Disney named the park EPCOT as an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. This name was coined by Walt Disney himself in the 1960s to describe his original vision for a living, breathing city of the future. Walt imagined EPCOT as a functional, planned community where 20,000 residents would live and work, utilizing the latest technologies in urban planning, transportation (like PeopleMovers and monorails), and climate control. He wanted it to be a "blueprint for the future" that would never be finished but would always be testing new ideas. After Walt’s death in 1966, the company determined that building and managing an actual city was too complex and risky. They eventually pivoted the concept into a permanent World’s Fair-style theme park that opened in 1982. While the current park focuses on technological innovation (World Discovery) and international culture (World Showcase), the name stands as a tribute to Walt's original dream of an idealistic, high-tech society that would solve the problems of modern urban living.