Las Vegas, as you know, is a world-class tourist destination and one of the fastest-growing cities in the Nation. We have had an average annual growth rate exceeding 6 percent for the past 10 years. The population of the city itself has nearly doubled during the past decade. We have reached a population of approximately 465,000 citizens within the city limits alone.
As a rapidly growing city, Las Vegas has been characterized as a "sprawling" city. However, using some measures of sprawl, that may not be the case. For example, land consumption is seen by many as an indicator of sprawl; however, in Las Vegas, growth in land consumption mirrors growth in population. In fact, between 1990 and 1998, the city has increased the number of built acres by 50 percent, while at the same time increasing the population by 75 percent.
In many cities, development of single family homes on half-acre lots or larger contributes to sprawl. In Las Vegas, average lot size has been steadily declining. Since 1990, the average lot size for new single-family homes in Las Vegas is approximately one-eighth of an acre.
Depending on how one defines sprawl, Las Vegas may or may not be a sprawl city. But is it a smart growth city? That depends, in part, on how the city's residents perceive their quality of life. Based on a 1998 survey, 50 percent of our citizens are concerned with the effects that growth is having on their quality of life. More than two-thirds feel the pace of development is a contributing factor. Sixty-two percent of our citizens support implementing smart growth measures, while only 9 percent want to stop growth. People appear to appreciate the benefits of growth, while looking for strategies to minimize the negative impacts on their quality of life. Eighty percent believe a regional planning agency would be most effective in addressing growth issues.
According to our 1999 Quality of Life survey, the attributes having a positive effect on quality of life are fire protection, libraries, shopping opportunities, parks and recreational areas, climate, and police force. In general quality of life overall ratings, based on a survey of citizens, 65 percent rate our quality of life as good to excellent; 29 percent, fair; 5 percent, bad; and 1 percent, very bad.
Those attributes that give our citizens the greatest concern are traffic congestion, water quality, crime rates, air quality, and cost of health care.
Las Vegas may exhibit growth patterns that some experts would consider to be inconsistent with smart growth. For example, there is some evidence that our development pattern creates pressure on at-risk neighborhoods. As a result of rapid growth at the edge of town -- some 71 percent over the last four years -- the majority of public and private resources are being drawn away from our older neighborhoods. Others would argue, however, that these low-income transitional neighborhoods offer housing opportunities for folks to get a leg up on the economic ladder.
This is why the City's new comprehensive plan will focus on downtown and urban core areas. At the direction of the City Council, the plan will enhance the quality of our daily lives while continuing to accommodate growth and change in new and creative ways. This public planning process will refocus city policy toward encouraging infill development and downtown redevelopment. This is the logical thing to do.
Our new plan will focus not just on what goes where, but how it all goes together and what it looks like. Urban planning and urban design will become increasingly important as we mature into a 21st century city.
Nothing is more important to me and my new administration than revitalizing downtown. We must make our citizens proud of downtown again. We will strive to build a new downtown that includes entertainment, shops, cafes, and new residential neighborhoods.
Now, the great opportunity exists to build an exciting new sports arena and related facilities right downtown. Steve Wynn has told us that he will bring a major league sports team to town if we can deliver a new stadium on the Union Pacific site. We will be very careful to make sure that the new development enhances existing downtown development and is linked to mass transit.
In the next decade or so, we will run out of buildable greenfield lands within our city. This is a fact; we are landlocked. We must now begin to incorporate new residential opportunities within the older, urban core of our city. This will encourage vitality and diversity. If the city of Las Vegas wants to continue to grow, it must begin to look inward for new development opportunities.
A truly successful downtown must include thousands of units of new housing, and also integrate daily shopping needs, like a supermarket, within easy walking distance. We must build new downtown neighborhoods oriented toward making a truly urban lifestyle.
You know, we have folks moving from all over the Nation and the world to join us here in Las Vegas. We must strive to build a world-class city that serves our diverse population and provides for all their daily needs and big expectations. Families move here for the climate, for good-paying jobs, for affordable housing, and for the low cost of living. But what else is missing that we need to strive for? Better schools, more parks, a performing arts center, maybe even an art museum, to name a few. At the same time, we must revitalize our older in-town neighborhoods by finding ways to empower our citizens to take control of their streets and neighborhoods. Some of our strongest communities reside within our oldest neighborhoods surrounding downtown Las Vegas. We must encourage young families and professionals to return to our urban neighborhoods. This will strengthen our inner city and lessen our dependence upon building new infrastructure. This will help free up our capital budgets for building parks, playgrounds, community centers, and walkable streetscapes lined with trees.
Wouldn't it be great to be able to walk to a bookstore or ice cream shop after dinner? Shouldn't our kids be able to walk to school, or to the movies on Saturdays, without having to cross six or eight lanes of traffic?
The city must encourage the public and private sectors to work hand-in-hand to devise one seamless mass transit system for the whole Las Vegas Valley. This is good for downtown Las Vegas, and good for the Strip resorts and Clark County. And thanks to you, Commissioner Woodbury, for your efforts. The city will also begin to look at redevelopment opportunities surrounding our future fixed guideway transit stations. We can imagine new monorail stops surrounded by shops and cafes, townhouses, lofts, and courtyard apartments.
Why can't we continue to upgrade our system of roads and highways, and also begin to mingle our land uses so that some folks can live and work in the same neighborhoods? Why can't we become less dependent on our cars and offer other transportation alternatives that are good for our environment? Do we need to pave our way out of our transportation problems?
The city supports the design and construction of a high-speed train linking downtown Las Vegas to Los Angeles. This is good for our downtown businesses and good for our citizens. It is important that Las Vegas optimize its role as a tourist destination, advance its position as the hub of southwest development, and serve as a model city for sustainable development patterns.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I would say that the city of Las Vegas is not the poster child for sprawl. We are clearly a young, vibrant, 20th century frontier town built around the car and technology. And -- I must emphasize this point -- we are determined to take the actions necessary to mature into a world-class city for the 21st century. Las Vegas is unquestionably the most exciting city on the planet, and I am very, very proud to be serving as its new Mayor.
Thank you very much.