Arcosanti, found in the desert of Arizona, is a prototype urban development by the visionary architect and planner Paolo Soleri. The site is an experimental “urban laboratory” where Soleri applies his ideas concerning architecture, ecology, and urban planning. Born on 21 June 1919 in Turin, Italy, Soleri, shortly after completing Ph.D. studies in architecture at the Turin Politecnico in 1946, joined Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a fellowship for 16 months. He immigrated to the United States in 1955 and by 1970 had completed designs for some 30 “arcologies.” Soleri uses the term “arcology” for alternative urban habitats (architecture and ecology). Arcologies are high-density structures that will be capable of containing close to six million inhabitants. Arcosanti is the 13th of these arcologies, and it was the most feasible to build. It is a laboratory for a community that conserves energy, land, and raw mate...