live, work, – A mix of neighborhoods that combine living, work, recreation, and mobility is increasingly being framed as the best way to build belonging—an idea traced from Walt Disney’s EPCOT dream to higher-education campuses like the University of Utah and today’s techno
When communities are designed so people can live, work, and play close together, the payoff isn’t just convenience. It’s the feeling that life fits—whether you’re a student trying to stay connected after class. a resident choosing a walkable route home. or a family looking for experiences that don’t require constant switching between places.
Walt Disney put that impulse into bold city-scale language in the 1960s. In his vision for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. known as EPCOT. Disney set out not to build a theme park. but “a real city.” The connection between neighborhoods and movement mattered. His approach relied on an ecosystem of residential, commercial, and recreation linked through multi-mobility, transportation, and walkability.
Disney’s ambition is preserved in words shared in The Official Walt Disney Quote Book: “EPCOT will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry.” He died in 1966 before his vision of EPCOT was realized. but he still declared his guiding goal: “Everything in EPCOT will be dedicated to the happiness of the people who work. live. and play here.” EPCOT. as it ultimately opened in 1982. became a theme park focused on global culture and innovation—but the underlying design premise still resonates as cities look for ways to strengthen everyday human connection.
Higher education has taken the idea and translated it into campus life. The typology of higher education campuses has long centered around live, work, play. The University of Utah’s “college town magic” initiative aims to integrate communities by combining residential. academic. athletics. cultural. and entrepreneurial spaces to foster connection and innovation. The goal is explicit: a place where students, faculty, and staff can engage and build community together.
University of Utah President Taylor Randall wants to change the commuter-focused shape of campus life. The vision is to transform it into a residential campus, supported by sustainable transportation and parking to ease access. Planning guidelines are built around enhancing six existing and evolving districts or “neighborhoods”—academic and research. health. college town magic. cultural. athletics. and research park.
For entrepreneurial students, Lassonde Studios is a sign of another shift: a 24/7 residential community model that offers real world learning opportunities while creating social connections to accelerate ingenuity.
The push toward adaptable mixed-use communities is also being pulled by what people say they’re willing to pay for. The National Association of Realtors 2023 Community & Transportation Preferences Survey found that 78% of people would pay more for a home in a walkable community. That figure points to a bigger reorientation: accessibility and proximity are valued as a people-first alternative to environments that feel transactional or disjointed.
You can see that evolution showing up across different parts of the built environment. Global sports and entertainment are bringing shared experiences to the local level. Outdated retail centers are being reimagined to more curated, story-driven experiences. Under-leased office buildings are being converted to much needed residential units.
Technology now sits alongside the physical plan. Infrastructure remains the backbone of connectivity for live, work, play communities, but the idea of belonging goes beyond physical parameters. Innovations like artificial intelligence and neighborhood-based digital twins are envisioned to enhance communication and security.
At the same time, real estate planning faces hard constraints, especially around capacity. The Urban Land Institute and PwC’s 2026 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report for U.S. and Canada underscores a generational shift in which data center demand is outpacing capacity.
Designers say the answer isn’t just more tools—it’s building a “community of today” that reflects how people actually live. With hyper-personalization in smart home systems. hybrid work. and mobility options. the concept of live. work. play is described as something that must go beyond experimental prototypes. It’s designed with a people-first mindset for diverse residential lifestyles. while also creating vibrant work environments. accessible healthcare. mobility options. and immersive human experience.
Disney’s phrasing still acts like a compass for that philosophy: design communities that genuinely serve the people who inhabit them. The pressure to deliver is sharpened by economic challenges, technological advancements, and shifts in consumer sentiment. In that setting. meeting people where they are—and where they choose to engage—becomes less of an aspirational idea and more of a practical requirement.
“You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world…but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”
Barbara Bouza, FAIA, is executive director of CannonDesign’s Live, Work, Play.
live work play mixed-use communities EPCOT Walt Disney University of Utah Taylor Randall Lassonde Studios walkable communities National Association of Realtors 2023 survey artificial intelligence digital twins Urban Land Institute PwC 2026 Emerging Trends in Real Estate data center capacity CannonDesign Live Work Play