Disney Flamingo Crossings Village East

With a 61-acre site and 3 million square feet of programmed space, Flamingo Crossings Village East — designed as half of Walt Disney World’s new home for its College Intern Program — is itself the scale of a small college. The site plan creates a pedestrian-oriented experience for the 5,284 residents by pushing parking and vehicular traffic to the periphery and centering a 4.5-acre Quad in the site, to which all neighborhood pathways lead.

Every aspect of the new live/learn/play community strives to surprise and delight residents while reflecting the client’s unique history, culture, brand and commitment to distinctive placemaking. Taking cues from Disney Parks and Resorts, where the entrance is the magical point of immersion into the guest experience, the Education (Apprentice Hall) and Community Center buildings sit united under one gestural roof. The space between them is transformed into an open threshold “main street” that serves as the passageway into the Disney collegiate experience.

Through the entry portal, amenities are expansive beyond imagination and include a graduation lawn, central outdoor amenity hub with outdoor sports courts and playing fields, courtyard seating in its sheltered bosque and fountain, and two resort-style zero-entry swimming pools.