Robert Stark interviews Richard Register about Ecocities

Interview recorded in 2018: Richard Register is a theorist in ecology and urban design, the author of several books on the topic of ecologically sustainable cities, and founder and President of Ecocity World. Topics: Richard’s concept of an EcocityPaolo Soleri’s concept of an Arcology and his project Arcosanti in ArizonaThe Ecosa Institute which is doing what Soleri intended on a smaller scaleAncient examples of the Arcology go back to Ur in Mesopotamia and Çatalhöyük in TurkeyThe city as a complex living organismHorizontal vs. three dimensional citiesImplementing an ecocity on a large scale as an EcotropolisWhy density is more ecologically sustainableEcocity ZoningThe goal of creating a car free cityThe use of bridges between structuresJohn C. Portman’s Embarcadero Center in San Francisco which has aspects of an ArcologyExterior glass elevatorsRichard’s book Ecocity Berkeley and NIMBY imposed barriers to change in BerkeleyOpening up the creek systems in urban areasCreating Ecocity village cores in the suburbs and how to retrofit aesthetically pleasing suburbs(ex. Santa Barbara, Marin County, and wealthy East Bay suburbs)Reducing the foot print of cities and suburbs and opening up new land to agriculture and wildernessRichard’s illustrations and the importance of aesthetics in urbanismNew Urbanism as a step in the right direction but too rigid in height and densityRichard’s trip to the Galapagos Islands and observations of how architecture coexists with natureEcocities in ChinaRobert’s observation that Las Vegas despite being an ecological catastrophe has many aspects of the Arcology This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertstark.substack.com/subscribe