Arcology

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The arcology is essentially a concept for hyper-urban living, an enormous super-apartment development containing all, or nearly all, the functions of a fully-developed city in one or a very few buildings. It was coined by Italian architect Paolo Solieri. The word is a portmanteau of "architecture" and "ecology," and was created as a reaction to suburban sprawl, the idea being that a high-density, small-footprint development would have less impact on the surrounding environment than car-based suburbs. Solieri's proof-of-concept, the town of Arcosanti, Arizona, has so far been more of an educational endeavor than an actual working arcology.

Essentially an arcology would fold into one structure most or all of the functions of a typical town, including residential and commercial space, light industry, schools, and perhaps even agriculture (using greenhouses and, perhaps, hydroponics). (There are skyscrapers even now, such as the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, that in combining residential and commercial space in one structure, approach the ideal of an arcology, but are not quite self-sufficient enough to qualify.)

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