Experimental Towns Where People Live Strange Lives

Ever wish your hometown was a tad more interesting or that your neighbourhood would get along in total domestic harmony? For most, home is nothing more than a few connecting streets with local schools and stores, but check out these incredibly experimental towns and communes in this article for a taste of what could’ve been.

Auroville

There is an experimental city in southern India far from your average hometown. Founded in 1968 by guru and occultist Mirra Alfassa otherwise known as The Mother, that town acts as a miniature experiment in world peace in its attempt to realize human unity through the transformation of consciousness.

Its core belief is that society can progress when people of all backgrounds, nationalities and creeds can live and work together in harmony, and over 2,500 residents from 49 different nations exist in spiritual unity within the Auroville colony where they build their own houses and live free of moral and social conventions and material wealth. There is no form of currency inside the city and each Aurovilian uses an account connected to a central banking system which is governed by the Auroville Foundation.

The town was built on 20 square kilometers of barren wasteland in Pondicherry which was then populated by trees and greenery, followed by thriving villages and industrial zones all designed in a distinct circular formation. At the city epicenter sits the sacred Matrimandir, a spherical temple which acts as a communal peace center and looks like a golden sun at the heart of Auroville.

Songdo Smart City

At first glance, Songdo city in South Korea might seem like any other green city but that is a master-planned utopia like no other. For years the world’s smartest city seemed to be a rumor, but against all odds the hyper-futuristic Songdo city was built by 2015 to answer the problems of living in over-populated Seoul.

Spread out over 600 hectares of reclaimed land from the Yellow Sea, that one of a kind city was designed to showcase a commitment to sustainable growth and technological innovation. The city combines an advanced technological infrastructure with 40% green space in an environmental paradise where the average carbon footprint is next to none.

Vast cycling routes make cars seem sparse and underground tubes carry trash straight to a central waste facility, while rainwater is collected and recycled using state of the art filtration systems. Digitally enhanced high-rise apartments make daily tasks like opening doors and managing temperature simple while sensor-equipped buildings monitor everything from energy use to traffic control.

Life in Songdo is far from perfect, though, as the population currently stands at just 130,000, a third of its planned 300,000 capacity. The result is a super-cool city with no sense of community, making that the worlds smartest ghost-town instead.

Octagon City

One important factor to consider when creating an experimental town or commune is that experiments often fail miserably, as was the case with Octagon city, aka the Vegetarian Utopia. That ambitious town in Allen County, Kansas was originally planned in 1856 by animal activist Henry Clubb as a settlement exclusively for vegetarians wishing to live a simple and eco-friendly lifestyle.

The towns eccentric geometrical design was inspired by famous phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler who proposed that the octagon was the future of architecture as its spacious shape maximized the intake of natural daylight. According to original plans, eight roads would lead away from an octagonal town square and the city would then consist of four octagonal villages complete with octagonal farmhouses and public buildings.

The idea was enough to entice 60 US-based families, some of which were meat-eaters to check out the vibrant city, only to find it was nothing more than a single-log cabin and a few tents. Settlers who decided to stick it out faced a multitude of problems like lack of water and disease as they awaited the promise of veggie utopia, but the fabled octagonal city was never built. A few 8 sided buildings in America and Canada such as the Watertown Octagonal house now serve as a sad reminder of the utopia that never was.

Finca Bellavista

For Erica and Matt Hogan, the answer to a perfect utopia had been hiding above their heads rather than right under their noses. In 2006, the couple happened upon a slice of 600-acre land in the Costa Rican rainforest which was primed for deforestation and decided to repurpose it as the foundation for a unique and sustainable community.

With grit, determination and a whole lot of creativity Finca Bellavista was born: a thriving treehouse community which is created and sustained entirely by those who live there, from the beds they sleep on to the food they eat. Located more than ½ mile away from the nearest standard town, the residents of Finca Bellavista live entirely off the grid and operate using only solar energy.

Those lucky tree-dwellers travel between the 25 elevated structures by an intricate web of zip-wires and bridges, while a lively community center on the ground provides a place for group activities. If Finca Bellavista sounds like the place for you, you’d better have some DIY know-how, because treehouses like those are not easy to make.

Arcosanti

In the midst of the desert in central Arizona USA lies a spectacular 25-acre experimental town called Arcosanti which is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Designed by American architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti aims to represent a fusion of architecture and ecology through a concept aptly named arcology.

That utopian metropolis boasts a selection of intriguing architectural designs which have all been built in perfect harmony with the environment so that each building is positioned to maximize sunlight throughout the day. The permanent residents of Arcosanti are students and teachers of Soleri’s style who have built the town since 1970 and live by an ethos of community and smart living.

Although the courtyard-style rather than grid-like layout encourages more meaningful daily interaction, Arcosanti is still more of a school than a working city, and only 4% of the original plans have been completed so far. With enough solar power for heating, cooling and electricity and no roads for traffic pollution, though, Arcosanti could still be an example to lead by in the future.

Palmanova

Experimental towns aren’t always modern or intentionally futuristic, and this star-shaped fortress town in Venice was created for a more historic purpose. The commune was designed by Italian architect Vincenzo Scamozzi and built by the Venetian Republic in 1593 to protect the empire from Turkish and Austrian invasions.

