ABSTRACT: Project is a conceptual masterplan for a living history park celebrating the origins of our main holidays celebrated here in America. The idea is to get people away from the over commercialization of the holidays and focus on where the holidays came from and why we celebrate them in an interactive and engaging manner in the hopes that this will refocus our holiday celebrations to the core values they represent.

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FORMAL PROPOSAL: Holidays today have become overly commercialized and more of a job then our actual careers in just the preparation alone.  The meaning for the actual celebrations are overshadowed by the pressure for overspending and the need to keep up with the traditions that have been handed down by our families.  For example, in the United States, retail sales for Christmas have consistently increased an average of 2-4% from 1999-2016 (US, National Retail Federation).  Americans have become conditioned into thinking the more we buy for our loved ones, the better, versus just spending quality time with our families and celebrating the real meaning of the holiday.  

 

Bringing families together to experience the holidays in a highly interactive and themed environment that is also educational is one of the best ways to engage people and make them question their current attitudes towards their holiday celebrations.  The intent is to create a living history theme park based on the origins of the mainstream American holidays, allowing guests to experience and walkthrough the evolution of these holidays from conception to current day, incorporating smaller experiences/attractions that tell the stories of different components of our holiday celebrations.

 

The proposed location for the park is Kansas City, Missouri, where there is already an existing draw for several historic sites and museums as well as a zoo, amusement park, and theater.  The location is also great as a pit stop on road trips in the Midd-West, capturing the attention of families, history buffs, or the avid traveler/explorer.  With its educational and interactive qualities, this park would also provide a great opportunity for school field trips.

 

Due to my interests in the themed entertainment industry I would like to focus on master planning and park land development.  I will create a conceptual masterplan for the entire park and then develop further one land for the park.  The goal with this project is to illustrate that I have a clear understanding of the big picture of the design as well as the details and how they ultimately work together.