Celebration... its name calls forth images of bright, sunny days, sidewalks and parks filled with friendly people and a delightful community atmosphere. The new Central Florida town of Celebration mirrors this nostalgic warmth and good spirit, combining the simplicity of Small Town America and the vision of the future. Designed to serve as a place where people of all ages can share in the beauty of walking in the parks and strolling through cozy neighborhoods, Celebration is expected to evolve as an education-minded and health conscious community. Last summer, new residents rediscovered the joy of neighborly socializing- on the golf course, in the neighborhood park, at a downtown cafe, on the miles of walking trails that weave through the community, and from residential porch to porch. Designed and developed as a pedestrian friendly place to live, work and play by The Celebration Company- a subsidiary of The Waltz Disney Company-- Celebration encompasses approximately 4,900 acres surrounded by a 4,700-acre protected greenbelt near Orlando in northwest Osceola County. When complete. Celebration may have up to 8,000 residences in addition to 3.1 million square feet of office space, 2.1 million square feet of retail space, a medical enter, three schools and three golf courses- all detailed in the master plan created by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Cooper, Robertson & Partners. Residents will come home to houses that are equipped on the inside to meet today's lifestyles but have exteriors reflecting traditional architecture based on pre-1940's southeastern styles On each street, different architectural styles are combined: a quaint, Victorian home might share a side yard with the broad verandah of a Coastal home; downtown, apartments perch over retail shops?EUR??,,????'??+ just like towns of days gone by?EUR??,,????'??+ and homes of various size and prices will blend on adjoining streets within the same neighborhood. Perhaps one of the most endearing aspects of this project-- besides the presence of genuine Disney magic?EUR??,,????'??+the overwhelming positive response to the customized homes. Home buyers recently gathered at Celebration to meet the builders and participate in a founder's day drawing to determine who would be able to buy one of the first phase homes. While choosing among the six classic architectural styles" Classical, Victorian, Colonial Revival, Coastal, Mediterranean and French?EUR??,,????'??+ depicted in the Pattern Book and among sney-selected builders. Celebration home buyers can select from a variety of house types, ranging from townhomes to custom-built estate dwellings. House styles will be intermingled throughout the community. To add beauty and encourage a sense of community, most houses will have ample living space towards the front of the house. Big family rooms toward the rear of homes will lead to backyards, driveways and landscaped alleys. Regardless of the type of house selected, all will be built using similar quality standards for landscaping and architecture to maintain the beauty and harmony of the neighborhoods. One of Celebration s most prominent amenities is planned to look like a park where golf is played." Designed by the renowned father-and-son course designers Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr., the Celebration course will be pedestrian-friendly, and lined with trees, walkways and benches. "To benefit the most people, we came up with a plan that incorporates the golf course into a park setting designed to be enjoyed by the entire community." says Tom Lewis, VP of development. In addition to the park-like golf course, Celebration will contain miles of sidewalks, trails and pathways- both hard surface and soft mulch- for hiking, walking and jogging. These trails meander through neighborhoods and eventually lead to downtown. The three block-square downtown shares a waterfront promenade with the nine-acre Lakeside Park, featuring tennis courts, a swimming pool, sand volleyball courts and a playground. Disney has also made natural preservation a major feature of Celebration. The company follows an eco-systems approach to environmental management; this strategy involves preservation of entire natural systems, thereby providing a diverse natural habitat. Those who live in Celebration will enjoy modern conveniences cradled by the inherent beauty of nature, the town will be surrounded by a 4,700 acre protected greenbelt, home to a myriad of wildlife, including several protected species like American Bald Eagle and Florida gopher tortoise. The town is planned with views of this natural landscape Great care will be taken to use environmentally-friendly building materials. Says Don Killoren, Vice President and general manager of The Celebration Company, "Developers have often preserve pockets of land within communities. At Celebration, we're doing just the opposite. We're developing a pocket of land within a preservation." As part of an award-winning and nationally recognized environmental mitigation strategy, Disney purchasing an additional 8,500 acres of wetlands and Uplands at Central Florida's Walker Ranch, ten miles south of Celebration, to create The Disney Wilderness Preserve. Here The Walt Dlsney Company is working with The Nature Conservancy to preserve and restore pine flatwoods, scrub, palmetto prairie, freshwater marshes, forested wetlands and more than forty-two species of animals. President Joe Brown of the consulting Landscape Architect, EDAW, Inc., praises the project's "continuity and connection of public space and landscape, crediting the fact that "Disney is excellent to work with... very innovative and integrative. " As the collaborative effort of leading landscape architects, architects and community planners. Celebration is truly a magical representation of a "community of tomorrow ." NEW URBANISM ENTHUSIASTS MAY RECOGNIZE THE LAND-EFFICIENT METHODS INCORPORATED BY THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY. THE DEVELOPMENT'S VERY FOUNDATIONS ADDRESSES THE ILLS OF OUR CURRENT SPRAWL DEVELOPMENT PATTERN WHILE RETURNING TO THE CHERISHED AMERICAN COMMUNITY; IT BORROWS FROM TRADITIONAL CITY PLANNING CONCEPTS AND EMPOWERS THEM WITH TECHNOLOGY. "WHEN WALT DISNEY POINTED TO A MAP AND SINGLED OUT CENTRAL FLORIDA ALMOST THIRTY YEARS AGO, HE DESCRIBED A COMMUNITY WHERE HE WOULD LIKE TO RAISE HIS OWN FAMILY. WE BELIEVE THAT VISION IS COMING TO LIFE IN THE TOWN CALLED CELEBRATION." Michael Eisner, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company TOM SUNNARBORG, DEVELOPMENT MANAGER OF THE GOLF COURSE(RIGHT) EXPLAINS, "THE DESIGN CREATES TWO COMMUNITY-ENHANCING OPPORTUNITIES. FIRST, THE PRIMARY ORIENTATION OF THE HOUSES ACROSS THE STREET IS TO THE FRONT PORCH RATHER THAN THE TYPICAL ORIENTATION TOWARD THE BACK YARD. SECOND, THE VIEW OF THE COURSE FROM THE ROAD AND PUBLIC TRAIL SYSTEM GIVES EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPRECIATE THE PARK SETTING(LEFT) EVEN IF THEY DO NOT LIVE ON THE COURSE OR PLAY GOLF." DESPITE ITS WHIMSICAL NAME, CELEBRATION REPRESENTS A SERIOUS EFFORT TO CONTEND WITH IDEAS ABOUT THE NATURE AND FUTURE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY AND TOWN PLANNING; AND IT ALSO SYMBOLIZES A SERIOUS EFFORT TO SHOW THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS. All illustrations provided courtesy of The Walt Disney Co.