The first big operations test for the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop is coming during a conference planned for June, but the lights have been turned on and cameras are rolling.
Media outlets got a sneak peek last week of the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, a $52 million tunnel built by Elon Musk's The Boring Company to connect the ends of the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center.
"The $52 million Las Vegas Loop, a tunnel sitting 40 feet underground, is about 1.5 miles long and has three stops around the Las Vegas Convention Center: Central Station, which is underground, as well as West Station and South Station, which are both above ground," writes Matt Novak in an article for Gizmodo.
But the real question inherent in the fascination with the early tunnel boring efforts of Musk et al. are how futuristic the technology is. The answer to that question, according to Novak: "That depends how futuristic you think a car being driven slowly by a human inside of a tunnel might be."
A Tweet by Las Vegas Review Journal Mick Ackers last week kicked off several days of media commentary.
Footage of what it looks like when a @Tesla is traveling through the @boringcompany’s Convention Center Loop. #vegas #boringcompany pic.twitter.com/ph1DJoTYBi
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) April 9, 2021
The dispassionate approach of Akers stands in contrast to the more exuberant style of the reports on the new tunnel for the News with Shepard Smith on NBC, which was also shared on Twitter.
Elon Musk thinks he has the solution for those who hate being stuck in traffic across the country.
CNBC's @contessabrewer is in Las Vegas with this story. pic.twitter.com/L5w17pZWTe— The News with Shepard Smith (@thenewsoncnbc) April 8, 2021
While the debut of the Loop was met with criticism online from urbanists and transit advocates, the Boring Company is still finding traction in the halls of government around the country. The city of Miami, for example, is pursuing Musk's aid in tunneling under the city in the hopes of alleviating congestion.
Novak, meanwhile, notes that despite the new media coverage of the LVVC Loop, media outlets actually gained very little new information about the project.
FULL STORY: Elon Musk's 'Public Transit' in Las Vegas Still Just Humans Driving Cars Slowly in a Tunnel
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.