DOCSLIB.ORG

Themed Design and Engineering: Disney Imaginations Design Competition

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Themed Design and Engineering: Disney Imaginations Design Competition Themed Design and Engineering: Disney Imaginations Design Competition A Major Qualifying Project Submitted to the Faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree in Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering By Megan Mueller Advisor: Pradeep Radhakrishnan Date: December 11th, 2018 This report represents work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects ​ Copyright Information The work presented here is copyrighted by Megan Mueller and Professor Pradeep Radhakrishnan. 1 Abstract Themed entertainment is a innovative way to apply design engineering to projects and experiences that are for the purpose of entertaining people. Theme parks, roller coasters, interactive experiences are just a few examples of themed entertainment projects. This project looks into the design process that a team of students went through to design a project for the Disney Imaginations Competition. Following the prompt for the competition, the team chose to revitalize the 2008 Beijing Olympics venue but encouraging guests to “Relive, Unite, and be Inspired” by attractions and experiences that are located at the project site. Among other attractions, the Relive section allows guests to watch virtual reality videos of the opening ceremonies, the Unite section provides a boat ride from guests to travel along the Dragon River, and the Inspire section has space for guests to participate in healthy activities for the environment and for themselves. The paper goes through the steps taken to complete the project and has a deeper dive into a Boat Ride design and details. Details was given to show buoyancy of the boat and track design for the braking system. Finally, future work and ​ recommendations for future participations is presented in the paper. 2 Table of Contents 2.1 Disney Competition 10 2.1.1 Judging process 10 2.1.2 Submission Requirements 12 2.1.3 Past Competition Submissions 14 2.2 History of Themed entertainment 15 2.3 Components of themed entertainment 17 2.3.1 Lighting 17 2.4 The Beijing Olympics 18 2.4.1 Mascots 18 2.4.2 Locations 18 2.4.2.1 Bird’s Nest Stadium 18 2.4.2.2 Dragon River 19 2.4.2.3 Olympic Forest Park 20 2.4.3 Beijing Air quality 20 4.1 Location for the project 25 4.2 Areas for project- Bird’s Nest Stadium, Dragon River, Forest Park 30 4.2.1 Birds Nest Stadium 32 4.2.2 Dragon River 34 4.2.3 Olympic Forest Park 36 4.3 Motto for the Project- Relive, Unite, Inspire 36 4.4 Story for the project- Fuwa 38 4.5 Attractions for each area 41 4.5.1 Driving factors for the design of the attractions 41 4.5.2 Relive 43 4.5.3 Unite 47 4.5.4 Inspire 53 5.1 Boat Details 56 5.2 Brake System 59 5.3 Boat Design Specifications 62 6.1 Project Submission Modifications 66 6.1.1 Slide Modifications: Video 68 3 6.1.2 Slide Modifications: Current Condition 71 6.2 Future Research 72 6.2.1 Advice for Future Competition Project Teams 72 6.2.1.1 Gathering a Team 72 6.2.1.2 Determining Deadlines 73 6.2.1.3 Story! 75 6.2.2 Continued Technical Component Research 76 6.2.2.1 Boat Track/Braking System 76 6.3 Conclusion 77 Figures 79 References 81 Appendix A: Final project submission 83 Appendix B: Table of Fuwa 91 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Pradeep Radhakrishnan for his support, and guidance on this project. I would also like to thank Casper Cox and Mitchell Stevens for being great competition team members and the IGMD faculty. I would like to acknowledge Worcester Polytechnic Institute for providing us the opportunity to pursue this project. 5 Chapter 1 Introduction Themed entertainment is a field of study that focuses on using engineering and creativity together to create attractions for guests to enjoy. Creativity in design is an important aspect as ​ ideas are rarely repeated in the field of entertainment. Still, the fundamental engineering principles and techniques have to be applied, such that conformance to performance and safety can be ensured. Engineers in the field of themed entertainment try and stretch what has been ​ done and break outside the norm- examples of this include building massive dragons that can fold out of a cliff, transporting guests undersea in an omnimover ride, or using fire and water together to create a magnificent show that runs twice a day every day of the year. These are difficult engineering feats because they have never been done before and push engineers outside of their normal box to try and make something stable, sturdy, while also look good and operate the way it should. 6 The Disney Imaginations Competition is a challenge given to students to design a project in the field of themed entertainment. A prompt is released each year that encourages students 7 to use their field of study to create some type of experience within the prompt guidelines. This year the prompt is as follows: “Choose an actual abandoned or “ghost town” from anywhere in the world and re-vitalize it! It might be as a working town, a historical landmark, a living museum, a themed experience, or whatever else you can dream up. Consider historical value and respect for the traditions and communities of the original and surrounding areas. You can integrate the entire town, or carefully selected sections that best serve your idea and the location. Be mindful of any environmental impact that your proposal may have. What technological advancements will be necessary to not only develop