True enough, but just because it comes up often doesn't make it a solved problem. In fact, I think it comes up so often because it's so damn hard to get right. To the extent that the author is advocating for better communication and transparency, I think that's probably a good step in the right direction.
Of course there's a whole OTHER discussion here: private vs public city planning. Is it really a good thing for a single investor to drive so much of the development? Where is the local government? It seems that a city council of some kind should be able to weigh in on behalf of the larger "community"
Yeah, that's part of the problem. There's zero accountability. And in Vegas, local government is only concerned with economic improvement -- everything else takes a backseat.
We're talking about a city where the former mayor (whose wife is now the current mayor) made it illegal to give food to homeless people. Swear to God.
Really? That's.. pretty bad. Sounds like China during the Olympics.
My first reaction was "vote the bastards out," but then: casinos. Maybe you can get a tech company to help crowdfund a new mayor who will constrain tech investment? Wait...
Where is the line between improvement and gentrification? How can you maintain the unique flavor of a neighborhood if that rents, prices, and property taxes go up by multiples? How can you maintain "affordable housing" and clean up urban blight at the same time? Etc.