Research+Statement+and+Critical+Position

Research statement

For my research asignment on public places I decided to do theme parks, one in particular, Canadas Wonderland. This public space is full of interesting individuals and atmosphere which is why I decided to reseach theme parks.

Theme parks are the generic term for a collection of rides and other entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a fairly large group of people. A theme park is more elaborate than a simple city park or playground, it is meant to cater to adults, teenagers, and small children.

The atmosphere conveys the feeling that people are in a different place or time. For example, the medieval castles built for amusement bring the feeling of a past life and the rides that make you feel that you are part of an action film. Often a theme park will have various 'lands' (sections) of the park devoted to telling a particular story. A theme park often has rides with terms of theming or additional design elements. With a theme park all the rides go all with the theme of the park, for example Cedar Park’s Canadas Wonderland all rides go with the movie themes such as [|Top Gun]1., [|Tomb Raider]2., and the [|Itlaian Job]3. The are also always tring to push the boundaries by creating new, more impressive and more daring rides such as the new [|Behemoth roller coaster]4., which is now the most tallest and steepest ride of the park. These new improved rides give the park more popularity and bring in more adventurous people.

The amusement park uses the pay-one-price format which charges guests a single, large admission fee. The guest is then entitled to use almost all of the attractions in the park as often as they wish during their visit. The park might have some attractions that are not included in the admission charge; these are called "up-charge attractions" and can include bungee jumping or go-kart tracks or games of skill. However, the vast majority of the park's attractions are included in the admission cost. The advantages of pay-one-price is that guests can more easily budget their visit and may be more likley to experience an attraction they’ve already paid for.

The park is slit up into many categories of rides in order to identify one set of rides from the other. They are Thrill Rides, Coaster Rides, Children Rides, and Water Rides. There is a core set of thrill rides which the theme park does have, including the [|Orbitor]5., Time Warp, and the [|Cyclone]6.. However, there is constant innovation, with new variations on ways to spin and throw passengers around appearing in an effort to keep attracting customers. The theme park features compact roller coasters to attract teenagers and preteens. Roller coasters feature steep drops, sharp curves, and inversions. Roller coasters are generally the most attractive aspect of a park, but many people come for other reasons. The park is seen as family entertainment, and most include a significant number of children's rides designed for children from 2 – 8 years old. Many of these are smaller, slower versions of the adult rides, such as merry-go-rounds, and teacup rides. Such rides are usually referred to as "kiddie rides". Others are simple train rides, slides, scramblers and mirror mazes. Amusement parks with water resources generally feature a few water rides, such as the log rides, and bumper boats. Such rides are usually gentler and shorter than roller coasters and many are suitable for all ages. Water rides are especially popular on hot days.

Critical Approach

My Critical approach thus far is to identify the structure of the Canadas Wonderland theme park. To find out where certain rides and places of interest are placed and labeled as. To also, find out where the most concentration of people are and how the park can be improved in terms of placement of objects. Basically, I will analyse and create a concept map regarding what a theme park (as a public place) should be and have. Images

1. http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/8/8b/180px-Topgunpic2.jpg 2. http://images.forbes.com/media/lifestyle/2006/06/01/9_0601feat.jpg 3. http://www.coaster-net.com/pics/paramountparks/ijstart1.jpg 4. http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/stories/img/cw_behemoth_2007-08_1.jpg 5. http://www.pcwjunkies.com/images/pcw/flatrides/orbiter/08pcw_orbiter.jpg 6. http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/14/9e/f2/cyclone.jpg