Recently in Livable Las Vegas Category

April 13 and 14 were very busy in the Architecture Studies Library and the School of Architecture. Members of the community and of the Las Veags American Institute of Architects gathered around noon in the ASL for this design charrette. The brainstroming was kicked off by speaker Sim van der Ryn, well known architect and author of books on ecological and sustainable design [for a list of what is in the ASL see http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/events/lectures/simvanderryn.html.

KNPR covered the charrette. In addition, participants and others could add comments to the charrette blog http://aialasvegas.blogspot.com/

Recommendations were highlighted at the session on Saturday. In the audience were Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Henderson Mayor James Gibson -- among many others. Both mayors indicated their appreciation of the work and ideas that were shared, and the hope that they can be used to move the valley forward.

Here are the briefest of highlights on the recommendations. The full recommendations of both the Reno group and the Las Vegas group will be printed and offered to the community (and the governor) as a Blueprint for Nevada.

Resources
What is the "value" of each resource -- quantifying may help bring home true costs, and help to change the culture of Las Vegas, which is one of our biggest issues.

Economic Development
Issues revolve around diversity, sprawl, and infrastructure. We need a strong regional planning ggroup. We need to address the five-year gap between McCarran at maximum capacity and Ivanpah Airport opening.

Planning and Development
Look at urban form zoning and a stronger Regional Planning Commission. All public facilities should serve multiple purposes. Leverage: spaces, climate, critical mass. Develop the political will to make a positive change.

Education
Schools should be the heart of the community. There should be neigborhood partnerships and access. Consider these three key concepts: rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Social Infrastructure and Wellness
Improve delivery, reduce cost, address root causes of illness.

Arts and Culture
Develop a unified voice for Las Vegas arts. Three strategies for the long-term: arts education for children; more spaces for arts and rehearsals and exhibits and studios -- clustered Art Spots;
arts groups should enhance communication both among themselves and with the community.

Housing
Issues include affordability, density, variety, efficiency, and transit. Human scale is critical.

Public Safety and Transportation
Reduce private vehicles, provide alternate modes of transport, connect nodes, educate the public. Address safety issues and crime prevention through design.

Obviously these are all complicated issues. Kudos to the AIA and all who participated for bringing the discussion to this public forum.

The 2007 edition of Architecture Las Vegas magazine is now published and available in the Architecture Studies Library. Of special interest is the Las Vegas Livability Report. The report features "report cards" i.e. grades, for the 10 AIA Principles for Livable Communities: Design on a human scale, Provide choices, Encouraging mixed uses, Build vibrant public spaces, Protect environmental resources, Preserving urban centers, Create a neighborhood identity, Vary transportation options, Conserve landscapes, and Design matters. The grades were derived from a survey of the city's architects and planners.

The American Institute of Architects reports that its survey to determine the public's favorite architecture found the Bellagio Hotel and Casino to rank number 22 of 150! The press release is at http://www.aia.org/release_020707_150Buildings

The complete list is reported in the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-poparch07-sort2.html
The Wall Street Journal sites allows you to sort by category, so by year, state, architect and building type. The Bellagio is the only building in Nevada to make the list -- not so surprising when you realize that only 21 buildings on the list were built 1997 or later.

The Regional Animal Campus by Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects of Las Vegas was the winner of one of the 2006 top ten green projects awards from AIA's Committee on the Environment.

The AIA/COTE description of the project is at
http://aiatopten.org/hpb/overview.cfm?ProjectID=658

More information on the Architecture Studies Library web pages on this project can be found at http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/aia/awa2005/b05065.html and in the Architects and Buildings Database at http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/archdb/arch.php

The news release came out in April of 2006, so this is not exactly news. But it was brought to my attention lately that it is important to highlight what we are doing in Las Vegas to forward the green agenda. This project is one outstanding example.

Last week the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership announced program requirements for builders seeking to construct sustainable and energy efficient homes in Southern Nevada.http://www.thegbi.org/southernnevada/guidelines.asp

The requirements are based on those developed by the National Association of Home Builders' Model Green Home Building Guidelines www.nahb.org/gbg but modified to fit the climate and environment of our area.

The City of Las Vegas is the first governmental entity in the area to adopt the guidelines. According to their press release http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Publications/10038.htm "The city’s objective is to support and recognize green building practices within the community and provide homebuilders and homeowners an easily identifiable certification that a house meets its criteria. While this program will initially recognize new residential construction, it is fully expandable to recognize other types of new construction and renovations in the future."

It will probably be late 2007 before home buyers will see that certification, and be able to confidently purchase a green home. The Green Building Partnership notes that green homes will produce savings in utility costs and better indoor air quality. And of course, help to save the environment!

The American Institute of Architects Las Vegas chapter has sent a "livability survey" to all of its members. The survey solicits feedback on how well -- or poorly -- Las Vegas is creating a livable community.

The survey is available in the Architecture Studies Library and students are urged to fill it out and present their perspectives.

Categories in the survey are the 10 principles established by the AIA Center for Communities by Design. Categories include "preserve urban centers," "vary transportation options," "building vibrant public spaces," and "create a neighborhood identity." The principles are online at http://www.aia.org/liv_principles

The results of the survey will be reported in Architecture Las Vegas, 6th annual edition due out in April.

The concern with how to make Las Vegas a livable community has been addressed by groups and individuals beyond the valley, as well as within. In 1997 the Urban Land Institute (headquartered in Washington, D.C.) was invited by various Vegas-area governmental bodies to send an advisory panel to Las Vegas to consider the issue. Their report, titled "Livable Las Vegas: Managing Growth in the Las Vegas Valley" is available in the Architecture Studies Library on our reserves shelf (HT168 L35 L355 1997 -- ask at the service desk). One of the findings they reported continues to resonate: Vegas appears to be "...gambling on the availability of adequate land and water to support the Valley's projected development -- a gamble that the panel believes will entail high stakes and high risks." (p. 15).

Several years ago, preparing for its 2020 Master Plan, the City of Las Vegas sponsored a Community Vision Survey via the web. As of today, sample screens from the vision survey are available on the web page of the company which created the survey http://www.lrk.com/surveys/demo/lasvegas/start.html. The survey solicited input on which of several images represents what you would like to see your community look like -- in various settings including downtown, neighborhoods, and commercial corridors. One problem with this survey in my opinion is that the images didn't necessarily reflect a desert climate.

The City's 2020 Master Plan is availabe online at http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/files/MP2020_12092003.pdf
Livability and quality of life are among the terms used to reflect the intent of the City. This "Final Draft" is dated July 14, 2000; it was adopted by the City Council September 6, 2000.

What makes Las Vegas a livable community? or not a livable community? Today in the Architecture Studies Library the Nevada American Society of Landscape Architects [http://host.asla.org/chapters/snasla/information.htm] made Mayor Oscar Goodman an honorary member in recognition of his work in making Las Vegas more livable. They also had a presention on the Las Vegas Springs Preserve which will provide a wealth of information and examples of elements that make a desert city livable -- when it opens in the summer of 2007. For more on the Springs Preserve, see their web site http://www.lvspringspreserve.org/html/
What makes Las Vegas a livable community? Your opinions are welcome!