your idea, but to engage guests to your new creation both in person, and before, during and after a visit? How will your idea appeal to families? In what ways will it be accessible to as diverse an audience as possible? Is there a social service component to your creation that will be of value to the local community or beyond? Please do not use Disney IP (Intellectual Property) in any part of your proposal.” This project delves into the history of themed entertainment and the methodology taken to create a project submission to the 2018 Disney Imaginations competition. The paper discusses the process that I , as well as my competition team members, went through to design and put together a final submission to the competition. Chapter three discusses the location chosen for this project. The location was the Beijing Olympic Stadium. This project revitalizes the Olympic Stadium, river, and forest adjacent to the stadium. The chapter also discusses many attractions that are involved in the design including an interactive activity in the Bird’s Nest Stadium, a boat ride along the river, and a recycled forest for guests to add recycled paper flowers to. Along with the attractions, the motto of Relive, Unite, and Inspire was given to each section of the project area. The Fuwa, or Olympic Mascots, are the driving characters for the story behind the design. Chapter six explains the driving factors that influenced decisions during the project creation. There are many factors such as the motto and story that was used during the whole 8 project and evident throughout the whole experience. The first section includes the background research conducted to create the project, followed by how decisions were made and in what order. The next section is the ducission of the final project and how I would change some things and what advice I would give future participants. 9 Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Disney Competition The Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) Imaginations competition (a) is an opportunity for students from a wide range of disciplines to showcase their creativity and innovation in a design competition based on a prompt provided by WDI. Each year a prompt is released that will challenge the students to create an experience for a specified audience to enjoy. In the past, prompts have asked students to create an outdoor environment that fits their university or a travelling experience that brings Disney to towns across the country. This year, the prompt is to revitalize an abandoned or “ghost town” for anywhere around the world. While each year the prompt is different, the applicants are always encouraged and judged on many topics including creating a story, being innovative, and showing mastery of skill and talents. Once the applicants have submitted and had their designs reviewed, six of the top teams will be flown out to WDI headquarters in California where they will present their ideas to a panel of Imagineer judges. The series of events that happens with the competition include the following deadlines: Team Registration: Opens 9/15/2017, closes 10/29/2017 Project Submission deadline: 11/27/2017 2.1.1 Judging process The official prompt posted on the Disney Imaginations Competition website states: “Choose an actual abandoned or “ghost town” from anywhere in the world and re-vitalize it! 10 It might be as a working town, a historical landmark, a living museum, a themed experience, or whatever else you can dream up. Consider historical value and respect for the traditions and communities of the original and surrounding areas. You can integrate the entire town, or carefully selected sections that best serve your idea and the location. Be mindful of any environmental impact that your proposal may have. What technological advancements will be necessary to not only develop your idea, but to engage guests to your new creation both in person, and before, during and after a visit? How will
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Summer 2017 • Volume 26 • Number 2
    sUMMER 2017 • Volume 26 • Number 2 Welcome Home “Son, we’re moving to Oregon.” Hearing these words as a high school freshman in sunny Southern California felt – to a sensitive teenager – like cruel and unusual punishment. Save for an 8-bit Oregon Trail video game that always ended with my player dying of dysentery, I knew nothing of this “Oregon.” As proponents extolled the virtues of Oregon’s picturesque Cascade Mountains, I couldn’t help but mourn the mountains I was leaving behind: Space, Big Thunder and the Matterhorn (to say nothing of Splash, which would open just months after our move). I was determined to be miserable. But soon, like a 1990s Tom Hanks character trying to avoid falling in love with Meg Ryan, I succumbed to the allure of the Pacific Northwest. I learned to ride a lawnmower (not without incident), adopted a pygmy goat and found myself enjoying things called “hikes” (like scenic drives without the car). I rafted white water, ate pink salmon and (at legal age) acquired a taste for lemon wedges in locally produced organic beer. I became an obnoxiously proud Oregonian. So it stands to reason that, as adulthood led me back to Disney by way of Central Florida, I had a special fondness for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Inspired by the real grandeur of the Northwest but polished in a way that’s unmistakably Disney, it’s a place that feels perhaps less like the Oregon I knew and more like the Oregon I prefer to remember (while also being much closer to Space Mountain).
