CLUI Project Explores Boundaries of Theme
Parks Infrastrucure at the edge of Disney World
High-Tension Mouse Ears
Photo: Igor Vamos
A new CLUI photodocumentary survey project explores
the perimeters of theme parks, examining the physical and social
structures at the fringes of these recreational land use zones.
The ongoing project, called Limits of Fun, was initiated this
summer with successive site visits to Disneyland and Disney World.
The original Disney park, in Anaheim, California,
was found to be well fortified against its urban surroundings.
It is ringed by a six lane roadway serving numerous hotels, restaurants,
and gas stations. Inside the roadway, a fifteen foot chain link
fence topped with barbed wire guards against unpaid visitations.
A thick hedge of a similar height prevents gawkers from peering
into the service areas of the park.
The fence, though tall, and wired with vibration
sensors, is not insurmountable. The response time to intrusion
appears to be under 30 seconds.
Unlike Disneyland's heavily fenced and surveilled
perimeter, the border of Disney World, in central Florida, is
secured through more passive methods. A relatively remote location
in a swampy landscape eliminates the need for a full perimeter
fence. The area is difficult to approach by any means other than
the park's own highway system, and flooded drainage ditches surround
much of the 28,000 acre park complex.
At the completion of the Limits of Fun project,
an exhibition of maps and photographs describing the features
of the amusement park perimeter zones will be shown to the public.
