Friday, June 27, 2008
Thoughtful And Lucid Architects Attend June 25 Meeting Of AIA Las Vegas Blueprint Task Force
By Robert L. Candiotti
On June 25, I went to the AIA Las Vegas Blueprint Task Force meeting held at the School of Architecture of the University
Nevada, Las Vegas. This was the second Blueprint Task Force meeting I have been to. The first was a month ago.
The
Nevada Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has been developing its Blueprint for Nevada since 2006. In April,
2007, Nevada AIA held 24-hour town hall meetings in Reno and Las Vegas to define a vision for livable communities in Nevada.
It was a significant meeting of AIA members, citizens and government officials gathered to make recommendations for the creation
of livable environments in the state.
At Wednesday's meeting, I heard several of the AIA members give team
progress reports on their areas of focus regarding the future of Nevada - such as resources (energy and water), economic development,
education, social infrastructure and wellness, transportation and public safety.
There were about 15 people
at the meeting, mostly architects. The meeting went on enthusiastically for more than three hours.
One thing that
I noticed is these people are thoughtful, lucid and charming. Also, the interests of these architects goes far beyond "brick
and mortar" creations. Their interests include everything that involves living, feeling fulfilled and getting around.
They are interested in human needs, and the relationships between architecture and human behavior.
Among the group
- seated on chairs arranged in a circle, with late afternoon summer light pouring down into the Architecture Studies
Library - there seemed to be cordiality and sophistication.
I was able to take away with me from the
meeting a copy of Blueprint for Nevada, a 70-page (designated as "Volume 1, May 1, 2008") summary
of Nevada Chapter of the AIA's thoughts on life and livability in tomorrow's Nevada. The tome is both
impressive and informative.
I will try and go to the next Blueprint Task Force meeting in
July.
5:54 pm pdt
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Taking The Toll Road To Ivanpah Valley Airport In 2018
By Robert L. Candiotti
Las Vegas...June 21, 2018...
Ivanpah Valley Airport has been open for two months. Designated
as primarily an airport for international and long-haul domestic flights, it has immediately enhanced the global stature of
Las Vegas.
For the past few years, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have basked in the sunlight of international vacationing.
Travelers who are tuned in to the opportunities to see and be seen with people from every continent, and with every appearance,
have been flocking to the Middle East. Even without gambling, the Middle East has become an In Spot.
Plus,
the peace between Israel and its neighbors that has apparently strengthened since 2015 is allowing foreigners to
fly to the Middle East with confidence, calm and clear conscience.
But now, with the ability of the most modern
aircraft being able to fly trans-oceanic to the world's newest and "greenest" international airport next to
one of the world's most exciting cities, Las Vegas is definitely on the map of places to be in 2018. Even the trains that
now take people quickly from Ivanpah to McCarran and then glide into town are getting good reviews. It is appearing
to more and more people that Las Vegas now has an actual "transportation system."
As for me, I have to
catch a Singapore Airlines A380 bound for Singapore, and then board a connection to Kathmandu, Nepal, for a meeting of
worldwide airport dilettantes. My flight on the A380 - which holds about 550 passengers - is sold out.
I pull
out of my condo complex at The Lakes. Of course, I'm late. I have to be at the check-in counter two hours
before departure or my seat may be given to someone on the wait list. It's 6 p.m., my flight leaves at 9. When
I hit the I-15 on the south side of Las Vegas - to drive to Ivanpah about 30 miles away - am I going to take
a regular lane or pay about $15.00 to get on a toll lane?
I turn on the Ivanpah traffic radio station..."Free
lanes are running 50 minutes to Ivanpah...Weekend congestion is already building up...The toll lane will take you about 25...Clear
sailing all the way..."
Not a hard decision. I decide to get on the toll road to assure I'll make
the flight. I can handle the $15.00. As I drive under the sensor, my electronic pass is zapped and the fee is instantly
charged to a credit card. It feels good to keep rolling and not have to even slow down.
I remember back in 2009
when the Nevada Legislature voted on allowing the establishment of toll roads in the state. It was an intense and controversial
issue. The vote revolved around a pilot project toll road in Las Vegas.
The Nevada Department of Transportation
emphasized repeatedly that the introduction of toll roads will allow motorists "options" and will give them "reliable
trip time" in order to plan their drives. NDOT pushed for the 19-mile demonstration toll road.
On the other
side, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association stressed that states are yielding control of America's roadways
to foreign companies that are leasing the toll roads, and that substantial diversion of highway fund money in the
U.S. will become even greater if private roadways are created. Plus, the organization said truckers and private motorists
are spending plenty already in taxes, so why should there be toll roads?
2009 seems long ago now. Back then,
Ivanpah was flat, uninspiring desert. The issue was in the news and in peoples' conversations. It was controversial.
The vote was close, but the Legislature voted to legalize toll collection, and the pilot project worked out fine.
Today, here's an architecturally stunning, smoothly operating "supplemental" international airport - running
almost entirely with renewable energy.
The toll companies are making a profit, as is Goldman Sachs, and
the motorists are enjoying "reliable trip time." Still, the issue of toll roads remains widely discussed, sometimes
passionately.
