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Magic Lands: Western Cityscapes and American Culture After 1940

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In Magic Lands John M. Findlay argues that in twentieth century planned communities arose across America to offer alternatives to urbanization. Finlay examines four case studies: California's Disneyland; Silicon Valley; Arizona's Sun City; and the Seattle World's Fair. These "magic lands" were sources of recreation, inspiration and optimism for the rest of the country.

Magic Lands begins with a look at the West's rapid growth at mid-century. Findlay credits the military spending of World War II and a post-war boom driven by the G.I. Bill for increasing populations and changing landscapes. New industries--such as Hewlett-Packard in Silicon Valley and Boeing in Seattle--aided this growth by driving the west to new economic heights. With new jobs came an increase in demand for housing and shopping plazas. The result was the "horizontal" urban community, one which sprawled outside of the urban center creating sprawl. Reacting to this eastern-style growth, westerners escaped to planned communities for amusement and alternatives to urban lifestyles.

The alternative communal visions presented in Magic Lands varied drastically. Walt Disney envisioned Disneyland both as family entertainment and as his example as "the city of tomorrow". Stanford built an industrial center that relied on the surrounding natural geography and climate to draw its workforce. Sun City transformed the natural landscape to provide an "ideal" active retirement community. Seattle rehabilitated a run down neighborhood to house it's 1962 world's fair. In each case, changes in these areas transformed their adjacent communities geographically, economically, and culturally.

The reasons for transforming these landscapes was constant, but the methods by which these Magic Lands were constructed varied drastically. Disneyland was built under the close supervision of Walt Disney, who envisioned his planned community as an example for the entire country, but Stanford's Industrial Park (i.e. Silicon Valley) never had a master plan--simply a goal: to build a leading high tech industrial center. In the case of Sun City, a drive for profit (and little else) led to the construction of this rich and green retirement community in the Arizona desert. Seattle's World Fair aimed to revitalize its downtown district--it ultimately failed. In each case, the results of these communities influenced national ideas on architecture and urban landscapes.

While Magic Lands offers a compelling look at these four planned communities, their similarities are tenuous at best. Comparisons of Disneyland to the Seattle World's Fair are sometimes a stretch, while Sun City shares little in common with Seattle. These are vastly different and unique communities. More compelling is Findlay's final chapter that shows the impacts of these communities today in places like Irving and Los Angeles. These planned communities had vast cultural and environmental impacts, and these topics could be covered more in depth. These are minor criticisms. Magic Lands is an insightful read that will both appeal to scholars and lay-readers interested in urban development and the growth of the American West.

Findlay has written an excellent book in urban history. He weaves theory into his narrative effortlessly with few exceptions. Those rare exceptions occur when he heavy-handedly repeats his message, but they are easily overlooked. He also masterfully uses the photographs to enhance his argument, though one wishes that he had included comparative maps to make the micro-communities "legible" to the reader. His argument was convincing overall and left one wishing that he could have treated just a couple more important western landmarks. His most important contribution is to help the reader understand how western cities evolved from eastern, nuclear conception of a city to a model akin to the solar system.