ROBERT LANG, PH.D. | PROFESSOR & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BROOKINGS MOUNTAIN WEST | THE LINCY INSTITUTE

GREENSPUN COLLEGE | UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS

Understanding the Middle Class in Las Vegas:Density, Diversity, and Demographics

Who Am I?—A College Professor

Executive Director of Brookings Mountain West & The Lincy Institute

Urban/Public Affairs Professor at UNLV’s Greenspun College

Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC

What’s in This Talk? I Look at the Urban Make Up of Metropolitan Las Vegas—Its People and Places as Tied to the Middle Class

I End With an Invitation for UNLV Faculty to Partner With Brookings on the Middle Class Project

Brookings U.S. Megapolitan Clusters

Reid Ewing’s Compactness IndexMeasures Four Key Components: • Density (6 Elements)• Mixed Use (3 Elements)• Street Accessibility (2 Elements)• Centering (3 Elements)

Las Vegas Has Higher Density, More Mixed Uses, and Centering Than the Average U.S. MetroEwing Univ. of Utah

Ewing’s Compactness Index Scores

Metropolitan Area Variation from 100

Atlanta -59%

Denver +7%

Houston -23%

Las Vegas +21%

Phoenix -22%

Salt Lake City +7%

Density Scores for Selected U.S. Metros: West vs. South

So Why Does Density Matter?Because Compactness = More Economic Productivity and Jobs

Chris Nelson at the U of Arizona Estimates That a 10% Increase in Compactness = a 1% Increase in Regional GDP.

In Las Vegas That Translates to About $2 Billion in GDP Output Nelson Univ. of AZ

Frey: U.S. 2060 Population Diversity

Frey: A Diversity Explosion by 2045

Teixeira: Diversity Explosion By State

Las Vegas Today = America 2060 Las Vegas is Already Adding to the U.S. Diversity Explosion—It’s a Microcosm of the Nation’s Diversity

UNLV’s Diversity Reflects Las Vegas and Makes it the Most Diverse National University According to USN&WR

UVA Racial

Dot Maps –

Midwest

Chicago

Source: Williams and Emamdjomeh (2018, May 10). America is more diverse than ever – but still segregated. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/segregation-us-cities/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f701b84e3887

UVA Racial Dot Maps -East

Washington, D.C.

Source: Williams and Emamdjomeh (2018, May 10). America is more diverse than ever – but still segregated. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/segregation-us-cities/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f701b84e3887

UVA Racial Dot Maps –Mountain West

Las Vegas

Source: Williams and Emamdjomeh (2018, May 10). America is more diverse than ever – but still segregated. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/segregation-us-cities/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f701b84e3887

Reasons for the Contrast LV-MidwestLas Vegas Was Mostly Built After 1968 Fair Housing Act—Results in More Local Diversity

The LV-Style of Master Planned Communities Mixes Income, Land Use, and Housing Types

Oasis Sierra Apartments

So Why Does This Matter for Class?HUD HOPE VI Project Was Designed to Mix Incomes and Land Uses

The Idea is that It Helps Lift People to the Middle Class by a Network Neighborhood Effect

What Can We Conclude

qLas Vegas is Densely Built and its Urban Form Promotes Economic Output

qLas Vegas is Diverse, and is Mixed by Income and Race at the Neighborhood Scale

qLas Vegas Density and Diversity are Related and Due in Part to Local Development Practices

UNLV Partnering Opportunities

qWe Invite the UNLV Faculty in the Greenspun College to Work With Brookings on the Project

qResearch Topics Include Health, Education (K-12 and Higher Ed.), Housing, Social Capital, Transportation Equity, and Workforce

qUNLV Faculty Input on Spatial Analysis Such as Mapping the Middle Class

Next a Discussion on Social Capital

Thank You