Henderson NV: Community vs Free Market
The City of Henderson NV is a suburb of Las Vegas, population 258K in 2010 (roughly equal to Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Old Foothill Farms, Fair Oaks and Antelope combined). It is Nevada's second largest city. Greg Blake Miller's article, "Shared Spaces, Shared City" discusses how a spirit of community there has generally triumphed over a free market, laissez-faire approach. There is an old saying that the free hand of the market that guides the public good is accompanied by a free foot that kicks the public good to pieces. Henderson seems to have found a balance between market forces and community. Sacramento County, which worships "market solutions" and defers to developers, would do well to learn a thing or two from Henderson.
"Here in Nevada, where politicians like to play at libertarianism, Henderson has managed to sustain an almost communitarian network of public spaces....the market alone can provide neither the foundation of a community—the lasting institutions that turn a place into home—nor the mortar that holds us together."Greg Blake Miller, Vegas7, May 27, 2015
Henderson Pavillion