Walt Disney and the Quest for Community

by Steve Mannheim

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 would be his team's conceptual response to the ills of the inner cities and the sprawl of the 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 commitment by the Disney organization to the original EPCOT philosophy, one which continues to have relevance in the fields of planning and development.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

218 pages, Hardcover

First published December 23, 2002

Reviews

[Celena]

awesome for my research! laid everything out super well going through the history and development of the original EPCOT concept.

this fed my 7th grade Disney phase. i love when you get into academia and you can write about silly things that interested you from when you were 14. embarrassing to admit but i know more disney trivia than i should and this was very fun for me

[John Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a bit dry and reading more like a research paper than a narrative, this is nonetheless a fascinating read for anyone with a serious interest in Disney, EPCOT, or urban and transportation planning and design. Those who love Walt Disney World as it exists today — or who enjoy following The Walt Disney Company as it became — may be quite surprised to learn just how serious Walt Disney was about his plans to build a “city of the future,” and as someone who thought he knew a great deal about EPCOT, “Walt Disney and the Quest for Community” revealed quite a lot I didn’t know ... including just how deeply the project had been considered, and how very close it came to moving forward prior to Disney’s death.

What this book lacks is narrative finesse and thrust to pull it all together. It’s a recitation of remarkable — and often little-known — facts, but it lacks a certain cohesion and style. It’s supported by lackluster images and sometimes too-obvious observations.

And yet, there’s every reason to plod through some of the more dull and obtuse writing, because both Disney and the U.S. could use more of the EPCOT-style vision — and because it’s rather a surprise to learn just how grounded in real issues and concerns EPCOT was.

This is much more than just an analysis of a “failed” theme park, and Illuminates more than just what Walt Disney wanted to do with his EPCOT city. It also reveals why EPCOT the theme park became what it did ... and why it’s so desperately sad and depressing to know that it has declined from such a shockingly grand idea to just another in a series of “Disney Parks.”

For really serious Disney enthusiasts or those genuinely interested in urban-planning and transportation issues, this is very much worth the effort.

[Josh McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid supplemental reading to other Walt Disney and Walt Disney World biographical books. Focused on EPCOT and what it was originally meant to be (in Walt Disney's eyes), the book does a good job of summing up sections of other books such as Project Future or Bob Thomas' Walt Disney: An American Original. I feel it was good I had read those books prior to this one, as they helped paint a larger picture of the story going into Walt Disney and the Quest For Community and its cutting of corners at times.

All of this being said, this book is thoroughly researched and feels very academic due to its constant sourcing of references. There is lots of new material to be found here, plus a good summary of information that can be found elsewhere. The most fascinating chapter was the last one, which speaks about "EPCOT After Disney." Thanks to the references at the end of the chapter, I have now found a couple of other books to add to my wish list.

Overall, while it shouldn't be a replacement to the other books I mentioned above, it definitely is a must-read for those who are interested in EPCOT, urban development and the like. Consider checking it out.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, if scholarly, look at Walt's desire to redefine urban planning.