Disneyland Park, Anaheim: A Study of Disney’s Narrative Urbanism

IMMERSIVE URBAN DESIGN

THE NARRATIVE URBANISM OF

Disney’s NAR TIVE MAIN STREET THE MAGIC IN NAR TIVE URBANISM

The built environment is architectured in a particular way that forces people to evoke certain emotions- manufactured, yet a lived experience. It is a form of magic to be able to revoke memories and make people feel a certain way. To subsume people into the content, the story, the lives of characters, is truly an art. Walking through the streets of Disneyland allows visitors to feel a certain way the park designers intended to. Us, as Urban Planners and Designers can implement this art of narrative urbanism, not for aesthetics, but for the true representation and depiction of culture, history, and values of a community we are designing for. Narrative urbanism makes the surroundings feel seen, heard, and respected. Narrative urbanism immerses the commuters into the surroundings. Narrative urbanism narrates the history and lived experiences of the surroundings.

How Disney implements narrative urbanism:

The Crystal Arts store is a porcelain and Pavé crystal store. The color selection for the awning, the facade, the big windows with gold ornamentation, all make the visitors feel aligned with what the store sells. Notice how there is a brick building right next to it yet they both fit perfectly into the narrative of the Magic Kingdom while maintaing their distinct and juxtaposed charateristics into the sidewalk.

The light pink awnings, typography, dimmed yet fresh bulbs make visitors feel drawn into the Candy Palace. Wide and dimmed sidewalks, bright stores, and the pretentious apartment on top of the store, all tie together towards making the pedestrains feel welcome and happy. This is a classic use of narrative urbanism to make the vistors feel happy and sugary, leading them into the store, just to explore!

The Showcase, Disney’s very own merchandise store is placed cleverly at the start of the Main Street, by the circular plantation and a line of site to the castle. It makes the visitors actively recognize that they are at Diseny. While not as colorfully expressive, the urbanism fits right into Disney’s warm and welcoming culture, helping the visitors have a soft entrance before fully stepping into the magic.

The stunning view of Main Street in all Disneylands around the world are applauded for their vibrancy, aesthetics, line of sight, and keeping the visitors immersed in the narration. The place transforms throught out the day, while keeping it’s narration and Disney magic the same!

During the day it feels like walking through a roburt magic kingdom, with multiple blends of architecture, stores, food, music, each shop with it’s own identity. Into the night, walking through Disney feels like a carnival, a moment to pause and celebrate. It evokes different emotions using lighting, street furniture, castle lighting, wide sidewalks, music, and the unforgettable fireworks! While the vibe transforms throughout the day, even for popular festivals such as Halloween, it doesn’t deter from it’s original characteristics, that make Disney feel like Disney, the most narrative and immersive urbanism ever!