A Las Vegas hotel-condo project's height is nearly cut in half--not due to budget cuts, but faulty rebar installation. Experts are reportedly unable to recall "such a drastic midconstruction downscaling."
"'This is not the way we had expected things to play out,' said an MGM Mirage spokesman, Gordon Absher. 'But we want to build safe buildings whose structural integrity everyone has confidence in.'
County inspectors discovered the defect - improper installation of critical steel reinforcements known as rebar - after 15 stories of the building, the Harmon, had been erected.
The Harmon is one of several structures that make up CityCenter, an $8.6 billion, 67-acre development at the heart of the Strip that includes two other hotel-condominiums, two residential towers, a 4,000-room hotel-casino and a 500,000-square-foot shopping center. Those involved in the effort promote it as the largest privately financed construction project in United States history. Besides Mr. Foster, other prestigious architects working on CityCenter buildings are Cesar Pelli, Daniel Libeskind and Helmut Jahn."
FULL STORY: Tower Rising in Las Vegas but Now, Not So High
Planting Relief: Tackling Las Vegas Heat One Tree at a Time
Nevada Plants, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, is combating the city’s extreme urban heat by giving away trees to residents in underserved neighborhoods, promoting shade, sustainability, and community health.
Las Vegas Uses ‘Mini-Roundabout’ for Traffic Calming
Roundabouts, commonly used in other countries, are starting to catch on in U.S. cities. They can improve traffic flow and bring efficiency benefits.
Las Vegas Golf Course to Become Over 1,000 Units of Affordable Housing
The project is part of an initiative to build affordable housing on shuttered golf courses.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions