This spring, graduate students in the Advanced Planning Studio at the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver had the opportunity to take a leading role in developing conceptual plans for the proposed public space along Wynkoop Street at Denver’s historic Union Station. Jeremy Németh, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Planning and Design at UCD, along with teaching assistants Morgan Landers and Shuyi Pearl Wang, led the effort which involved sixteen students divided into four planning teams.

The design and function of the public spaces that will surround the new transit infrastructure and historic station at Denver’s Union Station redevelopment site is incredibly important. With 190,000 people expected to use Union Station every day once all the new transit lines are up and running in 2016, the public realm areas at Union Station hold the promise to be the city’s most dynamic and engaging public space. Next week, the selection of the official landscape/urban design consultant for Union Station will be made and, during the course of this summer and fall, the design of those future public spaces will take shape. Consequently, the UCD Planning Studio project presented a valuable experience for not only the students, but for our city too.

The students spent the first few weeks of the semester analyzing the social, cultural, historical and ecological factors influencing the station area and gaining an understanding of the revised Union Station Master Plan and its planned circulation patterns, rail connections, and building configurations. Then, the four student teams spent the rest of the semester independently developing a detailed concept plan for the planned public space along the Wynkoop side of the historic station.

The students presented their concept plans at a public forum held at the Webb Building on May 13. Approximately 100 people were in attendance and, being there myself, I can say the students did a fantastic job. Not only were their plans well conceived and packed with very creative ideas, but their verbal presentations were articulate and the level of their visual graphics were exceptional as well. The documents presented below contain just a fraction of the many images and diagrams each team presented on May 13 and just a sampling of each teams’ work.

Concept A (Andrew Coburn, Todd Swirczek, Molly Veldkamp, Eric Watson)

Concept B (Kacey French, David Schott, Derek Stertz, Olivia Terwilleger)

Concept C (Tyler Greenfield, Bonni Johnson, David Mullen, Vichit Sayavongkhamdy)

Concept D (Jana Davis, Ryan Poole, Avant Ramsey, Darcy Varney)

In leading up to the actual design of Union Station’s public spaces later this year, the students’ work is obviously an important step in starting a public discussion about what we want for those public spaces at Union Station. That’s why I am posting them here at DenverInfill. What design elements do we want in the public spaces at Union Station? What kind of programs and activities should take place there and how will the design accommodate those functions? How will the public spaces at Union Station be maintained and who will govern them? There are a lot of questions to be answered over the next few months, and the decisions we make as a community will determine how successful the public spaces at Union Station will ultimately become. That is the reason why I am now involved with Union Station Advocates.

For more information and materials relating to the UCD student project, please visit the Advanced Planning Studio’s website at www.cudenver.edu/dus. Many thanks to the UCD students and to Dr. Jeremy Németh for his leadership and skill in sharing his expertise in urban design.