    [Show full text]
  • The Theme Park As "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," the Gatherer and Teller of Stories
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2018 Exploring a Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park as "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer and Teller of Stories Carissa Baker University of Central Florida, [email protected] Part of the Rhetoric Commons, and the Tourism and Travel Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Baker, Carissa, "Exploring a Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park as "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer and Teller of Stories" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 5795. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5795 EXPLORING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL NARRATIVE MEDIUM: THE THEME PARK AS “DE SPROOKJESSPROKKELAAR,” THE GATHERER AND TELLER OF STORIES by CARISSA ANN BAKER B.A. Chapman University, 2006 M.A. University of Central Florida, 2008 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Spring Term 2018 Major Professor: Rudy McDaniel © 2018 Carissa Ann Baker ii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique.
    [Show full text]
  • New Media in New China
    NEW MEDIA IN NEW CHINA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEMOCRATIZING EFFECT OF THE INTERNET __________________ A University Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, East Bay __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Communication __________________ By Chaoya Sun June 2013 Copyright © 2013 by Chaoya Sun ii NEW MEOlA IN NEW CHINA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEMOCRATIlING EFFECT OF THE INTERNET By Chaoya Sun III Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 PART 1 NEW MEDIA PROMOTE DEMOCRACY ................................................... 9 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 9 THE COMMUNICATION THEORY OF HAROLD INNIS ........................................ 10 NEW MEDIA PUSH ON DEMOCRACY .................................................................... 13 Offering users the right to choose information freely ............................................... 13 Making free-thinking and free-speech available ....................................................... 14 Providing users more participatory rights ................................................................. 15 THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN THE CONTEXT OF NEW MEDIA ................ 16 PART 2 2008 IN RETROSPECT: FRAGILE CHINESE MEDIA UNDER THE SHADOW OF CHINA’S POLITICS ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Copyrighted Material
    INDEX Aodayixike Qingzhensi Baisha, 683–684 Abacus Museum (Linhai), (Ordaisnki Mosque; Baishui Tai (White Water 507 Kashgar), 334 Terraces), 692–693 Abakh Hoja Mosque (Xiang- Aolinpike Gongyuan (Olym- Baita (Chowan), 775 fei Mu; Kashgar), 333 pic Park; Beijing), 133–134 Bai Ta (White Dagoba) Abercrombie & Kent, 70 Apricot Altar (Xing Tan; Beijing, 134 Academic Travel Abroad, 67 Qufu), 380 Yangzhou, 414 Access America, 51 Aqua Spirit (Hong Kong), 601 Baiyang Gou (White Poplar Accommodations, 75–77 Arch Angel Antiques (Hong Gully), 325 best, 10–11 Kong), 596 Baiyun Guan (White Cloud Acrobatics Architecture, 27–29 Temple; Beijing), 132 Beijing, 144–145 Area and country codes, 806 Bama, 10, 632–638 Guilin, 622 The arts, 25–27 Bama Chang Shou Bo Wu Shanghai, 478 ATMs (automated teller Guan (Longevity Museum), Adventure and Wellness machines), 60, 74 634 Trips, 68 Bamboo Museum and Adventure Center, 70 Gardens (Anji), 491 AIDS, 63 ack Lakes, The (Shicha Hai; Bamboo Temple (Qiongzhu Air pollution, 31 B Beijing), 91 Si; Kunming), 658 Air travel, 51–54 accommodations, 106–108 Bangchui Dao (Dalian), 190 Aitiga’er Qingzhen Si (Idkah bars, 147 Banpo Bowuguan (Banpo Mosque; Kashgar), 333 restaurants, 117–120 Neolithic Village; Xi’an), Ali (Shiquan He), 331 walking tour, 137–140 279 Alien Travel Permit (ATP), 780 Ba Da Guan (Eight Passes; Baoding Shan (Dazu), 727, Altitude sickness, 63, 761 Qingdao), 389 728 Amchog (A’muquhu), 297 Bagua Ting (Pavilion of the Baofeng Hu (Baofeng Lake), American Express, emergency Eight Trigrams; Chengdu), 754 check
