. In fact, that may be as big a problem as the social dynamics; imagine a structure the size of Hexahedron needing to be retrofitted.

And well, as far as the name, she got it back during a younger age of the internet. A lot of us did things we weren't proud of back then, like get associated with a particular handle. Of course she's also obviously a utopianist, and has some of the same abstract language that Soleri uses. I wonder if its something in the water.

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

When I read that the part about "they can take their kids to work, like the women did in Italy", I thought, "if he really believes that, he has never had to take care of a small child, by himself, for a minimum of four hours, in a busy environment where he is expected to execute tasks that are not childcare." It seems like a "psssht, let the women figure it out" solution.

Fascist? Nope. Sexist, possibly ageist? I'm leaning towards that. No structure for childcare or schools is not a good environment for adults or kids.