Arcology

The Try2004 Hyperstructure or Megacity as featured on the Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering programs.

Arcology is a set of architectural design principles as described by the architect Paolo Soleri. The word is a portmanteau of architecture and ecology. The principles are aimed toward the design of enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density. While some relatively small experimental constructs have been created at Arcosanti in central Arizona, United States, the term is generally limited to Soleri's writings and various works of fiction that have picked up the idea. These works generally use "arcology" as a count noun, referring to what Soleri called a "hyperstructure": a self-contained structure containing a variety of residential and commercial facilities, possibly economically self-sufficient.

In science fiction, arcologies or hyperstructures are generally advocated as solutions to the problems of overpopulation and environmental degradation, as they reduce the ecological footprint of cities, though with a higher population density and massive modification on a specific piece of land. Soleri's book The City in the Image of Man actually posited the use of arcologies in all accessible environments: in space, under the sea, etc.

Development of the arcology idea

According to Soleri, the basic ideas of arcology stem from concerns that urbanization is claiming an excessive amount of space on Earth and that a more efficient, technologically-driven but ecologically gentle option, is to increase population densities into minimal "footprints" that would preserve surrounding lands for natural ecosystems. In "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man," Soleri describes ways of compacting our city structures in three dimensions to combat two-dimensional urban sprawl. While this led to many science fiction interpretations of domed cities, Soleri's ideas aren't just the "human beehive" model popular in science fiction. They also encompass vast differences in societal thinking regarding some of the same things that Frank Lloyd Wright touched upon in transport, agriculture and commerce. Soleri deepened Wright's ideas of what might specifically need to be done by exploring resource consumption and duplication, land reclamation, elimination of most private transport in favor of public transport and greater use of social resources like public libraries. This concept also emphasizes, in a broader scale, more efficient use of resources and compacting of urban space to preserve the environment. It must be noted that the tone of Soleri's book is far from academic. Soleri's ideas crossed freely into those that are not a part of mainstream social science, into the purely hypothetical. "The City in the Image of Man" is based primarily on the principle that cities are like organic systems and should be designed as such; thus, "in the image of man."

Construction methods for arcologies are being tested at Arcosanti. Otherwise, arcology is restricted to paper proposals and fictional depictions, such as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Oath of Fealty or as elements in video game, such as SimCity 2000, Escape Velocity Nova, Deus Ex: Invisible War and Mass Effect.

The first mention of arcology can be found in HG Wells' When the Sleeper Wakes, published in 1899. A more in depth description of pre-Soleri arcology can be found in "The Last Redoubt" from The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson, first published in 1912. It is a pre-Soleri envisioning of arcology, including full artificial ecology, agriculture, and public transport by mobile roadways.

Real-life visions

Many cities in the world have had proposed or desired arcologies that never went far. Tokyo has had many including the 4,000 m X-Seed 4000, which are listed here.

An "eco-city" or self-sustaining urban center the size of a large western capital is to be built at Dongtan near Shanghai [1]. The first phase is on target to open by 2010 and to be completed by 2040.

The +15 system in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada could be considered a proto-arcology. If one's apartment building and place of employment are connected to the system, one need never leave the system, as it is a self-contained apparatus, with supermarkets, malls and entertainment complexes connected to the system. The +15 is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system with a total length of 16 km (10 miles).

Co-op City in the Bronx, New York City could be considered a proto-hyperstructure, with many services provided on-site. A telecommuter might never need to leave Co-Op City, which is one of the principles of arcology.

The Las Vegas Strip could be considered a proto-arcology. Most of the major casino resorts are connected by tunnels, footbridges, and monorails. It is possible to travel from Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip to the Las Vegas Convention Center, three miles to the north, without using streets. In many cases, it is possible to travel between several different casinos without ever going outdoors.

Near the village of Cordes Junction off Interstate 17 north of Phoenix, an arcologically-inspired hyperstructure is under construction: Arcosanti, a full city being designed by Paolo Soleri. However, the construction is very slow due to a lack of funding.

