We wouldn’t be here, researching how to bring these motels back to life, if not for Las Vegans’ collective response to the horrific massacre at the Route 91 music festival on October 1, 2017. Invigorated by a newfound sense of civic identity, in 2018 the city launched Project Enchilada, a holistic effort to revitalize its downtown to reflect the local experience of the city—largely centered on the midcentury roadside character of East Fremont Street.
As part of this effort, I was recruited to develop “21st Century” methods of media and engagement that could attract people to visit, move to, or invest in downtown.