Walt and the Promise of Progress City

**Tripking** · 10-19-2011, 03:46 PM

Hi Everyone -

Just Wondering... Has anyone read the book 'Walt and the Promise of Progress City' by Sam Gennawey? I'm planning on picking it up but just curious if anyone had an opinion on it. Sounds totally facinating to me.

Its basicly the story of Walt Disney’s original vision for EPCOT. The forward was written by Werner Weiss of yesterland.com fame so I'm sure many of you have heard of it.

Thanks!

**supernova** · 10-19-2011, 04:30 PM

New to me.

**Mo Noyz** · 10-19-2011, 05:27 PM

No, but after listening to Lou's recent podcast with Jim Korkis (his all time best guest, IMO) about the Carousel of Progress and how that was actually tied into Progress City, I'd certainly be interested in reading it.

**eeyore79** · 10-19-2011, 11:47 PM

sounds interesting....hope to check it out soon

**Disney.Gen.2.0** · 10-20-2011, 06:12 AM

I've never heard of it, but it sounds very interesting. I always wondered how different Epcot would have turned out if Walt had lived long enough to build his vision.

**supernova** · 10-20-2011, 07:26 AM

Well, considering Walt wanted to build a city and not an amusement park...

**DAR** · 10-20-2011, 09:20 AM

I'll have to check it out.

**Mo Noyz** · 10-20-2011, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by supernova

Well, considering Walt wanted to build a city and not an amusement park...

But, you have to wonder about the viability of the idea to begin with. It would have been a mammoth undertaking that would have cost far more than building a relatively small amusement park.

I have no doubt that many changes would have to have been made. It would have been interesting to see what he finally cooked up, though.

**HauntedGabe** · 10-20-2011, 07:07 PM

The book does sound interesting and I never thought of that. Doesn't it surprise you that that dream didn't get squished by his attorneys from the get go?

They tried it initially in DTD and didn't work out. We are a democratic society and people get to vote. Disney Market Place and the homes along with apartments failed because it didn't fit into democracy. So then Disney gave it another shot with their intended, private community and private community school plans. The attorneys should have caught all that and maybe they did and built Celebrations anyhow. Schools are districts, fire, police, sheriffs, libraries. I wasn't surprised Disney walked away from Celebration. Now they are building these muli-million dollar homes. Wonder what will happen with these residents down the line.
That goal of a private Disney society seems to smolder on through the generations.

Now I want to read that book.

Is it on Kindle?

**weepstah** · 10-21-2011, 12:09 PM

I haven't had a chance to pick it up, but it's very high on my reading list.

One thing I have heard but still need to check on is that Disney always intended to divest itself from Celebration. see the article below for example.

Disney Is Selling a Town It Built to Reflect the Past - NYTimes.com

**Samland** · 10-22-2011, 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by Tripking

Hi Everyone -

Just Wondering... Has anyone read the book 'Walt and the Promise of Progress City' by Sam Gennawey? I'm planning on picking it up but just curious if anyone had an opinion on it. Sounds totally facinating to me.

Its basicly the story of Walt Disney’s original vision for EPCOT. The forward was written by Werner Weiss of yesterland.com fame so I'm sure many of you have heard of it.

Thanks!

Hello everyone. Thanks for the interest. Sam Gennawey here. Here is the blurb for the book, now available on Amazon and in Kindle form:

Walt Disney’s vision for a city of tomorrow, EPCOT, would be a way for American corporations to show how technology, creative thinking, and hard work could change the world. He saw this project as a way to influence the public’s expectations about city life, in the same way his earlier work had redefined what it meant to watch an animated film or visit an amusement park.

Walt and the Promise of Progress City is a personal journey that explores the process through which meaningful and functional spaces have been created by Walt Disney and his artists as well as how guests understand and experience those spaces.

All started when I was a little kid looking at the Progress City model on the second level of the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland. Could EPCOT have been built? As an urban planner, I kept asking myself this question. I hope you check it out.

**Dizisit** · 10-22-2011, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Disney.Gen.2.0

I've never heard of it, but it sounds very interesting. I always wondered how different Epcot would have turned out if Walt had lived long enough to build his vision.

I started a thread in General Discussions back in August of last year (What if Walt Would've Lived Another 20-30 Years...?!) that asked, essentially, the same question. It wasn't specifically about Epcot, although that was actually the main aspect consuming my thoughts at the time, but about all of the Disney vision and enterprise. I still think about it often.

On one of the many shows about WDW on The Travel Channel, or some other, Marty Sklar was once pondering the question of what Walt would say if he were suddenly able to come back and see how his dream had progressed since his passing. Mr. Sklar replied with something to the effect of... "He'd say 'What took you so long?!' "
Lets just say that I'm not so sure that's quite what Walt's response would be.