The McMurdo Station of the United States Antarctic Program and other scientific research stations on the continent of Antarctica may most closely approximate the popular conception of an arcology as a technologically-advanced, self-sufficient human community. Although by no means entirely self-sufficient (the U.S. Military "Operation Deep Freeze" resupply effort delivers 8 million gallons of fuel and 11 million pounds of supplies and equipment yearly) the base has a very insular character as a necessary shelter and protection from an extremely harsh environment, is geographically isolated from conventional support networks, and must avoid damage to the surrounding Antarctic ecosystem due to international treaty. It generates electricity with its own nuclear power plant, grows fruits and vegetables in a hydroponic green house, and provides a full range of living and entertainment amenities including a nine-hole disc golf course.

Arcology in popular culture

Novels and comics

• H.G. Wells's 1899 tale "When the Sleeper Wakes" describes a rudimentary version of pre-Solari arcology, having developed from the evolution of transportation. They are hotel-like and dominate the surrounding landscape, having replaced all towns and cities though preserving their names.

• William Hope Hodgson's 1912 novel The Night Land features the first example of what we now would call an arcology, though the future Earthlings depicted — millions of years into the future, in fact — have different reasons for building their metallic pyramid.

• In Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's collaboration Oath of Fealty (1982), much of the action is set in and around Todos Santos, an arcology built in a burnt-out section of Los Angeles that has evolved a separate culture from the city around it. Niven also occasionally refers to arcologies in his Known Space series, particularly in the stories involving Gil Hamilton.

• In the novel The World Inside by Robert Silverberg, everyone lived in 'Urban Monads' that were self-contained three kilometer high hyperstructures. People hardly ever departed.

• In Isaac Asimov's Robot Series, Earth's population lives in large hyperstructures simply called Cities. In Asimov's Empire and the The Foundation series, the capital planet Trantor of the galactic empire is a completely built-up planet, covered in its entirety with tall buildings and subterranean structures.

• All the remaining cities of the Earth are hyperstructures in Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy.

• In the Judge Dredd comic stories, originally published in 2000 AD comic, the megalopolis of Mega-City One consists of many hundreds, if not thousands, of City Blocks, in which a citizen can be born, grow, live, and die without ever leaving.

• William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy features various Arcologies, namely the "projects." It is a megastructure that has been constructed with electricity, heat, oxygen, and food that it produced.

• David Wingrove's Chung Kuo series depicts a dystopian future Earth in which almost the entire population lives within several hyperstructures that are thousands of feet tall and span entire continents.

• J.G. Ballard's 1975 novel "High Rise" featured a luxury arcology in which disparity between social classes among the residents eventually led to widespread anarchy and a reversion to primitive archetypes.

• In Samuel Youd's 1967-68 trilogy of novels The Tripods, an alien race known as "The Masters" live in three huge domed archologies built on Earth to use as a base from which to colonise the planet. The structures are made from a golden material, and are capped with a crystal that replicates the atmospheric conditions of The Masters' home planet.

Films and television

• Arcologies are common elements in futuristic anime and manga titles. An example would be the post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk series Appleseed by Masamune Shirow, in which hyperstructures dominate the skyline of the city Olympus.

• In the 1982 film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, the main offices of the fictional Tyrell Corporation (a Megacorp) resemble a hyperstructure; The Genom Tower arcologies (among other things) in the anime Bubblegum Crisis were partially inspired by the Tyrell hyperstructure; the series also features an underground "Geo City."

• In the film Equilibrium, an arcology named Libria is the last human civilization, a society in which peace is kept by the forced administration of an injected liquid drug designed to completely suppress emotions.

• In the science-fiction movie series The Matrix, the last human city, known as Zion, is a hyperstructure. Due to nuclear scarring of the earth's surface and atmosphere, the hyperstructure is buried deeply under ground. While ecologically sparse, the habitat's climate is controlled by complex machinery in the lower levels. The population is in the realm of 1 million. Due to the nature of the aggression from the machines, Zion is an example of a heavily fortified hyperstructure.

• In the season four finale of the science fiction show Andromeda a large battle takes place in space around an antiquated space hyperstructure known simply as 'Arcology'.

