Francis Frick - a alum of Arcosanti - in 1997 proposed a South China Arcology.
This includes increasing the ability of cities to feed themselves is by installing green roofs. The proposed Ecocity will have rooflines dominated by greenhouses and open air green areas, "EdenSpaces" brimming with vegetable gardens and enclosed and semi-enclosed landscaped relaxation spa areas. We also might be able to catch more water and keep it on the roofs reducing erosion on site while also using water to grow crops on the rooftops, converting a desolate concrete roof into a eden-like wonderland. From an aesthetic standpoint pedestrian accessible gardens might provide an eye-catching experience for visitors, workshoppers and residents, of the EdenSpace themed project thus increasing the "urban effect."
Cascading terraces will functionally and aesthetically unify the aesthetic spaces of the community and maximize the amount of greenhouse/green roof space. Terraces could produce food in greenhouses in their most intense form as hydroponics design agricultural systems producing up to five times more than conventional agricultural systems.
The eventual ideal is to decentralize wastewater treatment within the integrated industrial ecology/permaculture systems of the community, replacing turf grass with more ecologically appropriate alternatives. Living systems imply a rethink of how we design cities involves more self-reliance within cities for food supplies.- urban agriculture (UA).
From the International Institute of Sustainable Development Journal Sept/Oct 1997:
Already beset with prob- lems of urban homelessness, acid rain, contaminated water and solid waste accumulations China needs to plan for 432 new cities by the year 2010, many along the coasts. One response is “Seaside Arcology”, a design concept devel- oped by Francis Frick of the University of Hong Kong. Arcology houses many “related ‘green’ subsystems of food, water and energy” and a ‘seed arcology’ has been proposed which would straddle the waterfront and coast- line and form a self-contained community. In the prototype, greywater-fed gardens generate food which is packaged on site; energy is saved via bioclimatic adaptation and solar and wind electrolysis and wastewater gasifi- cation provide hydrogen gas for electricity and heat. It would house 300 people, offices and classrooms as well as a marina, hydroponics gardens, filter beds, bioremediation tanks, a small market plaza and shared, com- munal spaces. In essence it becomes “factory, farm, school and community in one” where auto- mobile traffic is limited and pedestrian traffic the norm. For more information on “Seaside Arcology” contact Francis Frick at the Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong.
References:
City Farmer is a great resource for Urban Farmers, Farming in general and sustainability advocates. The site a project of the Canada government features Francis Frick's "a Seaside Arcology for South China" http://www.cityfarmer.org/frick.html
I found this in the IISD Development Alternatives newsletter Sep/Oct 07 which includes a special theme of the Asian Pacific Economic Council and issues that are affecting member states (see attached PDF doc)