Okay, back for another fearless Daily Sprawl prediction--this one #4.
Visit Las Vegas soon because within 10 years (if not sooner), it will cease to exist as a viable destination for most visitors.Where to start? The city's viability is inextricably tied to airfare and car travel (did you realize that Amtrak does not serve the city anymore?).
Almost 100% of its food and beverages must be shipped into the city from more than 250 miles away--with much of being shipped by gas-intensive semi-trucks.
It's water source is being rapidly depleted (that's what happens when you build over 10,000 hotel rooms with big pools, hundreds of restaurants, and many other water-consuming features in a desert).
End game? Bad news for a desert city whose viability model is tied to cheap oil.
Now, I'll admit that I enjoy Las Vegas and its unique spectacle. It's so visually bizarre that its curiously interesting.
However, all those neon lights, wave pools, dancing fountains, and daily flights can't be powered by non-petroleum sources for long.
Nope, Sin City is indelibly wed to cheap energy.
Unfortunately, it'll be a tough divorce soon so get there while the opportunity remains.
