The Venus Project

By Ellen Salter
November 2020

Cities are the nexus of human activity. By 2050, more than 70% of the world’s anticipated 10 billion will reside in cities and urban areas. Yet, these spaces often act as epicentres of resource over-consumption perpetuating the systematic injustice of the current take-make-waste economy. In this article, I explore the role of circularity in cities through the case study of the Venus Project – a key milestone for thought-leadership in this field.

A Strict Resource Diet

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the linear-model of city-living accounts for more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and 75% of natural resource consumption, as well as significant adverse effects on our planetary boundaries and natural ecosystems. This must change. Global calls to place our cities and urban areas under a strict ‘resource diet’ are gaining traction. So, what is a solution?  

Circularity & Cities

The transition towards a circular economy poses one key solution. This model presents an alternative systems-thinking approach based on the principles of ‘designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.’ In recent times cities such as Amsterdam, London, and Glasgow, have begun to rethink how we make, take, and dispose of our resources, adopting the model as a means of ensuring long-term prosperity and sustainable development.

The Beginning: The Resource Based Economy

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This way of thinking is not new, however. More than forty years ago, Jacques Fresco (the founder of the Venus Project) gave life to the Resource Based Economy – a revolutionary model of resource equity. The Resource Based Economy outlines a society whereby all goods and services are available to all without the need for means of exchange, such as money, resources, or any other means. This is achieved through the declaration that all resources are the common heritage of Earth’s inhabitants. Resource equity will therefore be achieved through the intelligent and humane use of the best science and technology available as well as social cooperation and collaboration.

To support the Resource-Based Economy, Fresco proposed the redefining of the ‘present state and aims of architecture’ through the circular city. As a testbed and pilot for the practical implementation of this assumption, Jacques Fresco and Roxanne Meadows established The Venus Project in 1980.

The Venus Project: The Origins  

The Venus Project represents a pioneering model set across 21 acres of land in Florida. It was developed as a means of demonstrating the harmonious balance of technology and nature to live within our planetary boundaries. Today, largely owing to financial constraints, the community consists of just 10 structural domes. However, the philosophy and ideology remain, with worldwide research, visitors, and knowledge sharing to date.

It is important to note that the Project was ahead of its time. The Venus Project proposed a circular city action plan designed to function with the minimum expenditure of energy, water, and resources whilst adopting the most innovative technological and scientific methodologies possible. The desired outcome? – An equitable and inclusive future where all reside in harmony with nature to achieve the highest possible standard of living.

The proposal for the Venus Project is the division of the city into eight radial sectors and circular belts – each mirroring the first to maximise resource-efficiency. The radial sectors culminate at a central dome/ epicentre of activity – computerised communications, health, social and community facilities, cultural activities, the arts, dining facilities and various forms of entertainment. The city aims to be self-sustaining hosting a variety of indoor hydroponic, aeroponic and aquaponic facilities; and a circular waterway for irrigation and filtration surrounding an agricultural belt.

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Prefabricated modular residential dwellings are designed with a high degree of flexibility for future use and re-use. The homes are self-sustaining equipped with their own thermal generators and on-site renewable energy generation. The architecture seeks harmony with the natural landscape and is designed within the context of the local environment to withstand the effects of extreme weather events.

The Venus Project: ‘It’s Neither Utopian nor Orwellian’

Today, the legacy of Fresco lives on. The Centre for Resource Management continues to explore the scaling-up of the circular city and the ways in which we can achieve a global-network of interconnected cities. (Find out more here)

It is important to note that the Venus Project is ‘neither Utopian nor Orwellian, nor does it reflect the dreams of impractical idealists’. Instead, it presents a vision for an inclusive, equitable future where we live in harmony with the natural world. Whilst not realised in actuality, the Venus Project and the teachings of Jacques Fresco present profound lessons learned for the world’s major cities as they today transition towards a future for circularity.

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You May Also Be Interested In: Methods for Inclusive Cities: Key Stakeholder Engagement Tools, The First Value: Embedding Climate Justice within the Built Environment, The Doughnut Economic Action Lab (DEAL)