Utopian 'Arcosanti' Still Uncompleted

Forty years after breaking ground on what was envisioned as a utopian city, Arcosanti remains uncompleted.

Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri started building his signature design in 1970 on the basalt cliffs overlooking the Agua Fria River about 45 miles east of Prescott.

He dreamed of buildings and people interacting as a "highly evolved being." The sun would warm residents, the breeze would cool them and nature would surround them. The buildings would soar, reaching toward the sky with small apartments and large public spaces.

Soleri preached community and conservation. Arcosanti would be his experiment of thousands of people living together to teach the world how to grow. He called the vision "arcology," a word he invented combining architecture and ecology.

Today, Arcosanti remains more dream than reality.

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