Arcosanti: Honoring the Dream, Building the Future

Jenn C 06/05/2025

Arcosanti, Arizona

When I visited Arcosanti (a place born from the dream of blending architecture, ecology, and community) I was both inspired and left with some questions. There were aspects of the experience that made me pause and reflect on what it takes for a vision like this to truly thrive. The structures rise from the desert like art pieces, breathtaking in both form and purpose. More than beautiful, they are architectural poetry... so intelligently designed that even in the summer heat, the air cools as you approach the buildings.

The desert stretches endlessly, just like the hope of what this place was meant to become. Arcosanti was shaped by vision, dedication, and years of hard work (and that effort is undeniable). It stands today as a symbol of radical possibility.

Still, the community has grown at a slow pace since the 1970s, and much of the original vision feels quietly unfinished.

Arcosanti was imagined as a self-sufficient micro-city... a place where people could live in harmony with the earth, sharing resources, beauty, and purpose. Decades later, only a small group of people live here, and many of the dreams remain on paper... still carrying the weight of so much potential.

As someone who deeply admires communities built around shared values, I would love to see this one evolve and thrive. I don’t think the vision was the problem... I believe it was never given the structure it needed to stand fully upright.

Idealism Alone Isn’t Enough

Communities built on values like simplicity, connection, and sustainability often focus so deeply on the ideals that they can overlook a basic truth: people need to survive. They need income. They need the ability to grow roots. A vision can’t flourish on inspiration alone. Permanence can’t be built on the backs of volunteers who aren’t compensated enough to stay.

In the Dominican Republic, we don’t really have what people call “intentional communities” built around shared ideals. Instead, we have neighborhoods where small economies emerge out of necessity. People sell food, offer services, and build businesses right where they live. The social fabric forms because people rely on each other... not just emotionally, but economically.

What Arcosanti Could Be

In my opinion, Arcosanti could be so much more than a quiet architectural landmark. It’s just an hour from Phoenix and close to Cordes Lakes and other rural towns. I genuinely believe it has the potential to become a living cultural oasis:

• Stargazing beneath skies so clear they feel like windows to another world

• Soft music echoing through the amphitheater on summer nights

• Farmers markets where locals and residents meet

• Workshops that teach and inspire

• Open mics that bring the desert to life with stories, music, or comedy

  
  

It already has soul. What it needs is a structure that lets that soul stretch its legs.

Let the Residents Build

I think it’s important to give people permission to create. Let them open cafés, host retreats, sell their art. One restaurant isn’t enough. The residents should be the economy... not an afterthought in someone else’s experiment.

If Arcosanti offered even modest support (shared workspaces, startup grants, an open market), it could become a lighthouse... not just for sustainability, but for opportunity.

Because dreams deserve the chance to last.

I still believe places like Arcosanti have time to bloom... if we let them become not just places of vision, but places of action.

Note: This post reflects my impressions as a visitor. I know that living in or building a place like Arcosanti involves complexities I haven’t experienced firsthand. My reflections come from a place of respect and curiosity, not critique for the sake of it. I hope my words are received in the spirit they were written... rooted in admiration for what exists, and hopeful for what could grow from it.