Why we should design cities like Disney | Zach DeBoer

TED Talks Daily

Community designer Zach DeBoer explores how Disney theme parks prioritize human experience in their layout, contrasting this approach with modern American cities built primarily around automobiles. He outlines

Key takeaways

• Zach DeBoer studied Disney theme park design during the pandemic to understand how prioritizing human experience creates immersive, joyful environments.
• American cities shifted from pedestrian-friendly streets to car-centric layouts between 1900 and 1915 due to the rapid rise of automobiles and safety concerns.

Main topics

• Urban planning
• Disney theme park design

Notable quotes

Nothing influences our lives more than place. Our surroundings affect our relationships, emotions, habits, even how long we'll live.

Conclusion

DeBoer's framework offers a practical, human-centered blueprint for re

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:01) you You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. During the pandemic, artist Zach DeBoer fell down a very specific rabbit hole, watching hours and hours of videos about Disney theme parks, how they're built, their history, their design. But the more he watched, the more he saw something beyond escapism. To Zach, the parks... presented a case study in what happens when human experience is the top priority in designing a place. And that, he noticed, is usually the first thing cut in the real world. Speaker 1 (0:39) Nothing influences our lives more than place. Our surroundings affect our relationships, emotions, habits, even how long we'll live. Speaker 2 (0:46) Zach works with what's called creative placemaking, or using art and design to transform the places people love. And in his talk, he asks a fun question. Speaker 1 (0:56) Why do these places only exist on vacation? What if we made our Main Streets more like Main Street USA? Speaker 2 (1:02) From density to walkability to what he calls magic, Zach lays out concrete placemaking ideas that any town of any size could use to be a happier, healthier place to live. It might change the way you see your own Main Street. That's coming up right after a short break. Speaker 4 (1:29) Support comes from WISE, the smart way to manage the currencies you need around the world. Your life is global. Your money should be too. Some providers promise no fees on overseas transfers. Don't be fooled. Extra costs often hide in bloated exchange rates. Choose WISE. You can send, spend and receive money in over 40 currencies. Count on the exchange rates that you'd usually see on Google. That's how millions save billions on hidden fees. Be smart. Get WISE. Visit wise.com. T's and C's apply. How do Speaker 5 (1:59) I recover from a friendship breakup? How come there's nowhere to hang out anymore? Why do I feel lonely when I can communicate with anyone and everyone through my phone? These are the questions that you're not alone in asking. And that's where our new podcast, Corner Piece, comes in to start small on life's biggest questions. I'm Taha, and with my friends, Sabrina and Melissa, we're going to explore life's ungooglable questions on this new podcast with Ted. Come hang out with us on Corner Piece with new episodes every other Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 2 (2:39) And now, our TED Talk of the day. Speaker 1 (2:42) During the pandemic, I got really into watching videos about Disney theme parks. How they're built, their history, upcoming developments, stuff like that. As I worked from home, I would even put on these long 4K video walkthroughs of the parks up on a second monitor and just let them play in the background like a window into another world. But it wasn't just the escapism that drew me to these places. As an artist, I saw the parks as unique studies of what happens when art, human experience, and emotion were the highest priority when it came to designing a place. In the real world, those are usually the first things cut from any budget. But at Disney theme parks, they were essential. Speaker 1 (3:22) And because of this, guests are able to immerse themselves in fantastical worlds and transcend their daily routines. They can embrace feelings of wonder and joy while creating lifelong memories with their family and friends. To many, Disney theme parks truly are the happiest place on earth. Speaker 1 (3:38) See, nothing influences our lives more than place. Our surroundings affect our relationships, emotions, habits, even how long we'll live. So if we design places with care, purpose, with a human experience in mind, we can nurture well-being, foster creativity and innovation, build stronger, more resilient communities. And while pockets of great places exist all over this country, most of America looks aesthetically bad. They're a drain on our physical, mental, and economic health. But our places weren't always like this. American cities at the turn of the 20th century were designed for people to traverse, experience, and understand. Work, food, school, whatever you might need was only a short walk or trolley ride away. Developments in the street were smaller, and folks weren't as spread out as they are now. And that meant you were more likely to know your neighbors and be more engaged with what was going on in your community. Downtown streets were shared by people, carriages, cyclists, and vendors. And as they grew larger and more diverse, cities would develop their own unique identities and cultures that became sources of pride for anyone that called it home. This wasn't like a new thing. For thousands of years across continents, this is how we built cities. But at the start of the 20th century, the way we built our places and who or what they were