Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons^™

Southern Nevada Regional Industrial Study, Brookings Mountain West, Center For Business And Economic Research, Transportation Research Center

Policy Briefs and Reports

Recognizing the ongoing need to diversify the Southern Nevada economy, in 2023 GOED commissioned Brookings Mountain West, the UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research, and the UNLV Transportation Research Center to evaluate how Southern Nevada can leverage its geography and connectivity to neighboring states and metros at the megapolitan level to pursue industrial opportunities in the face of shifting global supply chains, diminishing developable land, the need for efficient management of the regional water supply, and the availability of unprecedented federal resources to support clean energy development, manufacturing, electrification of transportation systems, and supply-chain resiliency.

The study builds on …

Research Space At Public R1 Universities In The Mountain West, 2021, Zachary Billot, Jesse Fager-Larsen, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet reports data on research space square footage for public R1 universities in five Mountain West States: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet includes national rankings of public R1 universities in the Mountain West states based on total square footage and reports square footage for individual research disciplines for the two public R1 universities in Nevada: the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

Park Access And Quality In Mountain West Cities, 2023, Maryam Raja, Julia Salangsang, Vanessa M. Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet presents data from a 2023 publication from The Trust for Public Land ParkScore® Index1 which provides data on public parks for the 100 largest cities in the United States. The fact sheet includes park scores for the cities in the Mountain West states of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. This fact sheet expands upon a previously published fact sheet on park access and quality from 2020.

Urban And Community Tree Cover In The Mountain West, Zachary Billot, Zachary Walusek, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet examines data on tree cover and impervious cover in urban land for the United States and for the five states in the Mountain West: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The original report includes data for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Research Methods In Urban Design: A Framework For Researching The Performance And Resilience Of Places, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. (Oxford English Dictionaries, 2020.)

Urban And Community Tree Cover In The Mountain West, Annie Vong

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

Tree Cover: provides shade, absorbs carbon, e.g. trees and bushes. Impervious Cover: absorbs heat, e.g. concrete and buildings.

Nexuscapes: A Landscape Approach For A Transdisciplinary Water-Energy-Food Nexus Decision-Making Process, Fortino Acosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study develops a reliable transdisciplinary framework for complex ecological and social systems by characterizing, mapping, typifying, assessing, and testing enhanced water-energy-food nexus scenarios under critical time constraints, specialized skills, or sensitive data accessibility. Detached management of limited essential resources like fresh water, reliable energy from renewable sources, and nutritious food can jeopardize regional economies and governance. Using a novel landscape approach, this study recommends a decision-making the framework focused on the circular economy that induces collaboration among diverse sectors and brings strategic coordination, specificity, and magnitude to the proposed solutions. The study elaborates on a decision-making tool that integrates …

Urban Air Mobility: Envisioning Uam As An Integrated Form Of Future Transport - A Las Vegas Case Study, Osarodion Victory Igbinobaro

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Rapid urbanization has resulted in more people moving to cities to live and work. By 2030, an estimated 5 billion people will live in urban areas representing about 60% of the world's population. This increase in population growth brings forth new mobility challenges and opportunities for city planners, importantly, the challenge of transporting people and goods to their destinations in the most efficient, safe, quick and sustainable manner.

Traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, the cost of maintaining existing and building new transportation infrastructure are among several reasons why many cities seek sustainable alternatives to compliment their existing transport …

Biophilic Escapism: Designing The Hotel Mojave, Mark Kua

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Many places in urban destinations such as Las Vegas (and abroad) are lacking in natural elements, and therefore, are disconnected from nature. The lack of biophilic design principles in the built environment can create places and spaces that are conducive to stress and tension in users. By improving the human connection to nature, we can reduce ill health, improve productivity, and create spaces and environments that are more comfortable and appealing. Tying this to hospitality, we can utilize natural materials with a strong connection to nature; incorporate biophilic focal points; utilize plant life and water features deliberately and thoughtfully; create …

A New Look Into Old-Design As A Re-Purposed & Upscaled Integration, Jorge Medina

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Instead of creating trash, upscale and repurpose materials to determine a new design aesthetic.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas had 32,230,600 visitors in 2021. That's approximately 88,303 visitors per day, all of which created trash. If we consider, each of those visitors disposing of one can of soda, one bottle of beer, or one bottle of water, we can easily reach 88,303 empty containers per day. Thought, it may be more realistic that visitors consume more than one bottle of liquid a day.

According to PBS Terra, Americans create 4.9 pounds of trash a …

The World's A Stage: The Strip's Privatized Areas Reimagined As A Performance Space, Klaire Viduya

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Las Vegas has been home to live performances since 1931, tying entertainment with the existence of hotels and casinos. A lot of focus has been put into the live music performances on a larger scale such as concerts and residencies throughout the tourist-filled Strip. Nowadays, major cities are promoting themselves through culture, art and the creative industries, developing new innovative urban spaces and business. According to a study by the UNLV Gaming Research Lab, throughout the past few years in hospitality, there has been a trend of the entertainment having less revenue compared to other sectors such as gambling and …

Overcrowded Street: Entertainment-Design-Driven Approach To Urban Design, Jairo Fajardo

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Cable cars have evolved over the years, both in technology and in their uses. In the beginning, they were used mainly to transport materials and supply troops in times of war; after the First World War, these cable cars began their transformation, orienting them as economic transport and tourist attractions with a low impact on the landscape, allowing us to travel through areas that are difficult to access or where the construction of roads is not justified.

