The Las Vegas Weekly pulls together a panel of the city's leading urban thinkers to discuss the future of development in Las Vegas, now that the downturn has brought many projects to a standstill.
Las Vegas Weekly: Will the flagging economy offer any long-term opportunities to rethink how we develop the city, or do you think it's merely just a pause in the usual kind of approach to development that has allowed Vegas to grow so spectacularly over the last 10, 20 or more years?
Eric Strain: There are some hidden opportunities in this. To be perfectly blunt, I think that over the past couple of decades we've been fat, dumb and lazy, and we've put out some real shit, architecturally, in this community. And I think this is an opportunity to look at what we really value and what we really should be building and how we should be building. We've continued for so many years putting up white stucco and red tile, and is that really the appropriate response for this environment? So I think this is an opportunity that, if we take it seriously, we can really start to decide what this valley was and use that as clues to where we can go. I think Phoenix has done it much better than we have. They have a rich history, and we have themes.
Robert Dorgan: One of the discussions that's going to happen, if there is a pause, and if there is a chance to stop and reflect, is going to be about density, because we've sprawled out to the edge of the federal lands. And we're not going east into Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon, we're not going west in Mount Charleston. We're not going north into the bombing range and the Nellis properties, and south is conservation areas and BLM lands. And it's happened over the last eight to 10 years that I've been coming to Vegas, is that we've started to build inside the city, and we've started to redensify. And I think that's going to be a discussion that's gonna have to happen. Because we all prize our yard, we all prize our own little castle, our own little McMansion. Party wall's a four-letter word to a lot of people. But I think we're going to go more vertical, and I think we're going to get closer together. And I think that's going to be a good thing, or an opportunity to take advantage of.
FULL STORY: Making designs on Vegas
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.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Massachusetts Budget Helps Close MBTA Budget Gap
The budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes $470 million in MBTA funding for the next fiscal year.
Milwaukee Launches Vision Zero Plan
Seven years after the city signed its Complete Streets Policy, the city is doubling down on its efforts to eliminate traffic deaths.
Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont