Considering the Urban Design of the Las Vegas Strip

Photo by Grant Cai on Unsplash

So, let’s get a fun factoid out of the way. The Las Vegas Strip is not in Las Vegas. Uh, what?

Nope. The Las Vegas Strip is in the unincorporated community of Paradise. It’s technically a suburb.

So, with that out of the way, let’s talk about the Strip. The Strip is a 4.2 mile long stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, currently bounded on its north end by Sahara Avenue and on its south end by Russell Road. It’s the “new” Vegas, with the original downtown being on Fremont Street.

But it’s what everyone thinks of as Las Vegas. 4.2 miles of resort hotels, casinos, strippers, restaurants, and retail stores all aimed at one goal: Separating a visitor from their money.

Yet, this temple to capitalism turns out to be a fascinating exercise in urban design. I didn’t do street photography in Vegas because, well, a lot of people there are living “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” But I did a lot of observation.

The Strip as Walkable Space

First of all, every aspect of the Strip focuses on the pedestrian. Yes, you can drive down Las Vegas Boulevard. In fact, it’s pretty heavily trafficked.

But you don’t drive down the Strip. You don’t stop on the Strip and pop into a store. You can’t. The traffic…