Overview

  • The social and economic structures of the Arcology will be based on the best of what we know from psychology
    • (Science, not ideology, should be the prevailing heuristic)
  • Strong communities and low-stress societies minimize loneliness, mental health problems and criminality.
    • Communities become strong by acknowledging and embracing interdependence.
    • People live near each other, help each other, need each other, become true neighbors = Village Life.
  • Society helps to manage substance abuse through care and active engagement.
  • Physical spaces are designed for wellbeing, promoting access to nature, recreation, relief of stress.
  • Social Services are designed to relieve stress and provide a solid baseline level of welfare/support, so that people never need to worry about their basic survival.
    • High levels of welfare support have been shown to reduce religiosity in a society, and increase entrepreneurism.
  • Strong emphasis on high levels of social development. Lifetime investment in people.

Basic Social Services

  • A tickle of demurrage redistribution
    • in a late-stage, mature Acrology, this could become a full mincome source
  • Free Food and Food Prep
    • Only kitchenettes in apartments
    • Large public canteens
    • Highly nutritious food
    • Every person has a software agent that monitors their nutrition
  • Child Care
  • Gyms and recreational facilities
  • Internet
  • Health Care
  • Education: guaranteed thru the PHD level
  • Guaranteed free education all the way to the phd level
  • Security & Policing
  • Pensions
  • Object libraries for durable goods, with simple computerized checkout system, everything from books to sporting equipment, art equipment, scientific equipment etc…
  • free access to minimal lodgings, if you lose your apartment.

Public Property and Wealth Inequality

  • Most of the property is publicly owned. Individuals buy or rent apartments, and democratic corporations are contracted to run services.
  • Government retains IP rights for all software and tech they pay to have developed as the city is built
    • Can license it abroad for additional revenue to help reduce taxes.
  • Government owns most physical infrastructure, like the server stack, greenhouses etc… and contract demcos to run them, much like single-payer healthcare in Sweden.
  • Tax surpluses will be collected and will be invested into R&D and construction to gradually improve and automate public services
  • This will allow the society overall to become wealthier, instead of wealth accruing to the private sector.
    • Will preserve democracy by keeping wealth inequality to tolerable levels.

Notes

  • Culture recognizes that societal structures are a technology like any other, and can and should be incrementally improved.
  • High use of computerization to make systems run smoothly.
  • Gradually ratchet up Automation. With demcos and praxis money in place, the productivity gains can go to leisure instead of gdp growth.
  • Strong checks and balances: ensure politicians interests are directed at societal best-interest.
  • Culture assumes high level of trust/integration between the people and government
  • Liberté, égalité, fraternité (the west has largely ignored this third and critical pillar)
  • The arcology is a Weapon Free Zone
  • Arcologies should be able to maintain a steady growth thru immigration, as countries become less habitable.
    • This lets us easily fund pensions, due to a healthy demographic curve
  • People applying for residency will be evaluated based on skills, age, social fit.
  • Explicit social contracts: to join, you need to sign a literal series of contracts, specifying your rights and obligations wrt the city.