Hello Denver | NACTO Designing Cities
Buses, trains, scooters, bikes, OH MY!
density dad is a reader-supported publication covering all things urbanism and the built environment. Topics range from housing and public transportation to land use, safe bike infrastructure, and building equitable communities.
It’s been one whole week since I’ve released an issue so getting back into the swing of things. The last week has been a whirlwind of emotions with the passing of my coworker, Shawn, due to traffic violence. I am currently in Denver, CO at my first conference but also my first urbanism conference! I held so much anxiety thinking I’d simply hear more negatives about our issues with pedestrian safety and car prioritization but I can say heading into the back end of Day 2; this positivity is just what I needed.
The format this issue will be different as I just want to share my experience thus far. I’ve been able to meet some incredible people working with city & state agencies, transit agencies, nonprofit leaders from around the United States. I am sure to have lifelong relationships with many of them as we’ve already had several opportunities to hang out and share ideas of what’s working from e-bike rebates in Atlanta to floating bus stops here in Denver.
I think more importantly I’ve been able to just nerd out with great people about non-work related subjects. Our favorite whiskeys, cities to visit or urbanism in general. It may seem like you are bringing work to happy hour but when you are generally excited for great infrastructure it finds its way back to the conversation.
I want to quickly call out five things I’ve noticed about Denver so far some positive, some not so positive but there’s work to make them better.
SPRAWL!
I took the A train from Denver’s airport into the city’s Union Station. The airport is known for being the largest US airport by surface area and opened in February 1995. It was roughly a 25 minute drive and clearly apparent up until recent years, the area around the facility was underutilized. The infill projects are actually starting out and working back into the city along the A line. I have never seen so much construction in such open space. Miles and miles of undeveloped land with little to no tree canopy.
Here is a video of the trip to watch afterwards to get an idea of just how bad the sprawl has become in Denver.
I will say I did see plenty of mixed use buildings and construction projects that are building “up” rather than single family lots.
Incredible Biking Infrastructure
The City of Denver has just over 250 miles of bike infrastructure! They just recently passed the halfway mark on their plan for another additional 125 miles bringing the total past 300 miles of bike lanes by 2024.
Amazing. I must say I’ve taken advantage of riding scooters on some of the lanes as bikes were a bit harder to come by. The safety from the protected infrastructure was great and the connectivity with protected intersections made crossing incredibly easy! I must say my favorite part was the bicycling signal that made to clear and concise when I was clear to cross. I’ll also tie in how much I loved the amount of corner bump outs and daylighting that was colorful with local art and a great place to store shared micromobility other than being on the sidewalks. Art is everywhere here in Denver and the added personal touch of the bump-outs I’m sure adds the much needed visibility for drivers to notice and take it slow around the corners.
Affordable Ride-sharing
There’s not much to talk about here other than ridesharing has been some of the most affordable I’ve seen. I’ve yet to pay over $12 and typically we split that amongst other attendees. For how expensive Denver can be ( I paid 34.50 for one beer at Coors Field, I still haven’t recovered), I believe this a much appreciated addition to getting around town.
Pedestrian Malls
I absolutely loved the pedestrian malls here in Denver. They are a great way to get steps in, support local businesses, meet or just sit back and people watch. They are wide and some zones allow for micromobility. I felt safest here as a pedestrians as they were long blocks where you’d only cross the street ever so often.
Free Mall Ride
Last bus certainly not least is the free Mall Ride, I thought it was a great idea to allow for a shuttle up and down near the 16th Street Mall for additional accessibility and time savings. With so many transit options in Denver, you really have the freedom to get around how you want or in some cases how you need to get around.
I’ll have a robust update for everyone next Monday as I’ll be in Denver til Thursday. I’m so honored to be in this space as a NACTO Transportation Justice fellow and it’s bittersweet to see the fellowship come to an end next month. I’ve finally got to meet my fellow fellows in-person and they are so smart, inspirational. They are all very passionate about this work and being in this cohort that is a safe space for people of color in transpiration and restorative justice, I feel like I’ve met my tribe. I mean this literally, I’m at home and can’t wait to see what transpires in each of our journeys and the impact we will make on our cities.
Til next time, cut loose.
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