    [Show full text]
  • Creating an Inclusive Community
    Spring 2018 l No. 39 No. Sergio Rebia leads a drawing demonstration on Application Day at Cal State Fullerton. 51 students from 45 high schools attended, and 75% of them later applied to Ryman Arts Creating an Inclusive Community “I encourage my students to apply [to Ryman Arts] because it forces them out of their bubble of comfort and complacency. Students are exposed to quality art supplies and instruction they may not be able to afford on their own,” says L’lia Thomas (Ms. T) from La Tijera K-8 Academy of Excellence Charter School. Every year, Ryman Arts connects with over 2,000 Ms. T is an exemplary model of the community students through school presentations, community champions we count on to learn about student fairs, and Application Days. These efforts combat needs in our communities. Because of her the challenges that some students experience in initiative, we have continued to build our learning about and completing the application to relationship with La Tijera Charter School and Ms. T (second from left) and students from La Tijera our highly competitive program. Through strong recently added a special in-school workshop for Charter School relationships with public school teachers like her students. Ms. T, we have made great strides in “It was incredible having Miss Robin come out increasing access to Ryman Arts. to my classroom to facilitate a two-day workshop Application Days have been successful for students who are applying. Her approach in in creating a supportive environment my classroom gave students a real taste of what it where prospective students can take an would be like [at Ryman Arts].” introductory drawing class led by one of Ensuring broad access to Ryman Arts remains our faculty and work on a still life that an important part of our efforts because of the can be included in their application.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critique of Disney's EPCOT and Creating a Futuristic Curriculum
    Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2019 FUTURE WORLD(S): A Critique of Disney's EPCOT and Creating a Futuristic Curriculum Alan Bowers Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons Recommended Citation Bowers, Alan, "FUTURE WORLD(S): A Critique of Disney's EPCOT and Creating a Futuristic Curriculum" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1921. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1921 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FUTURE WORLD(S): A Critique of Disney's EPCOT and Creating a Futuristic Curriculum by ALAN BOWERS (Under the Direction of Daniel Chapman) ABSTRACT In my dissertation inquiry, I explore the need for utopian based curriculum which was inspired by Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center. Theoretically building upon such works regarding utopian visons (Bregman, 2017, e.g., Claeys 2011;) and Disney studies (Garlen and Sandlin, 2016; Fjellman, 1992), this work combines historiography and speculative essays as its methodologies. In addition, this project explores how schools must do the hard work of working toward building a better future (Chomsky and Foucault, 1971). Through tracing the evolution of EPCOT as an idea for a community that would “always be in the state of becoming” to EPCOT Center as an inspirational theme park, this work contends that those ideas contain possibilities for how to interject utopian thought in schooling.
