"James W. Rouse, a wildly successful real estate developer whose notable achievements include the first enclosed shopping mall east of the Mississippi and an entire city called Columbia in Maryland. He then went on to save historic downtowns by creating festival marketplaces such as Faneuil Hall in Boston. In 1963 he gave the keynote speech at the 1963 Urban Design Conference at Harvard University. This is what he had to say about Disneyland:
'I hold a view that may be somewhat shocking to an audience as sophisticated as this: that the greatest piece of urban design in the United States today is Disneyland.
If you think about Disneyland and think of its performance in relationship to its purpose, it’s meaning to people – more than that, it’s meaning to the process of development – you will find it the outstanding piece of urban design in the United States.
It took an area of activity – the amusement park – and lifted it to a standard so high in its performance, in its respect for people, in its functioning for people, that it really does become a brand new thing. It fulfills all its functions it set out to accomplish, un-self-consciously, usefully, and profitably to its owners and developers.
You can view the full article here.
It's amazing how much of an impact Disney had on the real estate community and in people's lives. Disneyland was a true inspiration for building techniques, layout, and design for amusement parks. It's cool to hear a successful real estate man be that impressed by it.
Gotta love Disneyland!
