Summer 1986 RAIN Page 37 ACCESS: Ecological Cities The Urban Ecologist: The Ecocity Adventure, edited by Ariel Rubissow and Richard Register, 1986, 68 pp., $4 from: Urban Ecology 1939 Cedar Street Berkeley, CA 94709 This is the tenth anniversary publication of Berkeley's Urban Ecology Inc. Unfortunately, it's a kind of swan song for an organization that has contibuted as much as any to the development of the "eco-city" vision and,-in bits and . pieces, to the manifestation of that vision. The booklet describes the history of Urban Ecology, its achievements, and its slow decline in recent years. In addition, it documents the experiences of five other projects that have attempted the wholesale design, planning, and creation of ecological cities. All of these eco-city projects wer~ begun less than 20 year~ ago amidst the flush of sixties idealism and ecological awareness; most have been in decline or have transformed their mission in recent years. The documentation of the various visions, organizational processes, acheivements, bad breaks, and mistakes along the way is·very useful. A budding urban ecologist has much to learn here. These are the projects described: • Arcosanti-This ambitious construction project, seeking to build a superhigh-density, integrated, three-dimensional city in the middle of the Arizona desert, is the brainchild of visionary architect Paolo Soleri. At its inception, Arcosanti was planned to have more than 1,000 residents by now and 5,000 by the year 2000. Although Soleri's vision and design principles have inspired many, few people are left building the vision, and construction is far behind schedule. Some attribute this to Soleri's single-handed control over the project. , •Marin Solar Village-In 1979, Sim Van der Ryn, Peter ,Calthorpe, and other urban designers announced plans to , create an integrated, energy-conserving subdivision of 1,900 dweflings on the site of an abandoned Air Force base in Marin County, California. Although the plan had several brilliant people working for it and hundreds of active supporters, political and organizational difficulties prevented it from ever getting off the ground. •Experimental Cities-This plan to build a humane and e~ological community/university of 30,000-50,000 inhabitants once had as many as 40,000 supporters. However, the organization's vision changed over time toward a belief that human relationships needed to change before a large-scale community was possible. Now it operates a center for education about male-female relationships. •Cerro Gordo-This plan to build an "enironmentally sound, J:iuman-scaled new town" for 2,500 people on 1,200. acres near Eugene, Oregon, met .with many frustrations as its supporters waited for over 10 years to get clearance to build on the land. However, with the ·clearance received last year, Cerro Gordo's members who stuck with the project through hard times now have the chance to begin building their dream. • Auroville-This community of 500 in India cen.ters around a spiritual focus, and incorporates environmental restoration into its philosophy and practice. Although Auroville has had its share of difficulties over the years, .the community perserveres. The booklet concludes with a thoughtful assessment by Richard Register of various eco-city building strategies, some thoughts about what lies ahead for· urban ecological design. -FLS Urban Ecology's Vegetable Car , Community Open ·spaces, by Mark Francis, Lisa Cashdan, and Lisa Paxson, 1984, 250 pp., $24.95 from: Island Press Star Route 1, Box 38 Covelo, CA 95428 The splashy colors and delicious smells that announce the arrival of spring to the country dweller are not so readily available to those who live in heavily crowded and often decaying older cities. Often there is nowhere to experience any kind of natural environment except vacant lots. Community Open Spaces discusses the transformation of some of these· lots from debris-strewn eyesores into projects in which the neighboring , community ~as participated in developing gardens, playgrounds, or parks. Carefully documented, yet still lively, the book begins by tracing the history of urban spaces in both the U.S. and· Europe. It then describes 10 community open space projects in New York City. Each is discussed in terms of group characteristics, neighborhood context, site design, use and maintenance, funding, control, and permanency. Finally, the problems and successes of each project are consolidated into general 'recommendations for groups wishing to launch similar efforts. As the book notes, community open space projects are no longer considered fringe developments, but are even institutionalized in some cities. -Cherry Britton Cherry Britton is part of the RAIN Reading and Dining Salon. The Fruition Project PO Box 872 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 The Fruition Project is dedicated to promoting public access to food trees. Surplus trees are donated by nurseries, and given to anyone who will plant them in a spot accessible to the public. Besides the tree give-away, the project puts out a newsletter, Fruition ($101 year), which gives information about which tree varieties do well ·under what conditions, how to start from seed, and so on. Other articles tell about tree planting in different parts of the world. Long-time closet tree planters surface in the interesting and substantial letter section, supporting the work of the project from around the globe. People offer stories about starting their own fruition projects or getting a tree to survive under adverse conditions. Some commercial growers, however, are opp9sed to public planting of fruit trees that are unsprayed, fearing the possibility that they could host pests that would spread to commercial orchards. The Fruition staff consequent- .ly changed their California tree recommendations to no longer include domesticated species that can't grow without cultivation (like peaches, plums, cherries), but instead natives (like avocado, fig, loquat, hazel/filbert) that are more adapted and resistant. -JM
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