Civil Liberties and the Regulation of Public Space: The Case of Sidewalks in Las Vegas
Evelyn Blumenberg and
Renia Ehrenfeucht
Additional contact information
Evelyn Blumenberg: Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles, 3250 Public Policy Building, Los Angeles, CA 90096-1656, USA
Renia Ehrenfeucht: College of Urban and Public Affairs, University of New Orleans, 308 Mathematics Buildings, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
Environment and Planning A, 2008, vol. 40, issue 2, 303-322
Abstract:
Conflicts over the nature of and rights associated with public space have a long history and have prompted numerous regulatory responses. Perhaps nowhere in the USA has the regulation of public space been as far-reaching as in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the financial stakes associated with sidewalks are enormous. This study examines how local officials mediate among varied and competing uses of the sidewalk. In defining the function of the sidewalks narrowly and passively deferring questions of civil liberties, local officials have effectively controlled almost all aspects of public behavior. In recent years, cities have invested in major commercial realization projects. Evidence from this case study suggests that, if successful, these developments will engender more extensive regulation of public life and the further curtailment of the freedoms traditionally guaranteed to citizen activity in public places.
Date: 2008
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a37429 (text/html)
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:2:p:303-322
DOI: 10.1068/a37429
Access Statistics for this article
More articles in Environment and Planning A
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().