WHAT: The Brookings Mountain West Initiative at UNLV welcomes Pietro S. Nivola, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and C. Douglas Dillon Chair in Governance Studies, for "Comparing Urban Growth Patterns in the U.S. and Europe: The Role of Public Policy"

WHEN: Tuesday, January 26 - 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Greenspun Hall Auditorium; Free and open to the public

DETAILS: Why do America's cities sprawl while European cities remain comparatively compact? What difference do the patterns of urban development make? Pietro Nivola, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, addresses these questions by examining market forces and public policies that shape national transportation systems, tax policy and educational institutions. He will also discuss the implications of the different cityscapes for energy consumption.

The Brookings Scholars program - a product of the new Brookings Mountain West Initiative - welcomes leading experts from the Brookings Institution to UNLV each month to lend insight on key regional issues through interaction with campus and community leaders, collaborative research and a free public lecture held in conjunction with each scholar's visit to campus.

The Brookings Mountain West Initiative is a partnership between UNLV and the Brookings Institution. The initiative combines the renowned public policy research of Brookings scholars with the expertise and insight of UNLV faculty to make real improvements in infrastructure, policy and quality of life challenges that face Las Vegas and the region.

For more information on the Brookings Mountain West Initiative, including visiting scholar biographies, please visit http://brookingsmtnwest.unlv.edu.