amusement-cities
Urban spaces designed primarily for entertainment and simulation, such as Las Vegas and Disneyland, which function more as messages or fantasies than traditional cities.
1 chapter across 1 book
Travels in Hyperreality (1986)Umberto Eco
The chapter explores the phenomenon of American hyperreality, where the boundary between authentic reality and its reproductions collapses, creating immersive, sensational, and often kitsch experiences that replace originals with perfect or exaggerated copies. Through examples ranging from wax museums, architectural eclecticism, and museums like the Getty, to amusement cities such as Disneyland and themed ecological parks, the text examines how American culture negotiates history, identity, and nature through simulation, bricolage, and consumer spectacle. It also addresses the commodification of faith and death, illustrating how hyperreal environments provide both reassurance and thrill within a consumer society driven by excess and the desire for 'more.'