For this project, a proposal will be made to implement a cable car system to decongest the overcrowded sidewalks and as a tourist …

Performance Canopy For Hospitality Design: Performative Design For M/Hotel Operators, Carlos Reynoso

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

The project proposes a solar-array canopy with rainwater retention system to address an existing structure's operational weaknesses.

Alternative Current: A Las Vegas Solution To Ev Charging Design, Jason Saccoliti

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Altnerate Current examines trends in the gas station industry, lessons learned from Las Vegas, and current Electric Vehicle charging stations to create the Ultimate Charging Experience.

Parking In Progress: The Evolution Of Parking Garages, Jazmin Isabel Navarro

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

In the U.S. there are approximately 40,000 parking garages (Hartt, 2014) and that number continues to grow rapidly; for years the design of those structures has stayed stagnant, not being rethought since their conception around the 1950's. Meanwhile the automobile industries are evolving more rapidly than ever before to create smarter and more energy efficient technologies. The automobile has become a staple of society and there is little chance of it being eliminated from our society; it is a necessary evil at this point.

As vehicles rose in popularity there came the need for parking, and before long there was …

Redefining Pedestrian Infrastructure, Maurice Gregory

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Urban spaces are seeing a poor adaptability of roads and pedestrian traffic to coexist without conflict. This can be seen by looking into vehicle versus pedestrian accidents and their causes, what interventions are currently in place, and how urban sprawl has played a part in this crisis. In addition, case studies focusing on various urban design plans will be evaluated. Finally, it will be discussed how these issues can be addressed and what implementations can be made architecturally to alleviate the strain between vehicles and pedestrians in urban spaces.

Built Environment, Land Use, And Crime: A Las Vegas Study, Stacey Lynn Clouse

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined land use and crime against persons and crime against property in Las Vegas, Nevada at varying spatial levels of analysis. Using crime data provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County Assessor’s office, results at the macro-level of analysis reveal that property crime rates concentrated on commercial, transportation, communication and utilities, and industrial land use, whereas violent crime concentrated at commercial, multi-residential, and civic, institutional, and recreational land use. Upon examining the subtypes of land use that generate or radiate more crime, property crime concentrated on transportation land use, class 1 resorts, and …

Neo Development Of The Workplace Environment In Response To Evolutionary Social Changes, Dafne Odette

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study is to identify the needs and wants of remote workers to support their health and well-being in response to evolutionary social changes. Many workers were once tethered to live in the city where their job office resided. Additionally, economic forces have long been a deciding factor in where one lives. The COVID-19 virus of 2020 provided an opportunity for many people to work remotely to control the virus (Latham, Higgins, & Judish, 2020). This has allowed people to retain higher salaries while living in rural areas where the cost of living may be lower. In 2021, some businesses …

The Rise Of Southern Nevada As A Cluster For Metropolitan Transit Technology Innovations, Arthur C. Nelson

Policy Briefs and Reports

Southern Nevada is emerging as the nation’s leader in private sector-driven innovations in transportation technologies. From the humble beginnings of a monorail system serving a portion of major hotel and gaming venues along the Las Vegas Strip, now supplemented by an array of people movers, Southern Nevada continues to attract transit innovations in tunneling, Hyperloop, and driverless vehicle delivery technologies. The region may soon anchor a high-speed rail system connecting Southern Nevada to Los Angeles. The purpose of this briefing paper is to frame the nature of this emerging transportation cluster and the opportunities this creates for Southern Nevada to …

Interstate 11: The Road To Prosperity In Nevada, Arthur C. Nelson

Policy Briefs and Reports

Interstate 11 (I-11) offers Nevada a unique opportunity to advance the economic development prospects of one of the state’s most economically challenged areas: Elko and eastern Nevada. Although the state used a qualitative system to choose a western route for I-11, this process may not have considered fully the costs of extending I-11 to Canada in a cost-effective manner or in a manner consistent with I-11 purposes, especially avoiding congested areas. This briefing report reviews the history and purposes of I-11; summarizes the I-11 route options; considers how I-11 might extend to Canada in a way that is consistent with …

Rail Fixed Guideway Systems In Western U.S. Regions, Kelly A. Beavers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research explores the policy factors influencing the intraregional development of rail transit. For the purpose of this research, policy factors include: institutional arrangements, factors associated with governance, and factors in the policymaking process. The research questions are studied in five case study MSAs within the Pacific West and Mountain West regions of the United States: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA; and Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR. The foundational problems that frame this research are the challenges of urban planning at a regional scale, specifically for transportation. The more specific challenge of transportation planning is situated within …

