Wow! Considering an arcology has never been built, there's an awful lot of absolute certainty that they could never work. There are also an awful lot of negative assumptions about what they would be like, in terms of physical layout, which I do not share.
Let me go into more detail about the one I "designed" to explain what I meant. The scenario is almost a century into the future, when changing climate and sea levels has led to lots of displaced people trying to survive in a harsher environment. So arcologies, like my Torus, have been built to accommodate them.
I've dug out the notes I made - here are some extracts concerning the design of the ring-shaped building:
"12 levels (Level Zero to Level 11), floor to ceiling height three stories in streets,
One storey below each level for services and deliveries.
Central "Ring Road"; ring-shaped boulevard runs through centre of building on each level, 25m wide. 620m diameter, so 1.88 km long (c. 24 minutes to walk all the way round at 3 mph – anywhere within reach in about 15 min.)
Series of radial fire walls with only single-storey and narrower parts of Ring Road closable by automatic fire doors divide Torus into 12 "Sectors", which with 12 Levels makes 144 "Slices" which can all be sealed off from each other. Alternate Slices (vertically) have plazas, so 72 in all. Each Slice has c. 2,000 people
Separate ventilation systems for each slice; air drawn in from central park area, exhausted via tall chimneys (12 stacks, one for each Sector).
Lifts, automatic escalators and stairs between Levels. Arches on Ring Road between sectors (fire doors).
Energy from solar cells across most of glazed exterior (plus flexible outer skin linked to piezoelectric generators to produce electricity from wind pressure?). A chain of wind turbines in close proximity to Torus. Exercise machines in gyms coupled to generators (get fit and help the economy!) plus well-trodden areas of floor/running tracks have piezo-electric elements.
Heat from industrial processes used in space heating system, heat extracted from exhaust air and used to warm central space from which air is drawn for ventilation. Air conditioned with constant gentle breezes in circulation spaces, diurnal temperature fluctuations (20 degrees day, 15 night)
Full-spectrum lights brighten and dim by the clock – never entirely dark at night.
remote controlled fire hoses in ceilings of circulation/public spaces
rainwater collected from roof; stored in aquifer if not needed
Flat "Roof" of Torus is under cover of transparent roof, is used as a market garden and orchard of 45 hectares. Residents go up to the Roof to pick fresh fruit and vegetables and pay for them when they need them. Hives for pollination and honey
Calculation of dimensions: 250,000 people at 25 m2 residential area = 6.25m m2 floor area (3 storey = 2.1m m2 floor area) Add the same again for work, social, educational, sports areas = 4.2m m2. Add 30% for circulation and open space = 5.5m m2. on 12 levels = 450,000m2 per floor. Area of central space required: diameter 400m = 125,000 m2. Therefore area of ground take = 450,000 + 125,000 = 575,000 m2 = 850 m diam circle, so building is 225m thick. Total height 13m per Level = 156m high.
Central space "the Park" under inflatable-type transparent roof over entire building; 400m diameter = 12.5 hectares; arboretum, adventure playground (Go Ape), well-stocked lake, aviary, zoo (domestic animals – no pets allowed in Torus), walks and flower gardens, seating and refreshment booths. Long enclosed transparent slides from upper levels down to Park. Only place can make a noise! Cafes surrounding the Park at Level 1. Park has uneven ground – rocky outcrops
Sports facilities at Level Zero; swimming, athletics, games courts etc. Cycle track, running track and swimming track around the outside of Park (1250m long).
Large plazas cutting through two levels on alternate (even-numbered) Levels; full-height windows overlooking countryside, "open-air" cafes. View into plazas from level above (more cafes)
Smaller squares on alternate (odd-numbered) Levels, only 3 stories high, overlook Park
Different styles of buildings in different parts of Torus; reflect different parts of world (e.g. style of long-lost Venice – without the water!). Side-streets off Ring Road are c. 100m long and 10m wide. Residences ("homes") from studio apartments for singles, 1 bed for couples and larger (town houses) for families or shared (25m2 per person, then 10m2 per child). Have one-way glass windows for privacy. Railings keep people a distance away from ground floor windows. Homes shielded against scanning. Lightweight synthetic materials for external+internal walls but advanced sound insulation used.
Home buildings built to back on to work spaces which don't have windows – reduces the number of streets needed
Homes overlooking central space most costly. Those overlooking outside have double-skin, but windows only available in northern quadrant (Sectors 11,12,1) where no PV cells on outside (costly homes)
Torus an independent corporation, all employees have shares and get annual payout. Income for Torus from rents for residential and commercial space, charges for water and power use, selling surplus power and produce to surrounding area, income tax on residents (proportion taken, rest transferred to government).
Rents for bases determined by floor area, aspect and location. Least popular areas on Level 1 occupied by incomers (functional design); can apply for better locations when they come up.
Work spaces also rented; used where teams need to work together.
Multiple use of spaces; college and school rooms available outside teaching hours – not permanently assigned to any use.
Basement: warehousing, industrial processes, recycling, water recovery, triple CC system and command and control centres, plus maglev station and garaging of electric ATVs.
Multiple recycling chutes; everything recycled or processed; sewage processed for market garden;
bottles returned.
Quick access to outside: parkland and sports fields and golf courses surrounding Torus, grazing land beyond. Horse riding, cycle racks, running areas outside.
Intercity transport by maglev train with underground station, leaving Torus via tunnels."
Please note the emphasis on rapid access to external recreation space (probably better than most people enjoy in urban areas today). Also, as far as renting rather than the UK/USA fetish for buying housing: renting is the norm in many places in Europe, e.g. Germany. I haven't noticed any lower standards of maintaining the environment as a result.