    [Show full text]
  • University Students Take Honors for Innovation and Creativity in Walt Disney Imagineering’S 25Th Imaginations Design Competition
    University Students Take Honors for Innovation and Creativity in Walt Disney Imagineering’s 25th Imaginations Design Competition January 29, 2016 | Glendale, CA – The winners of the Walt Disney Imagineering’s 25th Imaginations design competition were announced today during an awards luncheon at Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters in Glendale, California. Imaginations is one of the creative and unique ways that Imagineering uses to search for the next generation of talented theme parK designers. Started in 1991 by Disney Legend and Imagineering executive Marty SKlar, the design competition has since grown to include a separate version sponsored by Hong Kong Disneyland. For this year’s competition, students from American universities and colleges were given the following challenge: Design a traveling experience that could tour small towns across the United States for families who do not have the opportunity to travel to a Disney parK. This temporary venue would operate in each community for two to three days, should take no more than a day to set up and break down, and embodies the Kind of family entertainment that Walt Disney envisioned when he first built Disneyland. First place was awarded to Geoff BacKstrom, Katie Eastman and Courtney Irby from Ohio University and David Borning from University of Washington for “MicKey’s Magic Garden,” which uses the concept of a magical dandelion to bring Disney magic to towns across the country. “MicKey’s Magic Garden” features multiple themed lands, custom designed rides, walK-thru attractions, character greeting experiences, and a wide array of themed dining opportunities. Second place was awarded to Kevin Chen, Whitney Chen, Kevin Graham and Amy Woon from University of Texas at Austin for “Hueroic,” which takes guests on an unforgettable journey to explore the wonder and beauty of art and imagination.
    [Show full text]
  • Theme Park Design and the Art of Themed Entertainment
    Book Preview www.ThemeParkDesignBook.com Foreword ....................................................................................... vii Design Process .................................................................................. 26 Introduction .................................................................................... x Blue Sky ........................................................................................ 29 Using This Book ............................................................................. xii Concept Design ............................................................................ 31 Medium ........................................................................................... 1 Feasibility ..................................................................................... 37 Themed Entertainment ...................................................................... 2 Schematic Design ......................................................................... 41 Reasons to Theme .............................................................................. 5 Design Development ................................................................... 42 Theme Parks........................................................................................ 6 Build ............................................................................................. 42 Theme Park Product ........................................................................... 7 Handover.....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort Fact Sheet
    Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort Fact Sheet Description: Cinderella Castle pays homage to the beloved story and characters from Disney’s 12th full-length animated feature film, “Cinderella,” which was released in theaters in 1950. Painted in traditional colors of grey, blue, and gold, the castle represents a romantic conception of a French palace-fortress. While the base of the castle resembles a medieval fortress typifying the Romanesque architecture and castles of the 11th through 13th centuries, the upper portion of the castle reflects the stately Gothic forms that were prominent in later centuries. Opening Date: October 1, 1971 Castle Height: 189 feet (tallest structure in Magic Kingdom Park) Construction: Cinderella Castle took approximately 18 months to build and was completed in July, 1971. The castle is made of concrete, steel, cement, plaster, and fiberglass. No bricks were used in the construction. The inner castle is structural steel covered with fiberglass. The foundation is concrete filled with foam for weight conservation Cinderella’s Royal Table: A circular stairwell or a themed elevator transports guests to Cinderella’s Royal Table, the elegant restaurant located on the second level of the castle where guests can meet Cinderella and some of her princess friends. Hosts and Hostesses address younger guests as “princes” or “princesses,” while adult guests are addressed as “lords” or “ladies.” Fun facts: For inspiration, Walt Disney Imagineering researchers turned to the famous palaces of Charles Perrault’s France, still showplaces of Europe. Their design took the form of a romanticized composite of such courts as Fontainebleau, Versailles, and a dozen famed chateaux of the Loire Valley.
