Paolo Soleri, born in Turin, Italy, awarded a PhD from the Torino Polytechnico in 1946, came to the U.S. in 1947 to study with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West.

He settled in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1956. Soleri's urban design ideas have since been developing in the form of the landmark 1971 MIT Press book, "Arcology: the City in the Image of Man" and various other books, touring exhibitions, the Cosanti studio/foundry compound in Scottsdale, and Arcosanti, a prototype arcology for 7000 people 60 miles north of Phoenix near Cordes Junction, Arizona.

"Arcology" is a term coined by Soleri to describe the concept of architecture and ecology working as one integral process to produce new urban habitats. Arcosanti is an "urban laboratory" experimenting with basic arcological design ideas, combining a compact, complex urban structure with large scale solar greenhouses on 10 acres of a 4000 acre preserve.

Even though the existing structures at Arcosanti represent less than 10% of what will be the finished arcology, the site has a lively community, a stream of visitors (it is an official Arizona tourist site) and has hosted many festivals, conferences, music performances and educational programs since the late 1970s.

[ Arcosanti Home Page ]

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[ Paolo Soleri's Paradox Paper ]