EPCOT

"EPCOT... will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise."

Walt Disney

EPCOT is an acronym of Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was the name originally given by Walt Disney to his concept of a utopian city that he intended to build as Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.


The original plan was for the site to include an airport at the Southern end of the site where guests and visitors would arrive and pass through a massive welcome centre. 


The Magic Kingdom theme park would be at the North of the site with an electric high speed monorail running from North to South right through the centre of the EPCOT metropolitan city and suburban areas. At the centre of the site would be the city surrounded by a large residential area with schools, churches and suburbs. 


I could go on but Walt himself describes the whole intended set up in this Youtube clip. It's a good watch at 24 mins but worth it if you're interested in this sort of thing.

To me, the thing I find most fascinating is how this "might" have affected or changed the world in a positive way. If any of it had caught on or spread we could be living in a much different world today. The ideas about keeping city roads completely separate from pedestrian areas, the city transport systems and the circular design plans for the city and its various areas are such simple but large changes compared to how we live now and would reduce traffic accidents, congestion and pollution.


There are some things that don't seem to make so much sense given some thought, like the environmental control system and certain other issues such as who would police it if its basically a large resort? Who is allowed to live there? I have know idea how any of that would have worked out or been resolved had EPCOT happened as originally planned but the thought that someone was willing to make it happen and give it a chance is inspiring.


It seems a rare thing that someone so rich and successful would be willing to put his company and name behind something like this in that there is no guarantee that it would work. It could have been a complete failure and would have lost billions of dollars. It says something about Walt Disney's self belief, vision and character I think.