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Disney is going to build utopian residential neighborhoods in the United States

undefined undefined 15 décembre 2023 undefined 16h09

undefined undefined 3 janvier 2024 undefined 13h12

The Editor

© Disney

Tired of the gloominess of the capital city? Do you dream of experiencing the magic of Disney right in your own neighborhood? Well, now you can! All you have to do is move to the United States, specifically to North Carolina, where Disney has launched a very special urban project with utopian residential neighborhoods. It's called "Storyliving," and it's a concept that seems completely outrageous and a little bit unsettling. But hey, who knows, maybe it's worth a try!

The new Disney project, Asteria, is the idea of the century. However, it hasn't been said if it's the best or the worst. Located in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill (North Carolina), the purpose of these residential neighborhoods is to recreate the imagination and excitement of the Disney world. If we've seen the cartoons 20 times and love going to Disneyland, it's hard to imagine strolling around cottages and taking pictures with Mickey before going to work. However, everything will be taken to the extreme: themed activities, parades, film-inspired clubhouses, artificial lagoons, and even Disney employees at your service. Always more. 


Between 1 and 2 million euros for the house

To live in one of the community's 4,000 houses, it's a ridiculous amount, next to nothing, a piece of cake. Only between 1 and 2 million euros. In the comments on Asteria's Instagram post, internet users are worrying about a skyrocketing real estate prices in the region. The Disney magic, yes, but at what cost?

This project is not the most accessible, and certainly not the most inclusive. Apparently, the neighborhoods will not include social housing, even though there is a shortage of over 7 million affordable housing units for low-income renters in the United States, according to a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

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Une publication partagée par @abc7newsbayarea


Disenchanting Disney cities 

This is not the first time that Disney ventures into real estate. Few people know the dark history of Celebration, a supposedly ideal city located in Florida in the 1990s. Yes, but in 2010, the Guardian compared it to the town from the Truman Show, a movie where Jim Carrey is trapped in a fake world. On the other hand, the New York Times revealed in 2001 a deep social mixing problem: official figures showed that out of 2,376 inhabitants of Celebration, 88% of them were white, while the national average of whites in the country was 59% at the time. 

And the city has its share of sordid stories. In 2010, Celebration was the scene of...It's a murder, that of Matteo Patrick Giovanditto, strangled to death and found tied to his bed. After his death, the press revealed that he was suspected of pedophilia.  

What lies behind the immaculate walls of Celebration, Disney's dream city© John Raoux

In short, we'll pass, we're not so badly off in our 12 m2 in Paris...