Elsewhere: Hope in the Desert

Demographers name Las Vegas as the fastest growing city in the US. It is no wonder: by 2010 the population of Las Vegas will be 3 million people already. In the opinion of Edward Makmagon, a senior adviser for residential real estate of Urban Land Institute, global warming can cause droughts in certain areas of the globe: in the Near East, in north Africa, in the south of Australia and, finally, in the southwest of the US. Natural catastrophes promise to become large scale. For example, the senior researcher of the Lamont Doherty observatory at Colombia university Richard Siger approves: "More than 19 various computer models simultaneously predict that by 2050 the southwest of the US will be swept by periodic strong droughts and sand storms, on a similar scale to those observed in the 1930s. If these predictions come true, Las Vegas will not be envied. The Colorado River which provides a significant share of the water to the city, has already practically dried up. Stocks of water in lakes Honey and Powell have reached a historical minimum. Since 1998 the water level in lake Honey has decreased by 27 m, from 371 m to 344 m.

However, the shortage of water is not the only radical problem the city faces. It also, catastrophically, does not have land - expansion of the territory is limited with such "obstacles" as natural National parks, hills, American Indian reserves and military bases. This primarily affects the cost of habitation. Developers who 15 years ago paid less than $98,800 per hectare for land, today are compelled to pay $741,000 per hectares, i.e. 7.5 times more.

To survive in conditions of growing prices for gasoline and decreasing stocks of water, Las Vegas is forced to become a national model of green construction - economic and energy saving technologies. A demonstrative example of the measured approach to ecology is the new multipurpose class A Molasky Corporate Center office and shopping complex - a 17-storey building measuring 24,600 sq.m. The building has become one of 150 nominees for a gold LEED certificate (U.S. Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The complex was symbolically constructed near the Union Pacific railway depot the place where Las Vegas actually began. Today the tenants of Molasky Corporate Center serve numerous employees and visitors located in the neighborhood with a shopping/outlet complex (Las Vegas Premium Outlets), a world marketing center focused on the furniture industry and the design of interiors (World Market Center), the Ruvo Brain Institute and new residential skyscrapers.

"The transition to new economic technologies will allow the city to replace its unflattering label as "the devourer of water and energy" with the reputation of a city responsible for the growth and preservation of the environment," says Richard Worthington, president of Molasky Group. Of course, observing the principles of green construction increases the cost of a building by 7-10 per cent. However in several years these super charges will be paid back due to the lowered consumption of energy and water in the building.

A county and its worries

Clark County covers an area of approximately 20,000 sq.km, and is divided into 11 planning sites: northeast, northwest, etc. The population of the county is almost 2 million people.

The largest territorial formation in the state of Nevada is Unincorporated Clark County the structure of which includes such world famous zones as the Las Vegas Strip, the Convention Center, McCarran international airport and the Ivanpah airport currently under construction.

Clark County is a positive example of the cooperation of representatives of the state and the public concerning land tenure. The responsibility for planning the use of land lies with the department of comprehensive planning, and also a public organization – a council of commission agents of the county (Board of County Commissioners, BCC). The council includes seven members, which are chosen from the corresponding geographical regions for a period of four years. The council sits twice a month. In turn, at a territorial level, 19 city councils sit once a month and make suggestions to the BCC.

The department of future planning formed in 1978, includes 86 people (approximately half of which are technical experts). The department carries out planning on over 2,000 land plots at district and regional levels. Plans are accepted every five years, but can be updated annually.

The purpose of each site under construction is repeatedly discussed and can be challenged at various stages. However in most cases the main arguments in favor of this or that decision are the need for an area and an objective reality. So, for example, within the limits of planning the Winchester/Paradise zones more than 34 per cent of land (7,052 acres) will be used for the construction of individual houses, while only 9 per cent (1,912 acres) will be used for apartment buildings. Public zones will occupy 21 per cent (4,270 acres) of the total land. The decision to place emphasis on the development of housing construction in this planning zone was not made casually – in the period from 1990-2004 the population in this area increased from 168,719 to 226,883 people. Mayor of the city Oscar Goodman by right is proud of the Clear Skies project, according to which all wires, which today hang in the air, should be hidden under ground. The city obtains funds for updating and developing infrastructure from tax revenues which in the last three years have more than doubled. This has allowed the city agency of development to build new micro districts, including private ones. One of the central places in the city will be occupied by the Union Park project - a combination of low level, mixed and high-altitude buildings in a 25-hectare territory. The territory will be broken into separate functional areas: a medical area, the center of which will be the Neurology Institute, which will be built under a project by architect Frank Gehry, a park area, hotels, restaurants, office complexes and a casino. Construction in the whole area of Union Park will measure 873,000 sq.m.

