Designing for Belonging: How Attractions Create Connection Through Culture

Great design does more than impress. It welcomes. It shows guests they are seen. That their story belongs here too. As parks evolve to meet a more diverse and global audience, cultural connection is no longer optional. It’s central.

This article explores how themed environments can build real belonging through intentional design choices—from narrative to architecture to operations.

1. Cultural Representation in Parks

Representation is the first step toward belonging. Guests want to see their heritage, language, and worldview reflected—not as novelty, but as part of the foundation.

This means avoiding stereotypes. It means elevating accuracy and dignity. Cultural representation should celebrate nuance, not flatten identity.

2. Community Storytelling in Attractions

The best attractions don’t just borrow from culture. They build with it. That means working with communities to shape stories, characters, and environments.

Community storytelling brings authenticity and pride. It ensures emotional truth. And it creates guest moments that are deeper than just spectacle.

3. Inclusive Theme Park Planning

Inclusion starts with space. Can everyone get in, feel safe, and participate fully? Are design systems welcoming to diverse ages, bodies, neurotypes, and languages?

Inclusive planning builds flexibility into the layout, signage, rest zones, and access points. It puts empathy into every square foot.

4. Designing for Identity

Guests want to feel like they belong not just physically, but personally. That means designing experiences where people see their identity affirmed—not erased or distorted.

Parks should offer content that resonates across age, race, gender, and worldview. They should avoid tokenism and prioritize design that lets guests say, “That feels like me.”

5. Equity in Themed Experiences

Equity means more than access. It means balance of quality, tone, and investment. Are diverse stories given the same budget, space, and prestige?

When equity is part of master planning, parks show that all guests matter equally. It’s visible in casting, story arcs, land theming, and even snack offerings. It’s holistic.

6. Localized Park Narratives

Parks have the opportunity to reflect the place they’re built in. Local stories, textures, and traditions can inspire new worlds and deepen guest connection.

Localized storytelling builds emotional context. It supports community pride. It turns a park into a love letter to place—not a generic fantasy overlay.

7. Representational Master Planning

Who gets a land? Who gets a ride? Who gets a voice? These questions are master planning questions.

Representation should be visible across scale and scope—not just in signage, but in how lands are zoned, themed, and positioned in the guest journey.

8. Belonging Through Design

Design can’t force belonging. But it can invite it. It can say: you are welcome here. You are expected. This space considered you.

Belonging is built through tone, gesture, rhythm, and voice. It’s not about proving diversity. It’s about offering connection.

9. Guest Diversity in Planning

Guest diversity includes race, nationality, gender, ability, neurodiversity, and more. It’s wide. It’s evolving. And it must be taken seriously in every planning conversation.

This means rethinking defaults. Challenging norms. And asking regularly, “Who does this work for? Who doesn’t it?”

10. Social Storytelling in Parks

Attractions can explore social ideas without being preachy. Connection, fairness, joy, respect—these are values that transcend politics. They belong in the guest journey.

Social storytelling makes space for guests to reflect, laugh, share, and imagine a better world. That’s not heavy. That’s hopeful.

Common Questions

1. What does designing for belonging mean?
It means creating spaces and stories where guests feel seen, safe, and emotionally connected. It’s deeper than inclusion. It’s about connection.

2. How do you avoid stereotypes in cultural design?
By working with culture bearers, prioritizing nuance, and rejecting shortcuts. Authenticity always beats approximation.

3. Is inclusive design only about accessibility?
No. It includes accessibility, but also reflects diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences in content and tone.

4. Can culturally specific design appeal to all guests?
Yes. When designed with care, it invites empathy and curiosity. Specificity deepens engagement for everyone.

5. Why is belonging important in parks?
Because people remember how a space made them feel. Belonging builds loyalty, emotion, and joy.

Read More

* RWS Cultural Storytelling Framework
* Inclusive Master Planning Guide
* Guest Identity Experience Toolkit