In Las Vegas, the concept of awarding significant cash prizes for innovative and effective economic development solutions makes sense. The city recently launched its Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Challenge to do just that: tap the global design, architecture, land planning, and economic development community for the best economic development ideas.
Federally funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, SC2 is an international prize competition awarded in 2012 to three U.S. cities: Las Vegas; Greensboro, N.C.; and Hartford, Conn.
In Las Vegas, the competition can award up to $900,000 in prizes for transformational economic development plans to help revitalize four targeted areas within the city: Cashman Center, the Las Vegas Medical District, business parks and existing Redevelopment projects.
"Participating in the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Challenge is exciting for our city,” said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “Las Vegas is known for its big, larger-than-life personality, so seeking big, out-of-the-box ideas is right in sync with our culture. We consider it a privilege to tap into the best and brightest minds globally and look forward to receiving some exciting, dynamic and innovative plans that will help specific areas of our city thrive and grow.”
The city is reaching far and wide to solicit the most qualified multidisciplinary teams in the fields of land planning, urban design, and other related fields to participate in this SC2 Challenge. The list of potential candidates includes leading professional firms as well as student teams from universities locally, regionally, and globally.
Winning plans must match Las Vegas’s needs, offer a feasible roadmap toward implementation, and represent innovative perspectives on economic development. The competition is divided into two phases.
During phase one, multidisciplinary teams submit economic vision proposals to the city for one of the four target areas. The top three proposals, as scored by members of an independent evaluation panel, will be submitted to the Las Vegas City Council to approve the receipt of cash prizes of $60,000 (1st place), $30,000 (2nd place), and $10,000 (3rd place), respectively. They and any other selected finalists will advance to phase two.
In phase two, finalists’ ideas will be expanded into comprehensive economic development plans for formal presentation and review by an esteemed panel of independent judges. Winners may receive cash prizes totaling up to $800,000 with a grand prize of $500,000.
Deadline to register for the Las Vegas SC2 Challenge is July 24. Phase one winners will be announced in November 2014, and phase two winners will be selected in May 2015.
Related Stories
| May 28, 2014
B.R. Fries completes medical center focused on male health
Occupying the building’s entire second floor, the male-centric center is honeycombed with examination and consultation rooms, as well as areas for noninvasive testing.
| May 28, 2014
Moshe Safdie's twin residential towers in Singapore will be connected by 'sky pool' 38 stories in the air [slideshow]
Moshe Safdie's latest project, a pair of 38-story luxury residential towers in Singapore, will be linked by three "sky garden" bridges, including a rooftop-level bridge with a lap pool running the length between the two structures.
| May 27, 2014
Supergreen Venter lab displayed in new walk-through video
ZGF Architects' La Jolla building for genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter and his nonprofit research organization aims to be the first net-zero energy, carbon-neutral biological lab.
| May 27, 2014
America's oldest federal public housing development gets a facelift
First opened in 1940, South Boston's Old Colony housing project had become a symbol of poor housing conditions. Now the revamped neighborhood serves as a national model for sustainable, affordable multifamily design.
| May 27, 2014
One World Trade Center cuts rents due to sluggish activity
Sluggish economy and lackluster leasing force developer The Durst Organization and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce asking rents by nearly 10% to $69/sf.
| May 27, 2014
Fire Rated Glass contributes to open lab environment at JSNN
Openness and transparency were high priorities in the design of the Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering within the Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro, N.C. Because the facility’s nanobioelectronics clean room houses potentially explosive materials, it needed to be able to contain flames, heat, and smoke in the event of a fire. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
What are your services worth?
The price, cost, and value of design services are explored in a recent Design Intelligence article authored by Scott Simpson, a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council. Value, he explains, represents the difference between “price” and “cost.” SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
Contractors survey reveals improving construction market
The construction industry is on the road to recovery, according to a new survey by Metal Construction News. Most metrics improved from the previous year’s survey, including a 19.4% increase in the average annual gross contracting sales volume. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
How to develop a dynamic referral system
Compelling your clients to provide you with quality referrals is one of the best ways to build a successful business. Here are ways to ‘train’ your clients to make quality referrals. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | May 27, 2014
Grim Hall opens the door to fire safety with fire-rated ceramic glass
For the renovation of Lincoln University’s Grim Hall life sciences building into a state-of-the-art computer facility, Tevebaugh Associates worked to provide students and faculty with improved life safety protection. Updating the 1925-era facility's fire-rated doors was an important component of the project.