6:29 am pdt
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Las Vegas Needs To Remain Exciting And Accessible - And Inventive, As Well
By Robert L. Candiotti
In the Las Vegas Sun, on June 16, I read a letter to the editor from a gentleman named Mike Cipra would called
the proposed Ivanpah Airport "unnecessary." I wondered how a new airport - situated in one of the fasting
growing and vibrant areas of the U.S. - not scheduled to open until 2018 can be dismissed so easily and simply.
Mr. Cipra referred to a June 9 article in the Sun, "Ivanpah planning forges ahead," that I,
too, had read. Our interpretations of that story contrast sharply.
One thing that stood out for me in the June
9 article is the quote by Randy Walker, director of Clark County's Department of Aviation, that if demand for Ivanpah
Airport does not warrant construction then "we do not want to build it." Walker adds that "we're still
not going to sit on our hands for the next three to four years. We're going to continue planning."
To
me, this perspective and approach make sense.
In actual fact, there have only been two new international airports
built in the U.S. in the past 40 years - Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver International. Construction of a new international airport
is a very rare and inevitably controversial thing. No doubt, approval, design and creation of a huge airport involves big
changes and almost epic challenges.
Ivanpah Valley Airport is currently undergoing the required environmental
impact statement process - overseen by the FAA and BLM - which will not be completed until 2010 or 2011. Right now, Ivanpah
is not scheduled to open for business until at least 2018. Ten years away.
So, to me, Cipra's description of
Ivanpah Airport as "unnecessary" is self-serving and light on understanding of the intricate and deliberate
sequence of events that lead just to approval of the "supplemental" international airport. And current opinions
of Ivanpah are far more thoughtful, responsible and divergent than Mr. Cipra would want readers to believe.
In
a few weeks, I will be living in Southern Nevada for 10 years. Here is what I have concluded is needed for Las Vegas to remain
successful: Las Vegas has to stay exciting and easily accessible. (Am I a genius for figuring this out, or what?). A well-designed
and well-defined second international airport could offer both. Plus, I anticipate it will be needed.
I could write
a whole letter about the double-deck Airbus A380 - which is already flying on international routes between Asia, Europe and
Australia - and how it is going to change long-haul aviation. The A380 is actually proving to be more fuel efficient
per passenger than the 747-400. This news is getting the attention of every long-haul airline in the world. To keep it short
for now, I will just say my current view is Las Vegas will probably need a landing strip for these huge planes that require
longer and wider runways and special ramp facilities.
Anyhow, I have confidence in the formal process toward
approval or rejection of Ivanpah Valley Airport. For a project like this, a 10 year plan is reasonable. It cannot be
rejected by simply calling it unnecessary.
Note: A version of this piece appeared as a
letter to the editor in the Las Vegas Sun on June 17, 2008.
7:20 am pdt
Friday, June 13, 2008
Las Vegas - Who Wants To Fly Here May Not Be Able To Land Here In Future
By Robert L. Candiotti
In a few weeks, I will be living in Las Vegas for 10 years. I moved to Las Vegas in July, 1998. Las Vegas is a tough
nut to crack, but I have warmed up to the place, and - I like to think - vice versa.
In the past few years, I have
focused on a few areas of interest regarding regional developments. One of my interests is the future of air transportation
in Southern Nevada. Things are good right now, but the future speaks of formidable challenges. Roughly ten years from today,
the proposed new international airport - Ivanpah Valley Airport - is projected to be completed and operating in the flat desert
between Jean and Primm.
Over countless hours, I have read pretty much everything available about the rationale
for, and arguments against, this proposed airport. I regularly review what I have read, and I always come to this conclusion:
Ivanpah Valley Airport is needed and is inevitable.
Just in the past few weeks I have seen information that once
again supports my conclusion. I have read about the obvious need for expanded airport capacity to help bring tourists to the
42,000 new hotel rooms planned for Las Vegas. Also, it has been publicized that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
has a goal that foreign visitation to Southern Nevada be 18 per cent of all travelers by 2020 (today it is 12 per cent, by
comparison).
Nothing I have read disputes the fact that efficient and highly-rated McCarran International Airport
will reach its ultimate ability to expand by 2015, at the latest. Then what? Is Las Vegas going to fall back from the forefront
as a city with accessible and modern airport infrastructure? Will Las Vegas be unable to accommodate the world's most
advanced long distance aircraft?
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, huge, four-engine airliner that can carry 500-800
passengers 8,000 miles nonstop. It can cruise at Mach 0.85. Does this sound like an airplane of the future? Well, it is already
flying. The A380 is being operated right now between Singapore and Sydney, Tokyo and London, as well as between Melbourne
and Los Angeles. Already about 200 of these planes have been ordered from Airbus.
By the time Ivanpah Valley Airport
opens, hundreds of these planes will be flying in the world. They require - because of the size of the planes - longer and
wider runways and special gate facilities. From what I have read, Ivanpah will be needed to provide proper infrastructure
for the A380s.
