Existing – Urban Utopias

Posted on April 30, 2021April 27, 2021 by Cassandra O'Donnell · 2 Comments

Heartland Utopias Part 6: Maharishi Vedic City

A white and yellow building marked as the "Capital of the Global Country of World Peace." Two flagpoles out front display the American and Iowa flags (on the left), and the GCWP flag (on the right, a yellow flag with a pink sunburst design).

In the southeast corner of Iowa, near the small town of Fairfield, lies the state’s newest utopian community. Here, followers of an Indian guru have built their own city, following ancient traditions with modern twists. 3,000-year-old Sanskrit texts guide everything from meditation to architecture, but solar panels are visible around almost every corner and an accredited university runs its film school out of the city. And all of this has developed in the last 70 years.

Posted on April 28, 2021April 25, 2021 by Cassandra O'Donnell · 2 Comments

Heartland Utopias Part 4: The Amana Colonies

The High Amana General Store, a low brick building.

Perhaps the most famous communal experiment in Iowa, the Amana Colonies are seven villages in eastern Iowa. Today, they are a National Historic Landmark and the Amana name is attached to home appliances, but for decades they were home to a religious community that explored a pragmatic and successful approach to communal life.

Posted on September 1, 2019September 13, 2019 by Cassandra O'Donnell · 1 Comment

Arcology, Arcosanti, and Paolo Soleri’s Evolution of Cities

The iconic ceramics apse at Arcosanti, where wind-bells are made. Credit: By CodyR from Phoenix, Arizona, USA - arcosanti apse on Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3428917

About 110 km north of Phoenix, Arizona, in the middle of a semi-arid desert, you’ll find an odd sight: a community of rough concrete buildings sitting on a mesa. Inside, brass and ceramic wind-bells are cast and sold, construction on the development continues, and, in theory, all the needs of a modern city are met with minimal environmental impact. This is Arcosanti, the brainchild of Paolo Soleri, built to prove his vision of architecture and ecology working hand in hand. Read more

Posted on July 25, 2019July 25, 2019 by Cassandra O'Donnell · 5 Comments

The Farms of Detroit: Urban Agriculture in the Motor City

The Earthworks Farm in Detroit. Credit: Detroitunspun on Flickr.

Detroit has a long history of agriculture, from the French farmers who colonized the area and set up ribbon farms along the river to the Panic of 1893, which prompted Mayor Hazen S. Pingree to open empty lots for farming. With the growth of the auto industry, the city’s agriculture faded into the past. Now, as the city plans for shrinkage, a resurgence in agriculture is making its way through cracks in the urban fabric. Read more

Posted on February 15, 2019March 12, 2019 by Cassandra O'Donnell

Henry Ford’s Museum Town: Greenfield Village

The two plaques at the entrance to Greenfield. The top one reads, "In 1929, Henry Ford created Greenfield Village. Guided by the philosophy of 'learning by doing,' Ford not only paid tribute to his friend and hero, Thomas Edison, but also gave Americans a chance to experience history firsthand. His vision was realized by relocating and preserving an unrivaled collection of authentic historic buildings into an American village. "Today, Greenfield Village embodies the spirit of Henry Ford's bold vision. Farmers, artisans, inventors, writers, shopkeepers and railroad workers carry our their daily tasks throughout this changing landscape. The energy is unmistakeable as their powerful and inspiring stories bring 300 years of the American experience to life every day." The second reads, "Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. 1982. National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior."

As mentioned in my previous Henry Ford post, Henry Ford’s failures in Alabama were not the end to his development aspirations. Around the same time Ford was attempting to remake Muscle Shoals for the future, he was preparing to bring the past to Dearborn, Michigan. Read more

Posted on December 1, 2018January 15, 2019 by Cassandra O'Donnell · 4 Comments

Teaching an Old City New Tricks in Vienna

Vienna, Austria stands apart from other cities I have written about in a number of ways:

It’s the first–although probably not the last–I’ve noted that existed well before being envisioned as a city of the future.
It’s one of the most successful cities in the world. It is widely recognized both for its exceptional quality of life and, more recently, as one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world.

However, such a community still faces problems. The Smart City Wien (literally, Smart City Vienna) initiative, created in 2011, lays out the issues of the modern city and Vienna’s commitment to solving them.