The city was surrounded by a moat and protected by three guarded gates, while its 9-point star shape allowed ramparts to protrude so that each point could defend each other. Within the walled city the concept of utopian living was well-regarded, and the inhabitants of that self-sustaining community were encouraged to play equal roles in society.

Unsurprisingly, though, very few people wanted to live ins ide a star-shaped walled fortress which was under constant threat of attack or invasion, so the city was only inhabited by military personnel. In a desperate bid to populate the city, pardoned prisoners were then taken in, although it’s unclear whether they lived according to such idealist rules. Today, 5,400 people still live in that failed utopia, so maybe it was just ahead of its time.

EPCOT

EPCOT theme park in Orlando opens its magical gates to thousands of visitors each day, but how many are aware that under different circumstances they could’ve been living there instead. Walt Disney had big hopes for Florida after the success of his first Disneyland parks, and it wasn’t just the infamous Disneyworld we know and love today.

Originally named Project X, Disney had meticulously planned a fully autonomous city called the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT for short. With a whopping 27,400-acre plot of land in mind, the city was designed to act as the blueprint of the future, stimulating American ideas for urban living with its forward thinking features.

According to Walt’s plans, a giant monorail would keep the city connected while around 20,000 selected inhabitants would live in a snow globe-like regulated environment, and the epicenter would be a thirty-story hotel for Disneyworld visitors. Unfortunately, when Walt Disney died in December 1996 no one had the driving vision to see the city into fruition without his guidance, so the EPCOT park we know today was created instead.

Kowloon Walled City

Formerly a Chinese military fort, Kowloon Walled city in Hong Kong is one experimental city you probably wouldn’t want to live in. The bizarre settlement, which looks like compacted trash from Pixar’s Wall-E became densely populated after the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WW2, and by 1947 2,000 squatters fleeing the Chinese civil war had also sought refuge within its walls.

With no real government enforcement, the city became a breeding ground for crime and drugs and organized crime groups known as triads gained a stranglehold over what went on there, with police refusing to enter in small groups. More construction took place during the 1960s, maximizing its size by the late 1970s, and as the teaming city continually grew sunlight rarely reached its lower levels due to severe overcrowding.

Eventually, demolition plans began to take effect in 1993 after the forcible eviction of many stubborn residents, and a walled city of such epic proportions has not been seen since. Nowadays, Kowloon is home to a lush green park containing many historical artefacts including a model replica of the forgotten city.

Camp Hero

Camp Hero sounds like the summer camp from a teen movie, but what it actually resembles is closer to the Russian military base from Netflix’s Stranger Things, which it supposedly inspired. That former decommissioned military base in Montauk USA is nothing if not experimental, with swirling rumors of genetic meddling, time travel and mind control experiments using kidnapped children earning its mysterious reputation.

Nowadays it’s a popular spot for hikers and nature lovers wishing to explore its 415 acres of forests, wetlands and sandy beaches provided you can curb your curiosity when it comes to a plethora of warning signs. The disturbing history of Camp Hero was thrust into the public eye in 2008 when a creature named the ‘Montauk Monster’ washed up ashore.

What has since been debunked as a badly decomposing racoon sparked debate about previous secret undertakings on site, including rumors of involvement in the CIA mind-control program MK Ultra. There may be no slimy Demogorgon sightings on-site just yet, but that is one experimental settlement you’d be best to steer clear of in future.

California City

This place turned out to be one of the biggest failed experimental cities ever, which as you can see in the image below, is not a city at all. That is the largest suburb to never actually exist, although its original plans had pegged the city to outgrow LA in no time.

The ambitious project began in 1958 when a real-estate developer named Nat Mendelsohn purchased 80,000 acres of inhospitable land in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Clearing the area for construction created a slight problem as the notorious Santa Ana winds swept through the town creating frequent dust storms, and soon enough potential buyers were no longer interested in living in a huge dustbowl.

Roads had been mapped out and named, cul-de-sacs created and addresses fixed, all that was missing were the houses and the people to live in them. The vast area is still considered California’s third-largest city, and a surprising near-15,000 people have settled in the partly developed southwest of the empty grids, so there may still be hope yet.

Ocean Towns

Many experimental towns and communes have failed on land, so perhaps the way forward is to give ocean-dwelling a go. I’m not talking about growing gills and attempting to live Atlantis-style, but a settlement at sea could be a plausible alternative to modern living. Take a look at this intriguing town below located in Azerbaijan, which is located on a metal platform above an oil field.

Neft Daşları otherwise known as ‘oil rocks’, is the world’s first offshore oil platform which has expanded over time from one path over the sea to become a functioning industrial city with streets and buildings built on dirt and landfill. Currently, a population of around 2000 reside on the 300km city and work on oil extraction, but reports have suggested that life there can be difficult due to the unpredictable weather conditions at sea.

If you thought that was strange, consider the: several islands in the South China Sea have been created and transformed into offshore military fortresses, complete with runways, helipads and observation towers. Originally called Mischief Reef, China started piling up sand to create the artificial island since 2014, despite the reef being claimed by the Philippines.

Since then, its become a Chinese military base, which is why radar and other military equipment is being built there. Those intriguing ocean settlements have attracted a lot of media attention, but their current industrial and military functions mean the potential for commercial offshore living is still largely unexplored.

I hope you were amazed at these experimental towns! Thanks for reading.