Can Las Vegas really expect to be part of the global aviation expansion without Ivanpah? There are
now, every single day, 80,000 airplane flights in the world. Aviation is not going to disappear. World aviation markets -
especially India, China and the Middle East - will be expanding. There will be the demand for A380s from other continents
to land here. Ten years from now, can Las Vegas be comfortably visited by international travelers without the existence of
Ivanpah, the "supplemental" international airport?
The Ivanpah Airport project is currently undergoing
the required Environmental Impact Statement process that is expected to conclude in 2010 or 2011. If Ivanpah gets approval
for construction, the creation of one of the world's "greenest," most exciting, technologically advanced, widely-discussed
airports in the world should attract some of the most competent and visionary developers around.
I continue to
take a stand in favor of Ivanpah Valley Airport. In my view, it will need to be built for Southern Nevada to remain in the
top tier of global aviation destinations.
6:58 am pdt
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Las Vegas Without Ivanpah Airport Forecasts "An Aggressively Draconian View Of The World"
By Robert L. Candiotti
As a humble scholar of the proposed Southern Nevada international airport called Ivanpah Valley Airport, I was interested
when I saw the front page, above-the-fold, headline in the June 9 Las Vegas Sun, "Ivanpah planning forges ahead."
The piece is written by Joe Schoenmann.
Ivanpah has its supporters and its skeptics. Because I have been reading
about Ivanpah Valley Airport for more than a year, I feel my view is valid due to vast amounts of information I have consumed.
Of interest to me in the Sun story, nowhere in the article is it mentioned that Ivanpah is supposed to be
primarily an international airport, handling large, long-haul aircraft - both passenger and freight.
I believe
if, in 10 years when Ivanpah is projected to be ready, demand in the region for international air transportation has not expanded
significantly, Las Vegas will have clearly slipped from being one of the most fascinating destinations and vibrant cities
in the world.
Also, if people are not familiar with the proposed site of Ivanpah - between Jean and Primm
near the California border - they do not understand there is a large and growing population area just to the south in San
Bernardino County, California, that would use Ivanpah if it becomes available. Ivanpah would alter the air transportation
choices of people who live between Los Angeles International Airport and Ivanpah Valley Airport. People to the south will
not need to get near dense Las Vegas to use Ivanpah.
I agree with the statement in the article by gaming analyst
Bill Lerner of Deutsche Bank who acknowleges there are current issues of economic weakness, but says if "these
issues are going to preclude Ivanpah from being relevant 11 years from now, I would say that's an aggressively draconian
view of the world."
That makes sense to me. If there is no long-term future for Ivanpah, then one has to wonder
what will be going on in Southern Nevada 11 years from now.
7:18 am pdt
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Huge Airbus A380 Reportedly Burns Less Fuel Per Passenger Than 747-400
By Robert L. Candiotti
The Airbus A380 aircraft, which began commercial service on October 25, 2007, on a Singapore Airlines route between
Singapore and Sydney, Australia, is apparently doing surprisingly well with fuel efficiency.
Wikipedia's"Airbus A380" article says two months after Singapore Airlines began operating the A380, the company's
CEO, Chew Choon Seng, "said that the A380 was performing better than both the airline and Airbus had anticipated, burning
20% less fuel per passenger than the airline's existing 747-400 fleet."
The A380 is a huge, double-deck,
wide-body, four-engine jet that can fly very long distances from point to point. A few are already flying. Almost
200 of the planes have been ordered by various airline companies from Airbus. These will be delivered for years to come.
The surprising fuel efficiency of the new Airbus models will allow airline customers to breathe a little easier about
purchasing the expensive new airplanes. The fact that the A380 can burn significantly less fuel per passenger than the 747-400 reflects
well upon the future of the A380.
6:18 am pdt
Friday, June 6, 2008
Abu Dhabi Positioning Itself For Leadership In The Post-Petroleum World
By Robert L. Candiotti
I have read something that I find interesting and revealing.
A company named Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co.
has said it will build from the ground up a city of 50,000 that will have zero carbon output. The company says the little
city will be powered solely by renewable energy.
What is especially interesting to me is that Abu Dhabi is said
to have 10 per cent of the world's oil reserves. So, why is Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. so committed to creating a
town of 50,000 that will be entirely free of fossil fuels?
The CEO of the company, Sultan Al Jaber, is quoted
as saying, "There are two reasons. Number one, because we can. Number two, because we should. And because this is a logical
step and a natural extension for our involvement in the energy markets."
What this reveals to me is Abu Dhabi
considers itself to be in the energy business, not just the oil business, and it has the vision to be positioned in the broader
energy business after oil diminishes in importance.
According to a story that was on National Public Radio last
month, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an architectural firm based in London, Foster and Partners, has signed
on to help build the town in Abu Dhabi called Masdar City.
Abu Dhabi seems to understand now is a time -
even with petroleum profits soaring - to be very nimble and forward-looking. They sense now is the time to prepare for
leadership in the post-petroleum world.
This should be noted, I think, by those who are presently the authorities
of energy production in Nevada.
6:29 pm pdt
