I hope the final plan addresses more thoroughly how the redevelopment fits into the exiting city. Many ideas, including those of the students, appear to ignore the surrounding area and attempt to build a self-sustained island with downtown Denver. Existing facilities and amenities need to be acknowledged and not duplicated.

Multi-function requires open spaces that can be reorganized with event requirements. A large stone-paved plaza with six London Plane Trees (think Bryant Park, NYC) flanking each wing of DUS would be unbelievably simple and fulfill all the needs of the space.

Add in some great commissioned public art and a unique water feature or fountain(ice rink is a great idea) and you'll have a great public space that enhances LoDo in a simple, sophisticated manner.

Outside of that remarkably arrogant soap-boxy moment, I appreciated most the thought and attention that went into the fourth group's presentation. That's the quality of thought and expressions that should be coming out of all the studios at my alma mater.

That user density doesn't exist in Denver, and even with FasTracks it won't exist here on its own since all the rail activity is behind the station.

So simply paving these plazas over and leaving them alone is a recipe for empty, dreary plazas.

I think all these concepts offer good lessons. Individually they have their weaknesses and strengths, but looking at them all has been really valuable. I think if we picked and choose the best elements from each one we could have an exceedingly lovely public space on our hands.

Concept A does a good job of breaking the plazas up into manageable pieces, each of which can be activated using whatever strategy is best for that individual space. That is going to be a key technique, I think. But can we please not cover up the historic Union Station façade with a dime-a-dozen glass curtain wall?

Concept B has all sorts of things I love. The arcade on the wing buildings will do a lot to make them permeable and interesting. The statue directly in front of DUT will provide a single easily-identifiable meeting point and a nice piece of art. The grand staircase will turn what could have been an alley into a gorgeous non-symmetrical outdoor room / amphitheatre, especially if there's something interesting going on at the bottom of the stairs. The basin and the fountain are good ideas also, but more thought needs to be given to their placement in the plazas and how they will interact with other features. I'm also concerned that alone they aren't enough to keep the plaza busy. I don't think you can do this without a lot of outdoor dining (which doesn't seem to be provided), and I'm not convinced that there shouldn't be a place here for some sort of soft landscaping.

Concept C does great work on the edges, and I like that they're willing to consider a diverse range of architectural styles, but there's not enough going on in the plaza itself. I like the bridge a lot. Imagine it behind team B's staircase. What a space that would be!

Concept D's great strength is that it recognizes the diverse needs of the plaza. I *really* love that they're activating the flanking buildings of the station with seating and awnings. The arbor is a fantastic idea. I have mixed feelings about the terraces – will activity on a second level add to the vitality or take away users from the plaza? Could go either way. Like concept B, I like that they're providing a single central place, but I'd rather see a statue than granite blocks.

And what a great opportunity for the students!