Comments on: Washington Post Reporter Visits Arizona’s Arcosanti. http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/ Arizona Sustainability, Green Blog, Community Forum, Environmental Action. Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Greg http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-266 Greg Wed, 28 May 2008 19:14:29 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-266 I visited it in the 70s and then again 5 years ago. Great vision, but seems like a place for counter-cultural hippy architects to go to avoid the real world. Not all, of course. But what I was was people living in chaos and filth. My girlfriend called it "the dirt pit." To aim for designing beauty and then have such worse-than-college-dorm living conditions tells me the original vision has gone off track. It's too bad; it was such an amazing and ballsy thing to attempt. I visited it in the 70s and then again 5 years ago. Great vision, but seems like a place for counter-cultural hippy architects to go to avoid the real world. Not all, of course. But what I was was people living in chaos and filth. My girlfriend called it “the dirt pit.” To aim for designing beauty and then have such worse-than-college-dorm living conditions tells me the original vision has gone off track. It’s too bad; it was such an amazing and ballsy thing to attempt.

]]> By: Ric Frost http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-165 Ric Frost Sun, 11 May 2008 20:05:30 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-165 My wife and I did the workshop and stayed on for a little over a year. As anyone that has been part of any group knows, there are certainly problems. I was very unhappy with some of what goes on there. Definitely a certain level of hypocrisy and failure to act in accordance with stated principles; but then how does that make Arcosanti any different from any church or political organization? The workshop is definitely worth the cost and time, and living there is certainly a unique experience that you cannot find anywhere else. Give it a shot if you have the resources to do so. At the very least, visit and spring for the $8 for a tour. My wife and I did the workshop and stayed on for a little over a year. As anyone that has been part of any group knows, there are certainly problems. I was very unhappy with some of what goes on there. Definitely a certain level of hypocrisy and failure to act in accordance with stated principles; but then how does that make Arcosanti any different from any church or political organization?

The workshop is definitely worth the cost and time, and living there is certainly a unique experience that you cannot find anywhere else. Give it a shot if you have the resources to do so. At the very least, visit and spring for the $8 for a tour.

]]> By: James Towner http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-153 James Towner Sat, 10 May 2008 04:22:55 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-153 Thanks for the comment! It is incredible you all have been able to achieve this! Sounds like quite a nice community. Thanks for the comment! It is incredible you all have been able to achieve this! Sounds like quite a nice community.

]]> By: Arcosanti Resident http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-152 Arcosanti Resident Fri, 09 May 2008 22:21:08 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-152 Arcosanti is a really unique project that has, for the most part, funded itself and has been built with unskilled volunteers - that's pretty incredible. It is certainly not as clean and smooth as a Las Vegas themed mall, but we do what we can with what we are given. If you consider it as an educational project with 50,000 visitors/year and over 6,000 people who have come to be in educational programs, that is quite successful. People bring what they have learned to their own communities and disciplines. Arcosanti is a really unique project that has, for the most part, funded itself and has been built with unskilled volunteers – that’s pretty incredible. It is certainly not as clean and smooth as a Las Vegas themed mall, but we do what we can with what we are given. If you consider it as an educational project with 50,000 visitors/year and over 6,000 people who have come to be in educational programs, that is quite successful. People bring what they have learned to their own communities and disciplines.

]]> By: James Towner http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-150 James Towner Fri, 09 May 2008 19:56:10 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-150 Fixed the broken link. :) I was wondering about how well it was kept because I know it's pretty old now. I wonder if they've made improvements in the 10 years since you've been. Fixed the broken link. :)
I was wondering about how well it was kept because I know it’s pretty old now. I wonder if they’ve made improvements in the 10 years since you’ve been.

]]> By: Tamar http://azsustainability.com/2008/05/09/washington-post-reporter-visits-arizonas-arcosanti/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Tamar Fri, 09 May 2008 18:29:53 +0000 http://azsustainably.com/?p=157#comment-149 I've been there, around ten years ago and was run down back then, you could tell it was once a good concept but the execution lacking. I was glad to visit but also happy to leave. I’ve been there, around ten years ago and was run down back then, you could tell it was once a good concept but the execution lacking. I was glad to visit but also happy to leave.

]]>