Where Las Vegas Invests in Walkability and Where It Doesn't

Stark differences//Walking in Las Vegas isn’t ideal in some places. When looking at the photo on the left, the utility pole in the middle of the sidewalk looks daunting, and the buildings aren’t as compact as they are in the photo on the right, but why? (Photo by Caleigh Burns)

Research conducted as part of AP Research capstone project

At the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Bruce Street in East Las Vegas, there are no textured yellow tiles on the ramps leading up to the intersection; a utility pole stands in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing anyone walking here to step into the parking lot to continue. In summer, when temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees, there's no shade along this quarter-mile stretch.

Two miles west on Fremont Street, tourists walk under LED canopies with climate control, smooth pavement, countless amenities, and wide pedestrian zones. Every crosswalk has clear signals. Every block has shade.

The lack of pedestrian infrastructure in Las Vegas has deadly consequences. Our city ranks among the top three cities for pedestrian fatalities according to the Governors Highway Safety Association’s 2023 preliminary report. East Las Vegas, which lacks necessary pedestrian infrastructure, experiences disproportionately high rates of pedestrian crashes and fatalities compared to areas with protected crosswalks and adequate lighting.

This pattern isn't accidental. An analysis of walkability across 12 Las Vegas locations reveals how pedestrian infrastructure follows investment: the city and private developers fund walkability where it serves tourism and economic development, leaving residential neighborhoods and their residents vulnerable.

This study was conducted in 12 locations across 4 regions, including Henderson, Summerlin, Downtown Las Vegas, and East Las Vegas. Each region had 3 locations which were chosen to represent different urban planning within that area, which can include privately funded projects, government-civic revitalization, or just local neighborhoods. 

East Las Vegas, with moderate household incomes averaging $68,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau and with a lot of working-class residents, had no sites scoring above a 26 out of 60 on a walkability assessment. Meanwhile, Downtown Las Vegas, with a median income of $39,000, scored as high as 55. This highlights how they benefit from tourism-driven infrastructure investment.

The gap reveals how decisions on walkability in Las Vegas prioritize economic development over equity and public safety. As Las Vegas continues to grow, infrastructure investments remain concentrated in areas that generate revenue rather than serve the residents who walk daily.

The study evaluated 12 locations across four regions using a standardized rubric assessing sidewalk quality, shade coverage, traffic safety, pedestrian infrastructure, and accessibility. Each site was observed for 15 minutes from a consistent position: the textured yellow warning tiles at intersection corners that mark crosswalk entrances.

Observers evaluated all four crosswalks at each intersection, sidewalk conditions, pedestrian amenities, and actual pedestrian activity. Sites were scored on a 60-point scale across 14 categories, including crosswalk quality, ADA compliance, shade coverage, and pedestrian-oriented land uses.

Median household income data was obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2018-2022) at the census tract level to analyze relationships between neighborhood income and walkability investment.

Three patterns emerged in high-scoring locations.

Tourism districts like Fremont Street (55 points, the highest score recorded) benefit from casino revenue and city investment in visitor experience. Wide sidewalks, climate-controlled LED canopies, and pedestrian-only zones make these areas highly walkable, but primarily for tourists, not the nearby residents in some of Las Vegas's poorest census tracts.

Master-planned communities like Downtown Summerlin (51 points) and Green Valley Ranch (53 points) include walkability as an amenity for wealthy buyers. Private developers build town centers with pedestrian infrastructure, shade structures, and public spaces as part of the package, serving neighborhoods with median incomes exceeding $100,000.

Civic revitalization projects like Henderson's Water Street (48 points) demonstrate that cities can create walkability in moderate-income areas when they choose to invest. Henderson designated Water Street as a downtown revitalization zone in the 2000s, funding streetscapes and pedestrian improvements that transformed a car-oriented area into a walkable arts district. The surrounding neighborhoods have median incomes around $65,000, which proves that walkable infrastructure doesn't require wealthy residents, just political will.

Every East Las Vegas location studied—Stewart Avenue and 28th Street (24), Eastern Avenue and Bonanza Road (24), and Charleston Boulevard and Bruce Street (26)—scored in the bottom quarter. These residential corridors lack basic pedestrian infrastructure despite observable demand: people were walking in all three locations, navigating broken sidewalks and minimal crosswalks.