The introduction of energy saving technologies positively affects and reduces the volume of consumed water. According to the agency of water resources of Southern Nevada, from 2002 to 2006 the consumption of water annually decreased by 18 billion gallons. This being while the population of the area has increased roughly by 330,000 people and annually attracts up to 40 million tourists.

According to the head of the department of development of Clark county Ronald Lynn, the solution to the problem of saving water resources was promoted to no small degree also by accepting the International Code of Conservation Water. Lynn emphasizes that in Las Vegas, where a significant share of water is used for external purposes (for example, in a casino), it was especially important. The introduction of moderate payment for the consumption of water and installation of additional cleaning constructions also promoted a reduction in water charges. "Many apartment buildings are equipped with greywater systems, allowing to cyclically clean water within the building, which also saves the consumption of water," notes Lynn.

The effective use of water in a considerable measure was also promoted by the realization of the "Manhattenization" concept of Las Vegas, that is a plan for the construction of many high-altitude condominiums in the city. At the same time the mortgage crisis does not allow the large scale plans of builders to be realized. Construction of some condominiums is frozen or has been completely postponed until better times. Along with California and Florida, Nevada is one of the three states that has been affected by the mortgage crisis to a large degree.

We vote for land

The city plan for land tenure was approved by the Clark county department of planning in August 2005.

Separate plans for each type of infrastructure in the city also exist. For example, the general plan of parks and zones of rest provides for the development of a green zone by 2020. According to this document all parks in Nevada are subdivided into mini-parks (area up to 5 acres), quarter parks (area of 5-25 acres), district parks (area of 26-160 acres), regional parks (area over 160 acres) and parks of special purpose (various size). The total area of parks in the state is 277 acres. The largest park is Sunset Eastern, which measures 185 acres. The park includes a fitness center, a golf course, volleyball and basketball courts, a swimming pool, tennis courts, walking paths.

Generally, the case for defining the purpose of a land plot starts by considering a precedent, which specifies a similar successful use of land. Then a conclusion about the purpose and value of the land is made.

"During the time when the question on the purpose of the land plot is considered, the population can take active participation in the discussion of this question,” says Rod Allison, deputy director of Clark county department of planning. “The process of approval takes two months and is also used for private land owners."

The stage “first open house” includes getting to know all the owners of the land. During the realization of a large project it is necessary to consider a significant number of people. A revised plan becomes the concept. Acceptance of the concept is marked by the formation of a working group (includes 21 people). Justifying its name, the group sits for four-hour sessions in a period of three days. During these sessions the group is divided into subgroups of seven people, with a speaker in each. On the first day the whole group studies the question of the purpose of the land. On the second day the subgroups work with maps, and as a result there will be three variants of the plan. If they come up with no ideas, their designers can appeal to the city council.

After the concept comes the preliminary project, and work with a group of technical advisers begins. At this stage, reception of all approvals is planned. Incidentally, the situation concerning obtaining approvals is very good in Las Vegas. "Since 1997 the price for approvals has not risen,” Lynn testifies. “There is no special work in observing the main regulations to receive permission. The accepted height for individual houses is 7.6 m, and for multi-apartment buildings is 15.2-30.4 m. Special restrictions are also imposed with affinity to the airport. A tower under construction in 1992 should become the tallest building at 244 m with 110 floors. The FAA has repeatedly studied the plan and has come to the conclusion that the height of the building should be almost 4 times lower at 60 m."

After obtaining approval comes the “second open house” stage at which a public court assess the preliminary plan of the territory. The plan then becomes linked to zoning and to the town planning code. The whole process takes 10-12 months.

Sometimes suggestions are transferred straight away from the city council to the planning commission (includes 24 members). The department of planning sits once a month on questions of the power commission, etc. The department includes representatives of the university, and other authority structures, including the local city council. Various issues are on the agenda. The most effective way of solving actual problems for the county are quite often discussed. "For example, one major problem is the noise level from the airport. This should be lowered to a level of 60 decibels or lower by using more modern materials,” notes Allison.