Ersatz New Urbanism In Las Vegas

One of the fastest growing cities in the nation, Henderson is considering a 2,000 acre new urbanist development plan brought by Focus Property Group. While this would be an improvement over the sprawling tracts of suburban Las Vegas, the locals' reaction speaks of a general misunderstanding and misapplication of the planning philosophy. For residents, 'new urbanism' means a reversion to a mythical small-town Henderson, a return to a city center that itself is post-World War II. For the residents of such a recently expansive town, the proposed new urbanist development may become as forced and unnatural as the rows of McMansions surrounding it.