ancient cities

in the early twentieth century, especially in upper
Manhattan and the Bronx.
Amy Elizabeth Johnson
See also Housing; New York City, New York; Riis,
Jacob; Social Housing
Further Readings
Dolkart, Andrew S. 2006. Biography of a Tenement
House in New York City. Santa Fe, NM: The Center
for American Places.
Gauldie, Enid. 1974. Cruel Habitations. New York:
Harper & Row.
Plunz, Richard. 1990. A History of Housing in New
York City. New York: Columbia University Press.
Tarn, John Nelson. 1973. Five Per Cent Philanthropy.
London: Cambridge University Press.
Worsdall, Frank. 1979. The Tenement, a Way of Life: A
Social, Historical, and Architectural Study of Housing
in Glasgow. Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers.
Th e m e d en v i r o n m e n T s
In May 2008, media around the globe reported a
story titled “Beatlemania Comes to the Chelsea
Flower Show with George Harrison-themed Garden.”
Widely regarded as the ultimate horticultural event
worldwide, the show offered visitors an impressive
array of gardening products, exhibits, and fantasies.
Codesigned by his widow, Olivia, the Harrison garden
was meant to evoke both the spirit of the 1960s
and the personal philosophy of one of its most
famous pop musicians, who himself had been a keen
amateur gardener. Titled “From Life to Life, a
Garden for George,” the installation employed 76
species and varieties of flowers, some in psychedelic
colors, to celebrate Harrison’s life in four stages:
childhood, his Beatles’ fame, inner self, and spiritual
life. In the second section, the quiet Beatle was feted
by a six-foot-wide glass sun with the inscription
“Sun, sun, sun, here it comes,” reminding viewers of
his song “Here Comes the Sun.” Lest the spirit of the
garden be overlooked, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr
inaugurated the exhibit, driving up in a vintage Mini
decorated with Hindu symbols calling to mind
Harrison’s spiritual journey to India.
Themed Environments
805
The George Harrison garden at the Chelsea
Flower Show is emblematic both of the ubiquitous
presence of themed environments in contemporary
society and their intimate connection with
popular culture. By definition, a themed environment
is a place whose spatial organization and
meaning system are organized according to an
overarching concept or narrative. A central purpose
in creating these narrative spaces is to impose
coherence on a disparate array of images or
attractions. Shaw and Williams have identified
themed environments as a subset of themed spaces
(the others are theme parks and themed landscapes).
According to their typology, themed environments
are the spaces of everyday life that use
theming concepts and technologies and become
visitor attractions appealing to the consumer
experience. This includes such familiar urban
hangouts as Starbucks and other similar coffee
shops, which deliberately evoke the brio of an
Italian espresso bar, as well as the romance and
exoticism of the mountainous coffee plantations
of Guatemala and Panama. Private spaces such as
this are carefully and deliberately constructed,
themed, and regulated.
Themed environments can vary in size from a
leisure venue as large as Disney World to a child’s
bedroom decorated to look like Harry Potter’s
dormitory room. Among the most commonly studied
themed environments are amusement parks,
casinos, restaurants and diners, airports, interactive
museums, department stores, shopping malls,
sports bars, and cruise ships. In recent years,
researchers have extended the concept to include
such disparate environments as Wall Street, a Star
Trek–themed dentist office in Florida, the lobby of
a bank branch, touring rock concerts, and virtual
gaming. For the most part, themed environments
are explicitly directed toward promoting tourism
and commercial consumption. However, some
organizations have employed the principles of
theming to create immersive, entertaining environments
wherein their moral and spiritual messages
can be delivered. For example, a group of Swiss
evangelical Christians recently announced plans
for a biblical-themed attraction in Germany to be
known as Genesis Park. Among the premier attractions
will be an “original size” Noah’s ark, a
heaven-and-hell-themed roller coaster, and a
Tower of Babel panorama restaurant.