If you can imagine a future where cities cover every bit of earth's available space (think LA everywhere), then you can also imagine an alternative. Whole cities inside massive structures of incredible design, leaving most of our precious land open for us to enjoy and treasure. Paolo Soleri envisioned such cities and his drawings will inspire you and spark your imagination of what could be. Imagine cities that float on the sea or stretch across canyons and you will get the idea. Architecture students or just about anyone with an imagination will be amazed by his designs. I hope to live long enough to see one of his massive structures built.

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In this book Paolo Soleri exposed the ideas he have in the design of Arcosanti. I find the book really interesting although I don't agree 100% with his ideas, Soleri exposed his ideas in an orderly matter. This makes the book really easy to read. With each idea there is also a short paragraph outlining how this could be implemented or applied in Arcosanti. I enjoyed very much the book and also got a chance to understand better Arcosanti. Moreover the books seem more interesting to read because Soleri is not only writing his ideas but he is also building Arcosanti in Arizona. I recommend this book to architects and urban planners that are interested in new ideas and solutions to solve the urban mess that we are currently living.

Who would have thought it? Well, I would never have thought that my favourite future visionary would be SUCH a future visionary. The revelation that Soleri was not only the greatest architect of our century but also a borderline headcase was at first startling. Then he turned my world upside down; quite literally, since everything this book represents is a complete reversal of the thinking process of the vast majority of the human species. One day this book will be as big as any other. Our children will study it at school. At least, they should, because there's more meat here than anything I'm bothering with. Change your world, get this book.

Arcosanti Archetype accomplishes what the author, Marie Wilson, set out to do. That is, provoke thought in people about issues related to urban sprawl. The book features the ideology of Paolo Soleri who has dedicated his life to environmental issues through his innovative project located between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. Wilson has depicted the project and people through colorful photographs and interviews including quotes from Soleri. Even if you have not visited Arcosanti, you will find that this reasonably priced book is a worthwhile read with facts about the world population, quotes from Aldo Leopold's, A Sand County Almanac, and thoughts from philosopher Teilhard de Chardin on happiness and "our task to turn the physical universe into a divine universe". A great book to give students or teachers interested in architecture and lifestyles.

This book is the perfect introduction to the concept of arcologies in general and Arcosanti in particular. It tells just enough about the history of arcologies, background on Paolo Soleri, and the social and ecological roles that arcologies can and should play in our future to whet the appetite for more. (The word arcology is formed from the words architecture and ecology.) The great and plentiful photos help to turn a concept into a real place where readers can imagine-or dream of-living and working. If you have an interest in arcologies, trends in architecture, the future of city design, or ways people can live more harmoniously with nature, this book is a wonderful place to start.

This is an introduction to one of the very few new urban experiments being performed in the western world. It's an intimate portrait of a great vision that is in the birthing process. The Arcosanti vision attempts to solve the problem of urban sprawl and high consumption of resources, while embracing the fundamental human needs to develop and to be social. Cities have developed in response to these fundamental drives. Urban living allows us to arrange our lives so that we can interact to provide for our mutual needs in efficient ways, to enjoy social activities, and to promote our human inventiveness and creativity. But it has led to urban sprawl, high resource consumption and serious pollution.

Arcosanti is an alternative that appears to have promise. But why has the Arcosanti experiment, in existence for thirty years, not yet created the movement needed to attract the support it needs to be completed, much less be a major force in our society? I liked the book because it examines the personalities that have given the experiment life, and lets us make judgements on how personalities have helped -- and may have hurt -- the promulgation of the vision. It includes a portrait of Paolo Soleri, the reticent genius behind its creation. I wished it probed the visions a little deeper, because all of Soleri's books are out of print. However, the potential of the vision is clear and made goose bumps rise on my arm. It locked the architectural vision in my mind, and has sparked many conversations about it. Hopefully it will open the vision to many more people.

A world view so unlike anything ever before conceived. Yes, it is unique. It is also terribly hard to find. Soleri's streams of conciousness and random thoughts are presented in such a manner that bringing it all together is harder than it should be. Do not read this book and expect to work out what Soleri is on about. Read "Omega Seed" or "Technology and Cosmogenesis" instead; they are more together. You WILL, however, be stimulated in ways you never though possible. It's like drinking Vodka straight up; you get drunk faster but that stuff burns something nasty! I stand by my belief that Soleri will one day be seen as a great visionary on par with Da Vinci, Haussman, Emerson and Nietzsche. He will change the way we think and live.

This book, while extraordinarily facinating, is really only for those who possess many of Soleri's other books and are already familiar with his unique work. Non-collectors will be unable to make head from tail with this book.

For the collectors and lovers, I do recommend this fantastic glimpse into the concious stream of thought that runs through the inner mind of Soleri. If you spent hours staring in wonderment at the designs in "Arcology: City in the Image of Man" then you will spend twice as long with this book, pouring over the oft times incoherent notes and picking apart the spidery sketches in an attempt to work out just what makes this great man tick. If you stare long enough, and look close enough, you can see the vision as clear as the nose on your face. And it's simply breath-taking.