A $1.1 billion renovation of the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim is oriented around the recreation of Los Angeles landmarks of the 1920s and 30s, when the head mouseketeer himself began building his empire.
Nathan Masters reports on the process by which Disney "Imagineers" sought to choose and reconstruct the extant and demolished landmarks of 1920s and 30s Los Angeles including, Pan-Pacific Auditorium, the Carthay Circle Theater, Pacific Electric's red cars, and the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge.
According to Masters, the project started with extensive research into archival photos and videos from libraries and private collections. "Ultimately, the Imagineers were trying to create an idealized representation of prewar Los Angeles, not an exact replica."
With fantastic historic photos, Masters takes us through a catalog of the historic touchstones one will find embedded in the theme park's layout when it reopens sometime in 2012.
"Although these replicas may be simulacra, removed from the original structures' urban context and repurposed as an entertainment experience, their reappearance at a theme park speaks to the enduring attraction of Southern California history," writes Masters.
FULL STORY: How Disney Imagineers Recreated '20s and '30s L.A. in 21st-Century Anaheim

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)