Planner Sam Gennawey tracks the history of Disneyland's monorail back to a 1958 visit by Walt Disney to Wuppertal, Germany.
Wuppertal was home to a unique monorail system that hung upside down from its track and had been in operation for over fifty years. It was not unlike a vision he and artist Herb Ryman had imagined for the original Tomorrowland plans:
"Later in the trip, Walt and Lillian were driving north along a major roadway near Cologne, Germany when a monorail train suddenly crossed over their heads. This monorail was very different from the one in Wuppertal. This train rode on top of steel-reinforced concrete beam. Walt was stunned. He wanted to learn more so he drove right to the administrative building to see what he could find out."
FULL STORY: Disneyland's Alweg Monorail: Walt Disney's Highway In The Sky
Impact Study Released for Disneyland Expansion
The theme park giant is one step closer to adding new sections to its Anaheim empire.
"Imagineering" Versus Planning
The conference of the California chapter of the American Planning Association took place across the street from Disneyland this week. What Disney does for fictional landscapes, planners must do for real landscapes.
Disneyland Is Too Crowded. Is More Capacity Needed?
Disneyland has a plan to create more supply to meet contemporary demand, a strategy reminiscent of contemporary debates surrounding housing and transportation.
Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects
Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.
Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?
Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.
How to Measure Transit Equity
A new report highlights the need to go beyond traditional equity metrics to assess how public transit systems are serving the lowest-income and most disadvantaged riders.
Why Brand New Cities Won’t Solve Our Urban Problems
Building cities takes time and resources. Why not spend them on fixing the ones we have?
Former Brooklyn Sugar Refinery Reopens as All-Electric Office Tower
A historic building was reimagined as a 15-story office tower powered by renewable energy.
Urban3
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
National Capital Planning Commission
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.