Impervious Surfaces Mapping At City Scale By Fusion Of Radar And Optical Data Through A Random Forest Classifier, Binita Shrestha, Haroon Stephen, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Urbanization increases the amount of impervious surfaces, making accurate information on spatial and temporal expansion trends essential; the challenge is to develop a cost-and laboreffective technique that is compatible with the assessment of multiple geographical locations in developing countries. Several studies have identified the potential of remote sensing and multiple source information in impervious surface quantification. Therefore, this study aims to fuse datasets from the Sentinel 1 and 2 Satellites to map the impervious surfaces of nine Pakistani cities and estimate their growth rates from 2016 to 2020 utilizing the random forest algorithm. All bands in the optical and radar …

Anthesis: The Blooming Of The Las Vegas Strip, David Navarrete

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

The diversity of thought throughout the HD Studio always produces great synergy between projects with overlapping areas of interest. Here, we see a question about why Las Vegas' public green space lags behind other cities' lead to more questions (and answers) about how the pedestrian experience along Las Vegas Boulevard could transform from a predominantly car-centric space into a sidewalk experience that extends the excitement of resorts' interiors to the outside. Like other theses that explore everything from public promenades to places for social media posts, the work of David Navarreto calls on lessons learned from urban planning, landscape architecture, …

Agricultural Urbanism: Sustainable Food Security In Urban Development, Diego Soto

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Food insecurity is an unfortunate reality for far too many people. In this noble venture, a Master of Architecture candidate takes principles of hospitality design and applies them to residential and civic design such that the communal spaces of our neighborhoods and the homes of families become more hospitable. Diego Soto entered the HD Studio with a passion for helping people and a goal to address hunger. Conversations chronicled through his book take the reader on a journey that helps the wider audience appreciate the oath architects take... to uphold the life, safety, and welfare of the general public. Diego's …

Connecting Allegiant Stadium With The Strip: Flipping Las Vegas Resorts Programming Inside-Out, Austin Sattler

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Allegiant Stadium (a $1.9 billion project) has been recently completed just across the interstate from the south end of The Strip. Its future-oriented design and seating capacity of 60,000 brings tremendous potential for Las Vegas, and its location has brought challenges to resolve with regard to pedestrian and vehicular traffic around major events. Austin Sattler studies the characteristics of Las Vegas Boulevard that make it one of the most populous streets in the world and its multiple cross-streets that support a continuation of the tourist experience. After conducting additional case studies of popular promenades around the world and simulating various …

Revitalization: Crime Prevention Through Design Intervention, Jose Ricardo Leon Serrano

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

In a city populated by Luxurious Hotels, the streetscape is often neglected discouraging extended interaction of the pedestrian in the area. As a result, the topic of security in public spaces is being analyzed to bring to light the recent increase in violent offenses. Establishing additional principles of safety to the standard best practice guidelines will impact the image of our city promoting public safety. The issue arises as to the lack of urban squares and architectural features that allow for recurring criminal behavior. An increase in crime financially causes a loss in profit for the retail and hotels surrounding …

Las Vegas Living: Incorporating Affordable Housing In The Strip, Maria Dos Santos

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

At the time of this writing (Spring 2021), the housing market in Las Vegas is hitting all-time highs. Average home prices are higher than they were pre-housing crash of 2008, and the available housing stock is so limited that many buyers are paying tens of thousands over asking price and they are doing it with cash. All of this is happening against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality industry (travel, meetings, events, restaurant, etc.) was among the hardest hit sectors of the economy, and many workers in this largest area of the Las Vegas economy are low-income employees …

Integrated Stadia: Gambling On The Future Of The Stadium Experience, Mike Puga

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Future stadiums need to become multi-functional built environments that maximize revenue and provide connections with the community that allow them to survive. Applying integrative and forward-thinking design negates the potential for cities to face decaying venues that become detriments to the community they serve.

Memorial Parking Trees: Resilient Modular Design With Nature-Based Solutions In Vulnerable Urban Areas, Haroon Stephen, Fortino Acosta

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Nature-based solutions (NbS) include all the landscape’s ecological components that have a function in the natural or urban ecosystem. Memorial Parking Trees (MPTs) are a new variant of a nature-based solution composed of a bioswale and a street tree allocated in the road, occupying a space that is sub-utilised by parked cars. This infill green practice can maximise the use of street trees in secondary streets and have multiple benefits in our communities. Using GIS mapping and methodology can support implementation in vulnerable neighbourhoods. In this research, we based vulnerability assessments for London, Rio de Janeiro, and Los Angeles on …

Nature In The Urban Context: Renaturalisation As An Important Dimension Of Urban Resilience And Planning, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

How are our cities confronting the challenges posed by a warming climate, the loss of biodiversity and major resource depletion? ―This article discusses the opportunities and benefits of applying the concepts of renaturalisiation and rewilding of cities. It introduces Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban planning that are integrated with the aim to enhance urban resilience and to slow down the biodiversity decline, which can be applied in two areas: through the conception of new green neighbourhoods; and through the regeneration and re-greening of existing but neglected parts of the city, such as postindustrial brownfields or economically weak districts. Contact to …