Tomorrowland is a sci-fi community inspired by past visions of the future. The principal design aesthetic for the land is rooted in the Machine Age, a period in the early 20th century during which incredible progress was made in areas like mass production, radio technology and electric motors.
Gears and other mechanical elements figured heavily in the technology of the Machine Age, and they're prevalent in the design of Tomorrowland as well, from the logo for the Tomorrowland Public Works (above, as seen on trash cans in the area) to the hardscape under foot on the Avenue of the Planets (below).
The wheels of progress turn swiftly here.
The Machine Age roughly covered the period between World Wars I and II. This was a time when transportation design was coming into its own, following the streamlined look of aircraft. It was also the age of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, who delighted audiences in comic strips, radio programs and film serials.
The influence of these science fiction adventures is felt throughout Tomorrowland, in the architectural elements and in the multitude of rocket ships and flying saucers which have touched down in this spaceport of the future.