Metaverse Management as Urban Planning: Lessons from Paradise (Nevada)

Metaverse architects face challenges akin to urban planners developing a new city: multiple stakeholders must coordinate on technical standards for interoperability and establish social consensus around specific choices. The article presents an analogy between the metaverse and the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated town of Paradise, NV, which arose in the mid-twentieth century as a focal destination for immersive entertainment delivered by eclectic interconnected resorts. It integrates this case study of the Las Vegas Strip with theories of technology management to derive practical insights for building the metaverse: focusing social momentum around a new destination and governing cooperation among de facto competitors.