Fantasy Urbanism: Theme Parks as Blueprints for Better Cities

This research assesses theme parks as ideal micro-cities, identifying some of their admirable characteristics relevant to modern urban planning. It argues that theme parks, such as EPCOT and Disneyland, depict controlled aspects of urban design aimed towards a specific goal: human enjoyment. This human-oriented spatial architecture is missing in modern cities such as Los Angeles. Some of the urban challenges identified include car dependency and poor public space. The research uses New Urbanism and Theme Park Urbanism theoretical frameworks to criticize LA’s Euclidean zoning approach and assess the immersive, narrative-steered settings, respectively. The key research questions are summarized into the lessons modern city planners can pick from theme parks’ regulated spatial aspect and how LA can use these lessons to enhance city experience. The recommended methodology for this study should assess EPCOT and Disneyland theme parks via visitors’ views on these parks. One of the expected outcomes is to derive a framework of design strategies from theme parks that can be adapted to urban settings.