Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, is partnering with Las Vegas to help transform the city’s downtown into more than just a hard-partying gambling hub. Hsieh and other investors have put up $350 million to start the Downtown Project with the goal of transforming downtown Vegas into “the most community-focused large city in the world,” creating “a vibrant, connected urban core.” The effort was already underway when Hsieh moved Zappos’ headquarters to nearby Henderson, Nevada, in 2004.  But after Las Vegas built a new environmentally friendly city hall and eased restrictions on small businesses, Hseih decided to buy the old city hall in 2010 and moved Zappos’ headquarters there. Now he hopes to encourage tech companies and startups in Vegas and make the city more family-friendly. Vegas will always be known for the things it does best—glitz and gambling—but it might also become known as a place for innovative new businesses and creative communities.