Transit & Urbanism Town Hall

Overview

The Transit & Urbanism Town Hall helps residents understand why the Valley doesn’t have better transit yet, what it would take to get there, and what a Valley with better transit could actually look like. Transit and urbanism advocates and candidates for state and local office make that case together, in the same room, in front of the public.

Motivation

Most residents know Las Vegas transit isn’t very good. Fewer know why: the funding fights, the zoning decisions, and the political choices that got the Valley here, and what would actually have to change. That explanation usually lives in agency reports and hearing rooms most people never see.

A candidate forum is a good way to surface it in public. Candidates have to explain what they’d do about transit funding, zoning, and the cost of living tied to how people get around, in front of the residents who’ll vote on it. Pairing them with the advocates and urbanists who already understand the details gives the audience both the diagnosis and the argument for what comes next.

Approach

The event opens as a convening: tables and time for local transit and urbanism groups, riders, and neighborhood organizations to meet each other and compare notes before the candidate program begins.

LVBT will then moderate a forum with candidates from contested Assembly, Senate, and local races, built around three linked topics: transit service and funding, transit-oriented development and zoning, and the cost of living those two shape. Every candidate answers the same core questions, and advocates in the room get real time to add context or push back, so the audience leaves with a clearer picture of the problem, the choices in front of them, and what a better Valley could look like.

Activities

The event is open to the public, with a video or transcript posted afterward so people who couldn’t attend can still learn where things stand. LVBT will also publish a short recap explaining the core issues raised, so the town hall’s value doesn’t end when the room empties out.