Walt Disney and the Quest for Community [Paperback]

During the final months of his life, Walt Disney was consumed with the world-wide problems of cities. His development concept at the time of his death on December 15th, 1966 would be his teams conceptual response to the ills of the inner cities and the sprawl of the megalopolis: the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow? or, as it became known, EPCOT.

This beautifully written, instantly engrossing volume focuses on the original concept of EPCOT, which was conceived by Disney as an experimental community of about 20,000 people on the Disney World property in central Florida. With its radial plan, 50-acre town center enclosed by a dome, themed international shopping area, greenbelt, high-density apartments, satellite communities, monorail and underground roads, the original EPCOT plan is reminiscent of post-war Stockholm and the British New Towns, as well as today's transit-oriented development theory.

Unfortunately, Disney himself did not live long enough to witness the realization of his model city.? However, EPCOT's evolution into projects such as the EPCOT Center and the town of Celebration displays a remarkable commitment by the Disney organization to the original EPCOT philosophy, one which continues to have relevance in the fields of planning and development.

Contents: Concept: Physical planning; Transportation: the end of autopia?; Architecture and construction. Site: Site and technology; Landscaping. Economics and marketing: economic analysis and finance; Marketing. Regulation and Governance: Regulation and community governance/social planning; Operations and management; EPCOT after Disney; Bibliography; Index.

Steve Mannheim holds a Bachelors degree in History and Urban Studies from Stanford University, USA. His Masters in Architecture and Urban Planning was earned at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also holds a Doctorate in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern Califl³‹