Specific barriers identified include transit access gaps, with some suburban locations requiring 50-minute walks to the nearest bus stop. ADA violations are common, particularly utility poles blocking sidewalks in East Las Vegas that force wheelchair users and pedestrians into parking lots or streets. Heat mitigation is virtually absent in lower-investment areas despite the desert climate—no shade structures, limited tree coverage, and no cooling stations along corridors where summer temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees.

Perhaps most telling are the demand-supply mismatches: pedestrians are present and walking in East Las Vegas, but the infrastructure to support them safely doesn't exist. This isn't a case of "nobody walks there anyway," it's a case of people walking despite dangerous conditions because they have no choice.

The walkability gap doesn't follow income levels, opposing many assumptions.

Summerlin, with the highest median income ($117,000), includes both highly walkable master-planned centers and car-dependent corridors scoring in the low 20s. Henderson ($88,000) shows similar variation, ranging from Water Street's 48 points to suburban Anthem's 23. Even Downtown Las Vegas, despite being the poorest area studied, contains both the highest-scoring site (Fremont Street, 55) and one of the lowest (North 4th Street residential, 14).

East Las Vegas is the outlier: moderate income ($68,000) but consistently low walkability with very little variation. While other regions show investment flowing to some areas but not others, East Las Vegas received no targeted walkability investment at any observed location. The three sites studied represent different types of corridors within the area, and they all scored between 23 and 26 points, suggesting systematic disinvestment rather than isolated neglect.

This pattern reveals that walkability decisions are about priorities, not resources. Henderson chose to invest in Water Street. Las Vegas chose to invest in Fremont Street and the Arts District. Neither area is wealthy, but both received strategic civic investment. East Las Vegas, with comparable or higher household incomes, has been excluded from those investment priorities.

The findings suggest walkability decisions are political, not inevitable. Henderson's Water Street demonstrates that cities can create pedestrian-friendly areas in moderate-income neighborhoods through strategic civic investment. Las Vegas hasn't chosen to make similar investments in East Las Vegas residential corridors, instead concentrating pedestrian infrastructure where it serves tourism or wealthy developments.

The safety implications extend beyond inconvenience. Cities that invest in protected crosswalks, adequate lighting, pedestrian refuge islands, and traffic calming measures see dramatically lower pedestrian death rates. Las Vegas has demonstrated it knows how to build this infrastructure in tourism districts. The question is whether the city will extend these life-saving investments to residential neighborhoods where people walk daily out of necessity, not leisure.

The economic argument for equitable walkability investment is clear. Improved pedestrian infrastructure increases property values, supports local businesses, reduces healthcare costs from pedestrian injuries, and decreases household transportation expenses. Current investment patterns leave potential economic benefits unrealized while concentrating public safety risks in working-class neighborhoods.

This research will be presented to the Las Vegas City Council with specific recommendations:

Prioritize pedestrian safety improvements in high-injury corridors, particularly in East Las Vegas, including sidewalks with textured yellow tiles, adequate lighting, and pedestrian refuge islands. Expand transit access in suburban areas to reduce dangerous long-distance walking to bus stops. Address ADA compliance violations, including sidewalk obstructions that force vulnerable users into traffic. Implement heat mitigation strategies, like shade structures, tree coverage, and cooling stations in lower-investment neighborhoods where summer temperatures pose health risks. Conduct community needs assessments to identify demand-supply mismatches where pedestrian activity exists without supporting infrastructure.

As Las Vegas continues to grow and add residents, the question isn't whether the city can afford to invest in pedestrian infrastructure citywide; it's whether the city will choose to prioritize resident safety and mobility equity alongside tourism development. The infrastructure gap between Charleston Boulevard and Fremont Street isn't about resources. It's about priorities.

Recent investments signal growing awareness of pedestrian safety gaps. The Nevada Department of Transportation invested $10 million in pedestrian improvements on Boulder Highway, Charleston Boulevard, and Lake Mead Boulevard, adding features this study identified as missing: ADA-compliant sidewalks, refuge islands, flashing beacons, and enhanced lighting. These improvements demonstrate that the infrastructure gaps are both recognized and solvable, though the fact that East Las Vegas corridors scoring 23-26 points are only now receiving basic pedestrian infrastructure highlights how far behind these neighborhoods have fallen. If the city continues investment in these projects and prioritizes pedestrians, then we can save lives.