Waterways are dyed to be a more appealing color, ugly things are painted in a shade that makes them hard to notice, and the parks’ Main Streets are still American “Main Streets” that have yet to be decimated by the opening of a Walmart. They’re hyper-engineered to create an environment that’s as pleasant as possible, altering and improving upon the horrible, boring reality of life outside their walls to be a little more palatable. “Having lived through years of gay bashing, the AIDS epidemic, and all the negativity that comes across towards the gay community, it’s kind of beautiful to walk into a place where you can leave that behind,' says Paul Girard.īut Disney’s theme parks do their best to use design and urban planning to distract from the problems of the real world.
