Arcosanti as an "Urban Laboratory" sought to encourage people to imagine Arcosanti as a skunkworks for innovative people and ideas revolving around the development of Arcosanti as a prototype for the world first Arcology - a compact and sustainable urban city model.
The idea of Arcosanti as a Urban Laboratory was repackaged within the Paradox Thesis theme and the supporting Paradox Conference Series with the sub-themes of Neo-Monasticism seeking to create a balance between real life and virtual reality in which people could create a cyber-culture in new ways that is based on Paolo Soleri's notion of frugality and self-sacrifice, while developing Arcosanti as the world's first prototype Arcology.
Its not clear where the wording came from or who coined it. Later in 2004 there arose the very similar concept termed new-monasticism.
From Wikipedia page explaining the new term:
The notion and terminology of Protestant "new monasticism" was developed by Jonathan Wilson in his 1998 book called Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World.[4] Wilson was, in turn, building on ideas of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who said in 1935: "the restoration of the church will surely come only from a new type of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old but a complete lack of compromise in a life lived in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount in the discipleship of Christ."[5] Wilson also built on ideas of philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. Noting the decline of local community that could sustain the moral life, MacIntyre ended his book After Virtue, by voicing a longing for "another... St. Benedict."[6] By this, he meant someone in the present age to lead another renewal of morality and civility through community. Wilson identified with that longing in his own book, but outlined a vision to carry it forward within the Protestant Christian tradition.[7]
Calling the vision a "new monasticism", he proposed four characteristics that such a monasticism would entail: (1) it will be "marked by a recovery of the telos of this world" revealed in Jesus, and aimed at the healing of fragmentation, bringing the whole of life under the lordship of Christ; (2) it will be aimed at the "whole people of God" who live and work in all kinds of contexts, and not create a distinction between those with sacred and secular vocations; (3) it will be disciplined, not by a recovery of old monastic rules, but by the joyful discipline achieved by a small group of disciples practicing mutual exhortation, correction, and reconciliation; and (4) it will be "undergirded by deep theological reflection and commitment," by which the church may recover its life and witness in the world.[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Monasticism
Soleri really seemed to attach to this Neo-Monastic theme along with this idea that people would sacrifice a lot of their more hedonistic Bay Area lifestyles and embrace a more frugal way of life at Arcosanti that was dedicated and focused on his vision of Arcology building.
From Soleri's perspective the NeoMonasticism of Cyberspace meant that a "Cyberculture Braintrust" would emerge.
My understanding is that there was discussion about the terms of actually investing in this Paradox NeoMonasticism project during Paradox II and it became a heated debate between Soleri and some of his potential young cybernauts who balked at the idea of coming to Arcosanti and investing in the project without a substantial say in the future development of the project.
Notes and References:
New Monasticism definition on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Monasticism
Wired Magazine Article "Arcosanti Meets the Way New Age" during first Paradox Conference 10.27.97: https://www.wired.com/1997/10/arcosanti-meets-the-way-new-age/
Wired Magazine "staff" writes of Arcosanti in a way in mid-90s that later sets stage for Paradox concept of Neo-Monasticism "New Medieval Aesthetic" 01.01.94 https://www.wired.com/1994/01/mediaeval/
Kevin Kelly - Founder of Wired - had a keen interest in this ideas discussed on this page and thus was one of another of the silicon valley cyber-culture big-fish at the time that were successfully lured to Arcosanti for Paradox (thus explaining why the articles above were published in Wired at the time): https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1sob2v/i_am_kevin_kelly_radical_technooptimist_and/