My Built Environment: Good, Bad, and Really Ugly

I recently spent some time in Las Vegas for a conference. I have been there several times over the years, and have even done some work there, though it was about 15 years ago. It is fun though to go see those projects and see how well they hold up over the years. As everyone knows, Las Vegas is a study of contrasts. There is the mega resort strip, and then Las Vegas for everyone else. Of course, wherever I go, I like to stray away from the touristy areas and see how the real people live.
Thoughts On The Strip
The strip just simply boggles my mind. Each resort is basically a city unto itself complete with its own shopping mall! Each one must be able to support around 15,000 people. I can only imagine the infrastructure that it takes to support this! Can you imagine the size of the water lines and sewer mains? Not to mention the power that is required. To top that off, they are constantly rebuilding there. If a structure is about 10 years old, it is prime to be redeveloped. Currently they are building the City Centre project. This is one where a massive project has gone from conception to construction in only a few short years. Mind Boggling.

Thoughts on Las Vegas Suburbs
Most of the residential areas in Las Vegas are boring. There is no real design. Even the master planned communities are not all that exciting. They are all car centered, with no real pedestrian connections, or any real thought given to creating a sense of place. There are exceptions of course, and one in particular I will be writing about in a separate post. And then there is a lack of landscaping along most arterials. Las Vegans love walls, every yard has a masonry wall around it. Therefore, all the main streets are lined with walls right behind the walks. Pretty sterile.

Water Conservation
On the plus side, Las Vegas is getting serious about water conservation. In all of the new developments I visited, there was very little turf grass, and what little there was, was located where it would actually be used. They are even giving existing homes and residents substantial cash incentives to take out their lawns. This is something that we should all be learning from. The landscaping they are putting in is very drought tolerant, and for the most part pretty attractive. One nice thing I noticed was the lack of weeds like we get here, such as bind weed and thistle! Nice Job!

Mesquite Trees
One thing I am jealous of in Las Vegas is they get to use Mesquite Trees. I absoloutely love these trees. They are light and airy, have interesting texture and forms, and also provide some good shade to boot. I wish we could grow them here!