Mitchell Bundick - Arcadia (Ecology of Eden Ch. 13)

Ecology of Eden chapter 13 introduces the concept of Arcadia. Eisenberg describes Arcadia as a state of living immersed with nature while maintaining human comfort. Furthermore, the idea of Arcadia is neither the tower nor the mountain but rather the "tower on the mountain". It is also described as a place of music and love, which, as discussed in the chapter, are the ultimate desires of humanity. Although the meaning of Arcadia can be subjective depending on perspective, there is debate as to whether true Arcadia is something possible to obtain. 

The chapter discusses the idea of "suburbia", which is somewhat of a watered-down version of Arcadia. Suburbia is humanity's attempt to mass-produce Arcadia within the constraints of economics and politics. While suburbia is often advertised as Arcadia, it is largely ineffective and goes against many of the principles of what Arcadia actually means. I find it interesting that suburban living is seen by some as Arcadia. While Arcadia is typically viewed as rolling hills or a vast forest, suburban areas are limited to only a lawn and a couple of trees or shrubs. By definition, and practice, this is not Arcadia. However, I think it is worth noting that suburbia could actually be some people's Arcadia. In the mid 1900s, with urban sprawl, cities became overcrowded, causing extremely poor living conditions with hundreds to thousands of individuals packed into tight spaces. Following this, a retreat to suburban living may actually seem like Arcadia. 

Overall, I think while the definition of Arcadia can be subjective, suburbia does not qualify as Arcadia. In today's society, I don't think Arcadia can be mass-produced, or it turns into something like suburbia, which, for some people, is the exact opposite of Arcadia.  

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