Celebration, Florida

This was the Disney Corporation's first residential real estate development. The town of Celebration was planned for a population of 20,000 and sits on 4,900 acres of Disney property across the interstate from Disney World. Beyond the village is a wetland that will remain undeveloped. The rest is filled with different themed villages, following the dense New Urbanism model that Celebration helped initiate, or at least celebrate, with integrated commercial districts, as well as office parks and golf-courses. Celebrated architects were hired to build civic buildings: the Post Office is by Michael Graves, the town hall is by Phillip Johnson, and the hospital is by Robert Stern. In 2004, the Disney corporation sold the majority of its interest in Celebration to a property management  company. Celebration has grown up since its first residents moved in in 1996 - the first murder and police shoot out (which ended with the suicide of the suspect), took place in two unrelated incidents late in 2010.