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2007
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April
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- AIA Las Vegas' 24-hour Town Hall Charrette
- 1. RESOURCES (Water, Energy, Utilities, Communica...
- 2. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Gaming, Employment, Tour...
- 3. PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
- 4. EDUCATION
- 5. SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE & WELLNESS
- 6. ARTS & CULTURE
- 7. HOUSING
- 8. PUBLIC SAFETY / TRANSPORTATION
- 24 Hour Charette
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April
(10)
6 comments:
It appears that very little planning or new development across Southern Nevada relates environmentally to the sensitive characteristics of the Mojave Desert region eco-structure. What is the AIA and the local architectural profession doing through its work to make the man-built environment compatible with the desert and its uniqueness? o ; .
When the term plan is used it is often this definition: to draw or diagram or layout designs for future action. Hence AIA uses plans when in discussion with planning boards etc when there is an idea proposed. The difficulty becomes apparent when the planners themselves do not plan...they merely react to what is in front of them, not what is in the future. To adequately 'plan' for the future of our country and the world, it is imperative that planners access not the next quarter of the stock market, not even the next quarter century, but more importantly,the next quarter millenia. Then and only then will the actual, REAL planning take place. Too often in our culture, our world, it is take what you can get THIS MINUTE and forget the next generation. Look into the eyes of your children as you jump into the seat of your H3 and tell them you are planning for their future.
Remember this simple fact: a drip of gas that falls here, evaporates and becomes part of a condensing cloud mass east of here....right where the harvest is for your next box of cereal. Nothing we do as caretakers of this biosphere is without affect.
Planning discussions actively ranged from the issues of new development, redeveloping and improving existing development, regional linkages/indentity, development standards, transit, commun use facilities, partnerships to extend beneficial use of public/private facilities, etc...
One of the major over-riding themes that connected discussions was how to get the most public benefit from planning and development strategies, agreements and standards, to connect community and deal with public issues such as social connections, public health, housing afforfability, and, the most over-riding concept of broad based sustainability (economic, social, environmental, etc...)
Key point - planning is the synthesis of a variety of local and regional design and policy issues, in a well coordinated and cooperative valley, planning and development becomes a symbiotic integration of elements and components of the community into a whole where the sum is more than the parts, the residual space and fabric binds the elements.
Las Vegas is an oasis in the desert...an oasis of neon in the dark desert sky... an oasis of cool indoor casinos in the hot desert... an oasis of fun in the desert of boredom... an oasis with dancing waters and dancing girls... its own success is strangling the life out of it... it has spawned a valley of sanitized suburban growth with a neverending grid of franchise filled streets and the affordable/unaffordable housing of anywhere USA... an inconceivable mirage competing with multintudinous mirrors of the commonplace... the only acceptable basis for a master plan is chaos theory...
I'm very excited about your charette efforts. Please continue to address these issues.
As I look at the list of the eight focus groups, I ask myself, if there is an inherent hierarchy. Is there a focus group or arena of such importance that if it were fully functional and fully expressed, would direct or impact the other seven arenas positively?
It must be PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT (P&D)- this must be the head of the body politic. This is the place to start- with land use and ordinances.
If P&D can create the conditions for HOUSING that will be mixed-use, will have public places for art and schools close by, places for churches and community centers that support pubic well-being- wouldn't that make the difference?
I love reading the different perspectives and I have great expectations that this forum can be a force of inspired leadership for Las Vegas - and because Vegas is Vegas, also a bright light for the rest of the world that grapples with these issues.
Two of my favorite books that deal with our challenges- Bruce Maw's "Masssive Change" and Christopher Alexander's "A Pattern Language."
Remember- WORDS ARE POWERFUL.
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