jaymie:

·         The Venus Project:

The Venus Project is a logical plan that has been based of year of experimental research and study on a 21.5 acre land in Venus Florida. It sets up a system based on holistic socio-economy, a system in which both economic and social factor are evaluated and solved. The Venus Project forces us to examine our social and economic values. It is focused more on the quality of all life rather than the profit we or any person can make. Based off of improving the true vision of human nature, the project is taking the right step toward a better tomorrow. Personally I could and would love to live in a place like this because it fulfills the basic and most preferred needs of all people. The central dome or theme center will house the core of the educational facilities, access center, computerized communications, networking systems, and health and child care facilities. And the surrounding areas contain housing for the city. Each house is surrounded by gardens that separate each house giving the occupants privacy. Areas are set aside for renewable clean sources of energy such as wind generators, solar, heat concentrating systems, geothermal, photovoltaic and others. I believe that it would be more efficient to build city that will help our planet, rather than to continue living as we do until we are forced into change.

·         Arcosant:

A project started in 1970 by the cosanti foundation located in Arizona, 70 miles north of Phoenix has been under construction 42 years. Upon completion Arcosanti will encompass 25 acres and house 5000 people. Its design is based on the concept of arcology (architecture + ecology), developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri. In this interesting environment the following are all easily accessible:  apartments, businesses, production, technology, open space, studios, and educational and cultural events, while privacy is in the overall design. Greenhouses provide gardening space for public and private use, and act as solar collectors for winter heat. Although not all of it is “the same” due to the multitude of volunteers and students who live in and work on the project each year. This would not be my first choice of living mostly due to location; however I do believe that it is an idea that will help our planet in finding livable, health conditions in places normally not.

Begining of Model of Community:

 

Once finished this community will be what the future needs. It will be in a small compact space that both conserves energy and saves space for more communities or agriculture. As of the way we transfer electricity now, over lines, we waste 7 to 10 percent of our energy and  given that this will be in a small area we will waste less electricity because there will be no need for power lines to be run way out into the suburbs. Another reason this community  would be great is that it would contain enough vegetation to make the community beautiful and feed all of its population. There will be enough space, full of vegetation, between house to allow its residents to have personal space and privacy as well as being able to still be a part of the community. The only kind of vehicles needed in this community will be emergency vehicles therefore reducing air pollution.