• In the episode "11:59" of Star Trek: Voyager's fifth season (original air date: May 5th, 1999), Earth's first self-contained ecosystem known as "The Millennium Gate" was referenced. Said to be one kilometer tall and began construction in 2001.

Video games

File:Simcity2000 Arcology.jpg

The "Launch Arco", from SimCity 2000

• Will Wright's computer game SimCity 2000 allows the construction of four different types of arcologies. More primitive models hold quite a few people in exchange for producing considerable pollution, but later models are denser and cleaner. When 349 of the most advanced model, the "Launch Arco" (pictured), are built, an "exodus sequence" starts in which all Launch Arcos blast into space. This parallels parts of Soleri's book, in which hyperstructures were shown as being appropriate for environments in space, under the sea, in polar lands, etc.

• Another Wright game, Spore, will feature bubbled cities that serve the same function. In Wright's 1990 SimEarth, "Nanotech Age" cities eventually advance to a mass exodus of the entire sentient species of the planet.

• Two levels of the computer game Deus Ex: Invisible War posits a futuristic arcology, simply called the Arcology, on the edge of an ancient medina in Cairo.

• The Domes seen in the 24th century in Chrono Trigger could be considered arcologies.

• In the computer game Afterlife, the player controlling Heaven and Hell can eventually purchase Love Domes or Omnibulges. Functioning similarly to arcologies, these structures are the remnants of transcended/destroyed Heaven/Hells that are able to hold billions of souls.

• In the Computer game Civilization: Call to Power, the "Arcology Advance," found in a near future part of the technology list, grants access to the Arcology building, which reduces overcrowding effects in its host city.

• In the computer game Escape Velocity: Nova many planets that are part of the Auroran Empire have multiple arcologies on them. Many of their populations number in the hundreds of billions.

• The tutorial in the computer game Dystopia takes place in Yggdrasil's first arcology.

• The wholly self-sustained utopian society 'Rapture' in the computer game BioShock is an underwater example of an arcology.

Role-playing and table-top games

• In the table-top strategy game Warhammer 40,000, hyperstructures, called "hives," are extremely common and are the main method of housing large populations. Arcologies are so widespread that some planets, Holy Terra and Mars amongst others, dubbed 'hive worlds', are constructed entirely of hyperstructures. Necromunda, an off-shoot game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, involves conflict between rival gangs on the hive world of Necromunda.

• In the RPG Shadowrun, a number of hyperstructures such as the "Renraku Arcology" exist by 2050, most of which are mega-corporate controlled. A major theme to these is the desire of a large corporation to control every aspect of its employees' lives. A major meta-plot element was the sealing off of the aforementioned Renraku Arcology in Seattle when the advanced computer control system awakened into a self-aware AI named Deus.

• In the RPG Trinity, a number of hyperstructures exist, with the largest being that of the New New York Arcology run by the Psi-Order Orgotek.

• In the RPG Rifts, the capital of the Coalition States is the city of Chi-Town. Chi-town (as well as several other Coalition cities) is considered a "Mega-City", in that the entire city is housed inside one giant structure, which consists of more than thirty levels, each several stories high, and several sub-levels.

• In R.Talsorian's follow up to Cyberpunk 2020, Cybergeneration, one of the player archetype Yo-Gangs was called the "Arcorunner". The character was a child who has grown up in the arcologies, knowing every aspect about them.

See also

• Arcosanti
• Autonomous building
• Bionic architecture
• Bionic tower, Shanghai
• Broadacre City
• Cosanti
• Ecumenopolis
• Ekistics
• Megastructure
• Old Man River City/Super Urban Structure
• Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid
• Urban ecology

External links

• Arcosanti.org – Official Webpage for a prototype arcological development in Arizona
• Arcology.com – Useful links
• The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson (Full text online)
• Victory City
• A discussion of arcology concepts

Usage of "arcology" vs. "hyperstructure":

• Arcology.com ("An arcology in southern China" on front page)
• Arcology ("An arcology is a self-contained environment...")
• SculptorsWiki: Arcology ("The only arcology yet on Earth...")
• Review of Shadowrun: Renraku Arcology ("What's an arcology? A self-contained, largely self-sufficient living, working, recreational structure...")