Event Date: 15th January 2010
Speaker: Dr. Aseem Iman, MIT
Venue: Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai
This talk was a case study analysis of one of the largest and most high-profile urban design projects in the United States, City Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was inaugurated in December 2009 at a cost estimated at $11 billion. With a total development of nearly 17 million square feet over 67 acres on one of the most well-known streets in the world, the Strip in Las Vegas, City Center epitomizes innovative urban design in a number of ways: an assembly of star architects for one project, casino and hotel design at the cutting edge, impressive sustainability ambitions, and its role as an urban center. The case study reveals how the city building process in Las Vegas is highly reflective of the ways in which urban design occurs at the nexus of private profit and public policy in American cities. The talk offered insights into what role private profit and public policy played in shaping urban design projects, and concluded with possible lessons for urban design in India.