On the American Frontier: Las Vegas Public Capital Report

This report explores how Las Vegans think about themselves, their relationship to one another, and the future of their community. It is about the challenges of connecting people and strengthening community in the face of isolation, growth, individualism and fragmentation.

From About This Report
"In 2003, the Omidyar Network set out to gain a deeper understanding of this community. It asked The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to talk with people to learn how they see themselves, their relationship to one another, and the future of their community. Through this work, the Omidyar Network can better explore its own role in the community and hopes that people can more fully discover their own power to make good things happen.

Tapping People's Knowledge
Over 8 months spanning 2003 and 2004, The Harwood Institute engaged a cross-section of citizens, business people, public officials, community leaders, and others in extensive conversations about Las Vegas. Fifteen community conversations and 75 in-depth interviews, encompassing a total of more than 275 people, were conducted throughout LAs Vegas and Clark County. Here is the methodology we used:

• Neighborhood Community Conversations
  First, we talked with a representative cross-section of residents from individual neighborhoods in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County. These conversations, each one consisting of approximately 12 peoiple and lasting for 3 hours, provided important insights on how people view their neighborhoods, their hopes and concerns for Las Vegas, and how they might engage in the life of the community.
• Community-Wide Conversations
  Next we held three community-wide discussion groups that brought together cross-sections of people from the 12 neighborhood conversations. Each of the conversations consisted of 15 people and lasted for 3 hours. The purpose of these discussions was to allow people to move beyond their initial starting points and to talk with people from different parts of the community about how the community as a whole could move forward.
• Civic and Connective Leader Interviews
  We conducted 75 in-depth interviews with Las Vegas civic leaders (from grassroots leaders to elected officials) and connective leaders (those engaged in a broad range of community activities who act as links among various groups, organisations, and people) to learn more about the nature of Las Vegas public life - including, for example, what kinds of networks, connections, and relationships exists in Las Vegas; how and where people learn about, discuss, and act on issues of concern; and what it takes for people to work together on community challenges.
• Managing Public Capital
  Finally, we convened a group of 15 citizens and leaders who participated in the earlier research to test whether the stories and insights we had captured rang true to them and to help fill any gaps in what we had learned."

This report is divided into 3 sections. In section one, people in Las Vegas describe their community and express their hopes and concerns about Las Vegas and its future. Section two looks at public life in Las Vegas, using the public capital framework that The Harwood Institute has developed from its work in communities across America. The final section examines principles for how communities such as Las Vegas can think about moving their community forward.

For your copy of On the American Frontier, contact Abby Smith at the contact details below.