The Town Center construction

jt04

Well-Known Member
This has to rank up there as being one of the most complex shopping mall developments ever done. Looks like Disney is building a whole new town (and they've named it as such!) They are either brilliant or completely nuts.

One of the major reasons I have been hoping they would do this right is that it can be an inspiration for other designers and urban planners. Miami is trying to completely reimagine itself but on a much bigger scale obviously. I find these projects on any scale fascinating. I vote on the side of "brilliant".
 

articos

Well-Known Member
In the second photo from the bottom you can make out the new bridge that will cross over the waterway to the STK building, which then has the stairs up to original PI area. I really like the multiple elevations that this addition is creating. Hopefully the pathways extend underneath the existing bridge and around the backside of Edison, Paradiso, etc.
You can see the pedestrian bridge alongside the supposedly reused, rethemed railroad bridge, also.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
How is it complex?

I think they meant 'eclectic'. And it is complex when you consider all the vendors Disney had to weave into this, um, complex. Remember when some said Disney would never get or was having trouble finding businesses to buy in? Yeah, looks like that was wrong in a major way.

Anyway, even the SavePI blog is seeing the light and beginning to understand why this is superior to DTD for WDW. PI will still exist in form just not at WDW. It will be downtown which works better for PI type venues. And the Orlando Magic are investing heavily in Orlando also. Not to mention everything happening on Universal Drive and CW.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I think they meant 'eclectic'. And it is complex when you consider all the vendors Disney had to weave into this, um, complex. Remember when some said Disney would never get or was having trouble finding businesses to buy in? Yeah, looks like that was wrong in a major way.

Anyway, even the SavePI blog is seeing the light and beginning to understand why this is superior to DTD for WDW. PI will still exist in form just not at WDW. It will be downtown which works better for PI type venues. And the Orlando Magic are investing heavily in Orlando also. Not to mention everything happening on Universal Drive and CW.
Spaces are leased out like at any other mall, nothing complex about it. Being good also has no direct relationship to complexity.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Spaces are leased out like at any other mall, nothing complex about it. Being good also has no direct relationship to complexity.

I just think they choose the wrong word. I think they meant that that there is no other place like this with so many unique offerings in one place in the US. And it had to be extremely complicated to sew together so many competing businesses into one vision that is Disney Springs. We have yet to see how "complex" it truly is. And my hunch is there will be more added later. It continues to suprise me on a weekly basis and I thought I understood the scope of it.
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I just think they choose the wrong word. I think they meant that that there is no other place like this with so many unique offerings in one place in the US. And it had to be extremely complicated to sew together so many competing businesses into one vision that is Disney Springs. We have yet to see how "complex" it truly is. And my hunch is there will be more added later. It continues to suprise me on a weekly basis and I thought I understood the scope of it.

I don't see anything more unique here then any other high end shopping area. Most of the new shops are brand names that can be found in other places. Some of the restaurants are going to be unique but you can find a lot of unique restaurants at City Walk also. I also don't see any attempt to sew anything together. They intentionally decided on a theme that wouldn't put any limitations on what could be there. If you are surprised by the scope, then you clearly haven't been paying attention since they are building exactly what they said they were going to build.

Personally, I like these sorts of shopping areas and am looking forward to visiting this when complete, but I don't see this as something that is terribly unique.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I just think they choose the wrong word. I think they meant that that there is no other place like this with so many unique offerings in one place in the US. And it had to be extremely complicated to sew together so many competing businesses into one vision that is Disney Springs. We have yet to see how "complex" it truly is. And my hunch is there will be more added later. It continues to suprise me on a weekly basis and I thought I understood the scope of it.
There is no "sewing together." The spaces are leased out just like with any other mall.
 

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
One of the major reasons I have been hoping they would do this right is that it can be an inspiration for other designers and urban planners. Miami is trying to completely reimagine itself but on a much bigger scale obviously. I find these projects on any scale fascinating. I vote on the side of "brilliant".

One can only hope. Did you know that no cities had downtown areas before Downtown Disney? I hope this makeover does the same thing vis a vis springs and water shooting.
 

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
Spaces are leased out like at any other mall, nothing complex about it. Being good also has no direct relationship to complexity.

This is also correct. The original design had a layout that was so complex that in testing people would get lost for days. After it was discovered that 10% of guests would never be able to find their way out of the complex complex and would most likely expire penniless and hungry only a feet from food at the door step of Earl of Sandwich (this was learned during computer simulations of people shopping the originally proposed shopping center) it was decided that a simpler shopping complex was indeed better.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
One can only hope. Did you know that no cities had downtown areas before Downtown Disney? I hope this makeover does the same thing vis a vis springs and water shooting.

I can say that no downtowns function as they could/should. There are no EPCOTs as Walt envisioned or anything close. Miami is making an effort. And they are bulding a city from scratch in one of the gulf states. Not sure how that is going.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I can say that no downtowns function as they could/should. There are no EPCOTs as Walt envisioned or anything close. Miami is making an effort. And they are bulding a city from scratch in one of the gulf states. Not sure how that is going.
EPCOT was a Garden City, and Garden Cities were built before EPCOT. New Urbanism also takes a lot from the same traditions.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
I don't see anything more unique here then any other high end shopping area. Most of the new shops are brand names that can be found in other places. Some of the restaurants are going to be unique but you can find a lot of unique restaurants at City Walk also. I also don't see any attempt to sew anything together. They intentionally decided on a theme that wouldn't put any limitations on what could be there. If you are surprised by the scope, then you clearly haven't been paying attention since they are building exactly what they said they were going to build.

Personally, I like these sorts of shopping areas and am looking forward to visiting this when complete, but I don't see this as something that is terribly unique.

It is unique at least in the US. There are other efforts but all do not have the features DS will have.
 

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