Las Vegas is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Thanks to the vision of Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, a whole new wave of community development & interest is piquing, especially in the downtown districts otherwise known as 18b or The Arts District and Fremont East. As someone who has a community development/college leadership background, this is exactly the type of revival that I was looking for when I moved here last August. Everything kind of fell into place. I enjoyed the tight-knit campus community that I experience for my 3 1/2 years in college. I participated a lot- serving on multiple committees, working for a variety of organizations, founding a magazine, working as an RA, going to campus events practically daily, and of course taking classes. I immersed myself in it. And then I got an internship that changed my life, which happened to be in the bustling commercial/residential district right next door that was once awarded one of the top 10 neighborhoods to live in! It was a brilliant experience.
Anyway, this time in my life felt exciting because I was so connected to the community. I had an active role in it and I was part of the decision-making process for certain events, changes, and improvements that the community would face. And that made me elated!
So, back to Las Vegas. The same type of community vibe is slowly but surely emerging here as an alternative to the sprawl of Las Vegas suburbs. It's only in it's infancy (literally- the #VegasTech movement just yesterday celebrated it's 1st birthday!), but shows serious promise for reawakening a group of passionate people who want to better the city in their own unique way. I'm loving it. Anyways there are a few important organizations/links I'd like to share for anyone who is interested in learning more about the project. I'll try not to include press here because it's exhaustive- you'll have to do a quick google search to read up on all the amazing positive press we've received. Anyway here goes!
Anyway, this time in my life felt exciting because I was so connected to the community. I had an active role in it and I was part of the decision-making process for certain events, changes, and improvements that the community would face. And that made me elated!
So, back to Las Vegas. The same type of community vibe is slowly but surely emerging here as an alternative to the sprawl of Las Vegas suburbs. It's only in it's infancy (literally- the #VegasTech movement just yesterday celebrated it's 1st birthday!), but shows serious promise for reawakening a group of passionate people who want to better the city in their own unique way. I'm loving it. Anyways there are a few important organizations/links I'd like to share for anyone who is interested in learning more about the project. I'll try not to include press here because it's exhaustive- you'll have to do a quick google search to read up on all the amazing positive press we've received. Anyway here goes!
- Greener Blocks...aka #BAGB; Making downtown more sustainable one block at a time
- Downtown Project; Tony Hsieh's hub for spreading the movement
- Ayloo.net; A local startup connecting passionate people & timely projects
- Downtown3rd; A once-weekly farmers market embracing local farmers & produce
- Springs Preserve; an amazing nature preserve that promotes science, nature, learning & sustainability
- /usr/lib; A tech library & meeting place for #VegasTech and community minded individuals
- The Beat; offers coffee, beer, wine, food, vinyl & a casual meeting spot for locals
So those are the most mainstream organizations & ideas floating around downtown right now. Their span and influence is only going to increase as more and more people start getting empowered by the message. I highly suggest taking a look at any one of these to see how each branch is working together to weave together a common culture in the city.
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