Editing Epcot (section)

=== 1970s: Concept evolves into park ===
After Walt Disney's death, the company decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city without Walt's guidance. The original plans for the park showed indecision over the park's purpose. Some [[Walt Disney Imagineering|Imagineers]] wanted it to represent the cutting edge of [[emerging technologies]], while others wanted it to showcase international cultures and customs. At one point, a model of the futuristic park was pushed together against a model of a [[World's Fair]] international theme, and the two were combined.

The park was originally named EPCOT Center to reflect the ideals and values of the city. It was constructed for an estimated $800&nbsp;million to $1.4&nbsp;billion and took three years to build, at the time the largest construction project on Earth.<ref name="Kurtti">{{cite book |title=Since the World Began: Walt Disney World, The First 25 Years |last=Kurtti |first=Jeff |year=1996 |publisher=[[Disney Hyperion|Hyperion]] |location=New York, New York |isbn=0-7868-6248-3 |page=89 |ref=kur96}}</ref> The park spans {{convert|305|acres|ha|abbr=off}}, more than twice the size of [[Magic Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Epcot Fact Sheet |url=http://wdwnews.com/fact-sheets/2016/07/01/epcot-fact-sheet/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616203956/http://wdwnews.com/fact-sheets/2016/07/01/epcot-fact-sheet/ |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |access-date=January 8, 2018 |website=wdwnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Epcot Theme Park {{pipe}} Walt Disney World Resort |url=http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123032515/http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/ |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=Walt Disney World Resort}}</ref> The parking lot serving the park is {{convert|141|acres}} (including bus area) and can accommodate 11,211 vehicles.