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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / SEPTEMBER 2016
W
hether you’re a professional direct-
ly tied to Denver’s development or a
city resident taking note of each new
foundation or rising tower in the neighbor-
hoods where you live and work, the changing
proportions of the city have been bold and bra-
zen. While new buildings have been mocked or
mused upon in some publications, there has been
only sporadic public messaging and discussion
regarding what design and planning measures are
being implemented to continue to improve and
elevate the quality of slated and ongoing urban de-
velopment.
Queue Denver’s first Denver Design Week, which
was held in July. Similar to Denver Start-Up Week in
its ambitions to catalyze connections between in-
dustry and community, the initiative was present-
ed as a “showcase for the region’s best architecture,
interiors, art, brands and technology.” Design Week,
an event that is held around the country, served as
an important opportunity to bring creative com-
munities together in dialogue, and perhaps most
importantly, “connect the public to local design eco-
systems.”
During Design Week, I had the opportunity to
moderate a panel titled, “What’s Next for Denver:
Harnessing the Power of Our Built Environment.”
Held on a summer evening at Room & Board in
Cherry Creek, the discussion included voices from
local architects Jeff Sheppard and Tobias Stro-
he, Denver Planning Director Brad Buchanan and
developer Jonathan Alpert. The event included a
preliminary presentation from Jeff Sheppard, an
hour-long panel discussion, and an open ques-
tion-and-answer session with the 150-plus-person
audience.
The intent of the discussion was not to dwell
on what’s NOT working regarding Denver’s devel-
opment, but rather to understand what specific
actions regarding zoning, planning, design review,
parking requirements, and other urban design and
development initiatives are underway to continue
to improve the trajectory of Denver’s built environ-
ment. Questions were raised regarding the shifting
significance of designing for cars (Buchanan and
Sheppard agreed that regardless of what type of au-
tomated or manual vehicle exists, the most import-
ant places in cities are the spaces between build-
ings, and activating those spaces as a public and
pedestrian realm is critical for long-term planning
success,) the design review process, heart-and-soul-
based zoning, as well as approaches to design that
range from short-term pilot programs that quick-
ly test planning ideas to long-term investments in
thoughtful “background buildings” balanced with
“jewels” (i.e., buildings that might serve as beacons
within neighborhoods).
There were a few critical takeaways from the dis-
cussion that I encourage like-minded readers to
consider and explore as a means of taking an ac-
tive and informed role in helping shape our city; the
place that ultimately defines the daily experienc-
es that comprise our livelihoods. These include the
following considerations and action items:
If there are aspects of and places in Denver you want to
preserve or improve, submit your thoughts through the “Den-
veright” initiative.
In 2002, Blueprint Denver was adopted as a sup-
plement to the Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000 as
an integrated land use and transportation plan. The
plan called for a balanced multimodal transpor-
tation system, land use that accommodates future
growth and open space throughout the city.
Congruently, a campaign called “Denveright” has
been launched as a community-driven planning
process that “challenges citizens to provide input in
how the city might evolve land use, mobility, parks
and recreational resources.”
The city of Denver is actively seeking feedback
through the Denveright campaign (
-
vergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denveright.html).
The first step to provide feedback is participating
in an online, map-based survey. While macro in
its line of global questioning, the survey asks the
participant to identify current areas in Denver that
have personal and civic value. Survey respondents
are then asked to identify areas of the city in which
they would like to see improvement.
Whether you fill out the survey or submit a com-
ment form, either of these actions can be important
first steps in establishing your voice and opinions
as a stakeholder at a pivotal moment in Denver’s
development.
Zoning and design review policies are not static! Both as-
pects of Denver’s planning and development continue to be
revisited in a response to the fluctuating nature of Denver’s
“areas of stability” and “areas of change.”
While an area of stability is defined as a “stable
residential neighborhood” where “no significant
changes in land use are expected over the next 20
years,” new development has been directed toward
and continues to effect “areas of change,” defined
as areas that will “benefit from, and thrive on, an
infusion of population, economic activity, and in-
vestment” (language from Denver’s “Community
Planning and Development” website).
For example, if you’ve driven down Brighton Bou-
levard recently, you’ve likely noticed the influx of
restaurants, retail, multifamily housing and office
development. An area previously zoned primarily
industrial, this area is becoming a vibrant mixed-
use neighborhood with increased commercial and
residential zoning that continues to transform the
neighborhood’s scale, multimodal transport ex-
perience and recreational opportunities (ongoing
projects in various stages of design or construction
include RiNo Park, a river walk and bridge, and a
comprehensive right-of-way redesign.)
Amidst rapid development, there is talk that a De-
sign Review Board for the River North neighborhood
Beth R.
Mosenthal,
AIA, LEED AP
BD+C
Architect,
Anderson
Mason
Dale
Architec-
ture
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