N e i g h b o r h o o d     A n a l y s i s

The UNLV campus is located within a well-defined pattern of urban sprawl that consists of a mix of commercial, service, and residential land uses.  The "strip-type" land use patterns do not provide a notable nor distinguishable neighborhood image for the campus to nestle within.  As a result, the campus must fight to establish an appropriate image that sets itself apart from the non-descript adjacent land uses and announces an appropriate arrival.

• The campus is surrounded by a "moat" of roadways that deter optimal campus/community interaction.  All of the surrounding streets are classified as principal and minor arterials by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, carrying substantial vehicular traffic volumes, especially in the east and west directions.
• The surrounding streets and major intersections around the campus are currently near, at, or over capacity during peak morning and evening periods.  Access points into the campus must be reviewed closely as future development plans evolve to avoid exacerbating the congestion problem.
• Harmon Avenue is planned for expansion to the west, bridging Interstate 15 and ultimately connecting with Jones Boulevard.  This will provide greater emphasis on the existing Harmon Avenue campus entrance at Swenson Street.  There is an opportunity to connect to the Harmon Avenue regional bikeway that is being constructed with this expansion.
• The future extension of the monorail from the Las Vegas Strip to the airport will incorporate a stop at the UNLV campus (currently anticipated at the Thomas and Mack Center).  The university will benefit from this exposure and can further promote its growing academic and research stature.
• The campus suffers from numerous poorly identified entrances and limited directional signage to foster convenient wayfinding for campus visitors.

• Bus service to the campus does exist; however, the campus should work cooperatively with the RTC to explore the future development of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems to serve the campus.

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