Strange semicircular structures emerge from the sand about 68 miles from Phoenix, Arizona, looking like abandoned spaceships left behind by their passengers. A lost tourist might expect to see actors wielding lightsabers emerge, or a director who chose this setting to film a science fiction movie. But in reality, the residents here have nothing to do with the film industry - most are farmers or craftspeople, working the land, bronze, or ceramics.
Welcome to Arcosanti, a utopian city that seems to have grown like a cactus on the arid soil of the Sonoran Desert. And for good reason: its architect, Italian-American Paolo Soleri, shaped it from mud, or more precisely, from silt. This city may not have achieved the expected success - designed for 5,000 souls, it currently houses only 38 residents - but it remains a precious illustration of human attempts to live in community despite extreme heat.
Domes, arches, and apses dominate the landscape, with the circle appearing to be the preferred geometric form in all its variations. But the real common thread of these structures lies in their orientation: like the cliff dwellings of the Pueblo Native American people, the site's "passive" architecture channels shade in summer and absorbs heat from the sun in winter. This design approach represents a practical response to the harsh desert climate that has inspired urban planners worldwide.
Arcosanti represents the real-world materialization of a concept called "arcology" - compact, self-sufficient communities combining architecture and ecology, presented by Paolo Soleri in his book "The City in the Image of Man." This urban prototype illustrates how the "fundamental principles" of arcology can be applied in the desert environment. These principles include integrated systems for food, energy, and water; "elegant frugality" - doing more with less, similar to the concept of voluntary simplicity; and especially "limited density."
The eight "workable" hectares of Arcosanti are surrounded by 1,600 hectares of protected desert. "In the desert, if you spread out too much, you just pave, install pipes, and pump from farther and farther away; it's not sustainable," explains Emily Yetman, executive director of the Living Streets Alliance, which specializes in pedestrian mobility in Tucson. "Urban sprawl consumes land and water without giving anything back. It's the opposite of what works for a place like this."
While accusations of incest tarnished the architect's image after his death in 2013, the model he developed has nonetheless survived him. Arcosanti's residents continue to maintain existing structures and very gradually build new ones, in exchange for "modest stipends" paid by a nonprofit foundation, as well as housing and meals. Despite its "dependence" on the comings and goings of volunteers and residents, not to mention its "chronic" financial difficulties, the city has managed to maintain its self-sufficiency through a small orchard, vegetable gardens, and a corn field - though most residents still drive to the neighboring Prescott Valley to do their shopping.
The myth of Arcosanti resonates today through architectural projects around the world, from the pedestrian neighborhood of "Culdesac" located in the neighboring city of Tempe to vast urban programs developed in the Middle East, which often borrow from ancestral cooling techniques. The Line, the flagship (but controversial) city of the Neom project in Saudi Arabia, plans canyon-shaped walls higher than the Empire State Building (381 meters) to cool the streets. Meanwhile, Masdar City, inaugurated in 2007 by the United Arab Emirates, draws inspiration from "mashrabiya" screens and "barjeel" wind towers to filter sunlight and channel breezes down to street level.
These projects demonstrate how Soleri's vision continues to influence contemporary urban planning, particularly in environments where extreme heat and water scarcity pose significant challenges. The principles pioneered at Arcosanti - compact development, passive cooling, and integration with the natural environment - offer valuable lessons for creating sustainable communities in an era of climate change. While the original dream of a 5,000-person eco-city remains unfulfilled, Arcosanti's legacy lives on in the growing movement toward climate-responsive architecture and sustainable urban design.