    [Show full text]
  • How Theme Park Rides Adapted the Shooting Gallery
    How Theme Park Rides Adapted the Shooting Gallery Bobby Schweizer Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas United States [email protected] Keywords Shooting galleries, theme parks, midways, arcades, media archeology EXTENDED ABSTRACT In 1998, Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled a new ride for Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida—one that introduced a new form of interactivity previously unseen in their parks. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin was a hybrid attraction: part dark ride, part shooting gallery. Riders boarded Omnimover vehicles armed with two blaster guns mounted to the dashboard that could be aimed with a limited range of motion to defeat the Emperor Zurg. An LCD screen tallied the score as passengers spun their vehicles to position themselves to shoot at “Z” marked targets throughout the blacklight neon ride. With the creation of this attraction and, most recently the opening of the Star Wars Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, the dark ride has seemingly adopted the values of videogame interactivity. Yet, while a comparison to videogames seems obvious, this transition did not happen overnight and was, in fact, part of a long tradition of target shooting forms of play. The shooting gallery has always been a perennial entertainment form seen in fairs, carnivals, and amusement parks across the globe (Adams 1991). Emerging out of military and marksmanship traditions, these games emulate the practice of real target shooting in which a marksman stands at one end of a booth or range while shooting pellets at stationary or moving targets (Tucker and Tucker 2014). Played for prizes or bragging right, the simple act of aiming and pulling a trigger has undergone technological adaptations to automate the process, place it into new venues, and create new feedback loops that construct new player experiences intended for social interaction.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sustainability Gap: a Case Study of Olympic Development
    THE SUSTAINABILITY GAP: A CASE STUDY OF OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA AND BEIJING, CHINA by ANDREA BLASER A THESIS Presented to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Historic Preservation and the Graduate School ofthe University ofOregon in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree of Master of Science September 2008 11 "The Sustainability Gap: A Case Study of Olympic Development in Sydney, Australia and Beijing, China," a thesis prepared by Andrea Blaser in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the Master ofScience degree in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Historic Preservation. This thesis has been approved and accepted by: Mark Gillem, Chair ofthe Examining Committee Date Committee in Charge: Mark Gillem, Chair Deborah Hurtt Liz Carter Accepted by: Dean ofthe Graduate School 111 © 2008 Andrea Blaser iv An Abstract ofthe Thesis of Andrea Blaser for the degree of Master of Science in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program: Historic Preservation to be taken September 2008 Title: THE SUSTAINABILITY GAP: A CASE STUDY OF OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA AND BEIJING, CHINA Approved: _ Mark Gillem A media uproar occurred in 2006 after a wrecking ball flattened an Imperial-era hutong neighborhood in Beijing. While this kind ofnews story would often be ignored as just another example ofthe Chinese government destroying cultural history in the name ofprogress, the story of Qianmen had a new twist. Not only was Qianmen a protected heritage area under a 2002 Beijing Municipal Government Conservation Plan, but the destruction was said to have happened because ofthe upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Was the development ofQianmen in step with Olympic ideals and sustainable development? This thesis explores the sustainable development agenda ofthe International Olympic Committee, Agenda 21, in order to analyze the agenda, its impact in driving development policies in host cities Sydney, Australia and Beijing, China, and to what v extent planners incorporated historic preservation into Olympic development policies in both cities.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life & Legacy of Walt Disney
    The Life & Legacy of Walt Disney Panel Discussion Neal Gabler, Moderator Annenberg School for Communication University of Southern California November 15, 2006 1 The Norman Lear Center Neal Gabler: The Life & Legacy of Walt Disney The Norman Lear Center Neal Gabler The Norman Lear Center is a Neal Gabler, Senior Fellow at the multidisciplinary research and USC Annenberg Norman Lear Cen- public policy center exploring ter, is an author, cultural historian, implications of the convergence and film critic. His first book, An of entertainment, commerce, Empire of Their Own: How the Jews and society. From its base in the Invented Hollywood, won the Los USC Annenberg School for Angeles Times Book Prize and the Communication, the Lear Center Theatre Library Association Award. builds bridges between eleven His second book, Winchell: Gossip, schools whose faculty study Power and the Culture of Celebrity, aspects of entertainment, media, was named non-fiction book of the and culture. Beyond campus, it year by Time magazine. Newsweek calls his most recent book, Walt Disney: bridges the gap between the The Triumph of American Imagination, “the definitive Disney bio.” entertainment industry and academia, and between them He appears regularly on the media review program Fox News Watch, and and the public. For more writes often for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Gabler information, please visit has contributed to numerous other publications including Esquire, Salon, www.learcenter.org. New York Magazine, Vogue, American Heritage, The New York Republic, Us and Playboy. He has appeared on many television programs including The Today Show, The CBS Morning News, The News Hour, Entertainment To- night, Charlie Rose, and Good Morning America.
    [Show full text]