CityCenter In Las Vegas Makes A Big Bet On Public Art And Urban Design

Sorry, yet another post not directly about the arts in Pittsburgh which does however touch on both art and urban design.



Las Vegas has some real problems, but developers are still placing bets that Vegas can transcend gambling or destination tourism and attract wealthy people interested in an "urban lifestyle".

This doesn't exactly look like something Jane Jacobs would recognize or support, but it's also dramatically different from the totally car centric Vegas of the 60's.

"The $8.5 billion hotel/living/dining/entertainment/shopping destination is billed as the largest privately funded construction project in the USA and is considered Vegas' big gamble. Its lack of emphasis on gaming (only Aria has a casino), edgy style and city-within-a-city layout are "the next step in the evolution of Vegas," says CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin– unlike anything yet seen in the USA's adult Disneyland."

Time will tell how this plays out. As you can see from the video, Art plays a big role in this project.

Read the USA Today article here.

Update: Key CityCenter Investor Dubai World asks for a debt moratorium.

"Dubai World, one of the emirate's main state holding companies, said it was asking for a delay on maturities until at least May 30. It has $60bn (£35.9bn) in declared liabilities and one of its subsidiaries, the "palm island" developer Nakheel, is due a $3.52bn Islamic bond repayment, plus charges, on December 14."