The Urban Ideal: Conversations with Paolo Soleri

Although Paolo Soleri is one of the world’s most famous and influential architects, little has been written about his life, work, and thought. The Urban Ideal fills that gap. Based on interviews conducted at Arcosanti in spring 2000, these conversations cover Soleri’s youth and education in fascist Italy, his immigration to America, and his radical approach to architecture that culminated in his ideal city based on the concept of “arcology,” architecture coherent with ecology.