Most of the outside world views  Las Vegas as the capital of bright lights and night time excitement. Casinos and cabarets, cavorting and chorus lines grab the majority of the consumer’s attention. But there is something else thriving underneath the shiny surface of the city.

The Downtown Project is adding a new vibrancy to the city in unexpected ways. A consortium of investors has raised $350 million to invest in the inner core of the city. The Project is bringing new vitality to the community by pairing up with the arts, small businesses and tech start ups. With substantial investments in these areas, along with real estate, the Downtown Project aims to enable the community in kick starting itself into a sustainable economy.

Other notable revitalization efforts include The Smith Center for the performing arts and  Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

While most urban renewal efforts are focused on the crumbled decay of former times, the Project is taking a different approach. With all of the open space in the center of the city, there is no need to tear down the old and renovate. Instead, the Project is re-purposing shipping containers to bring retail and office space to unused land. The goal is to create ground level gathering places dense in the arts, restaurants, retail and business establishments.

The core of the Project is creating communities of passion. By focusing on people more than real estate, they strive to create physical spaces that reflect the community’s values. By combining a residential density of 100 people per acre with gathering places for food and entertainment strategically located amidst interesting businesses their goal is to increase both economic output and and communal happiness.

Creativity is key in any community. The Project provides spaces where creatively inclined people from many different areas can connect cooperatively to empower each other in new ways. The arts and music blend together with tech startups and the fashion industry along with retail and restaurants to bring a new synergism to the entire city. And at the core of all of this are the people involved in each of these endeavourers.

Education is another key factor in developing a community. Investing in both public and private education programs ensures that future generations are up to the challenge of continuing the creative process. A good education system is crucial to encouraging families to both move to and to stay in any community. The Project is proud to make this investment. And it is our pleasure to encourage them in any way we can. Be sure to stay tuned to our Las Vegas Review  Section for updates as they happen with live news feeds for each and every property and a best price guarantee on every room.

With a goal of assisting 100-200 new entrepreneurs, The Downtown Project offers new businesses specific mentoring services and financial assistance to help them meet their goals and the goals of the community as a whole while avoiding basic mistakes common to new businesses everywhere. They are looking for individuals with the passion to dream and the willingness to do it.

No urban communal concept is complete without attention to the environment and space surrounding it. Beyond roof top gardens and parks, there is also the issue of connectivity. That not only means creating enclaves of creativity where ideas can collide and combine, it also incorporates environmentally sustainable means of transportation to get the people to the places they need to be within the community.

At the time of this writing the Downtown Project has enabled the creation of over 400 new jobs. We wish them the best in this project, they are off to a great start!