To make an urban place exceptional, it all really comes down to the pedestrian. The ease, safety and enjoyment that a pedestrian experiences in an urban setting is perhaps the most fundamental factor in determining how that person will ultimately perceive the place as a whole.
Denver’s Downtown Area Plan identifies seven Transformative Projects. Here’s a description of each taken from the Plan:
Energizing the Commercial Core: Bolster economic development opportunities and enhance the pedestrian experience in the Commercial Core.
Building on Transit: Couple the regional transit network with an equally ambitious local Denver-serving transportation system that provides quick and efficient connections.
Grand Boulevards: Transform Speer, Broadway, Colfax, Park Avenue and Auraria Parkway into memorable, multi-modal boulevards as a complement to Denver’s parkway system.
Embrace Adjacent Neighborhoods: Enhance pedestrian, bike and transit connections between Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Connecting Auraria: Foster expanded physical and programmatic connections between the Auraria Campus and the rest of Downtown.
Downtown’s New Neighborhood-Arapahoe Square: Redevelop Arapahoe Square as a cutting-edge, densely populated, mixed-use area and center of innovative businesses.
A Rejuvenated Civic Center: Restore and reactivate Civic Center to attract more visitors, residents, workers, and students to the park.
In my opinion, the one thing that ties these seven projects together—the one thing that, if focused on, would facilitate the successful achievement of these seven projects—is pedestrianism. Let’s take a look:
Energizing the Commercial Core: We don’t have to look too far here, as the description above for this project specifically mentions enhancing the pedestrian experience. Anyone who has spent an afternoon wandering around the core part of Downtown knows that there are some great pedestrian experiences, and some not-so-great pedestrian experiences. Unfortunately, there are too many of the latter. Improve the pedestrian realm and you’ll energize the commercial core. After all, when we say “energize” in this context, don’t we really mean “sidewalks abuzz with people”?
Building on Transit: Quite simply, there’s little point in having a comprehensive and dynamic transit system if, once you exit the transit vehicle, you can’t get to where you want to go safely and conveniently on foot. As every transit rider is also a pedestrian at some point in their journey, a quality transit system and a quality pedestrian system go hand in hand.
Grand Boulevards: Why is it that the major Downtown Denver streets listed in the Plan need transforming? Basically, because they all suck for pedestrians. None of them are particularly fun to walk down, and none of them are certainly any fun to cross. Enough said.
Embrace Adjacent Neighborhoods: Here again, the Plan states first thing that enhancing pedestrian connections is key to tying our Downtown-adjacent districts with the core Downtown. For the prime example of the power of a strong pedestrian connection, look no farther than the trio of pedestrian bridges across the Central Platte Valley and how they have fundmentally bonded Downtown and Highland together.
Connecting Auraria: What is the main reason why Auraria and Downtown currently aren’t well connected? Go back to the Grand Boulevards comment: crossing Speer Boulevard. Any Auraria student knows that making the long walk across about a dozen lanes of traffic and Cherry Creek is a less-than-pleasant experience that feels rather suburban despite towering skyscrapers looming just a few blocks away.
Downtown’s New Neighborhood—Arapahoe Square: There certainly is no denying that walking around the Arapahoe Square district is no fun. The streets are unnecessarily wide and at many intersections, crosswalks are nonexistent. Broadway slices through the heart of the district like a dull knife, leaving behind triangle-shaped fragments of blocks and bizarre five-way intersections that are a pedestrian’s nightmare. Of course, right now there’s not much reason to have to walk around Arapahoe Square, but that’s a whole other issue.
A Rejuvenated Civic Center: Civic Center Park faces a number of challenges, but one of them is getting pedestrians to it. Once again, we have a major “crossing the street” problem. Fix that problem, and solving the park’s other issues becomes a lot easier.
So, if we focus our attention on the pedestrian environment in Downtown, that will get us a long way towards our other Downtown goals. To that end, this year’s Downtown Denver Partnership’s Leadership Program focused exactly on this issue. The 70 or so emerging leaders in the 2008 program did an exceptional job, and I had the opportunity to attend the presentation of their final report entitled “Putting Our Best Foot Forward: Enhancing Downtown Denver’s Pedestrian Environment.” The full report is now available at the Partnership’s website. Click here to go to the Leadership Program home page. A link to download the report is right at the top. I highly recommend reading it.
You're so right, pedestrians are the key! I'm really happy to see that Denver seems to understand this.
I'm especially pleased to see the section about "clean and safe" and the homeless issue in particular. Nothing ruins a downtown experience—which is essentially a pedestrian experience—as quickly as a bunch of bums.
can I get an Amen for brother Ken?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS KEN!
Today the 4S is adding the last of the "Sq" Floors!!!!
BruceQ,
I understand what you mean. But remember, its Downtown. Every dowtown of every Major city in the US and the world, has their homeless. You cant just get rid of them, like you can get rid of graffiti. To anyone who is scared of the homeless: dont be. In fact, dont even bother giving change. Now, some of you may mistake that for being cruel and ignorant. But all "giving" does is worsen the problem. And here is a useful resource for everyone:
http://www.downtowndenver.com/BID/Panhandling_FAQ.htm
Anyways, I would like to say a few things about Auraria. First, Colorado residents should be very fortunate to have access to a place like Auraria Campus. The three higher ed institutions have contributed a lot to the State. reguardless of how I, or others, feel about the quality of their educational and student services.
Now, I agree that Auraria and Downtown are not connected well, due to the unfriendly pedestrian crossings. Personally, I dont think its a major issue, as I have seen many students make the journey. The only alternative to walking is to take a bus, lightrial, or drive into downtown. But no matter how they get there, most Auraria Students are interested in making downtown Denver part of their college experience.
Thank you, Mymilehi, for pointing out that fear of the homeless (who uses the word "bums"?) is essentially fear of an urban environment. Downtown Denver is not meant to be Disneyland. That no one is happy to see homeless people downtown does not mean that they should be feared or looked down upon. Rather, understand that the majority of services that they are forced by their circumstances to use are clustered downtown, for the simple reason that for many years buildings in the areas now known as Ballpark and Arapahoe Square were dirt cheap and centrally located. It's not like you can relocate the shelters, CCH, etc., to Aurora or Westminster and expect them to be able to serve their constituency. The homeless have as much right to be downtown as bankers on 17th street or LoDo loft owners. And the homeless will be with us until the end of time, or at least until our society starts looking like the one on Star Trek. And if we were to get rid of the "bums," who would be next? Black and Hispanic urban youth? Pepole who play musical instruments or beat on plastic buckets? Downtown is for everyone, even people from Omaha.
Regarding Auraria:
I got my B.A. from UCD in the 1990s, and for me the worst thing about the disconnectedness of the campus from the rest of downtown was the emptiness of the space between the North Classroom building (for those of you who don't know, that's the one closest to Larimer Square, with the big clock) and the first building you reach on the other side, the CU Denver Building just south of Larimer Square. On cold, windy days like the ones we've had recently, that's a brutal walk–you might as well be out on the prairie, because there are no buildings to shelter you from the north wind. To me, getting the North Classroom extended to Speer (matching the extension of the Science Building currently under construction) and getting something built on the parking lots on either side of Larimer, would aid greatly in connecting the campus to the city, and the highest priority should be given to that particular connection.
–historymystery
Anon @ 5:30,
Funny you mentioned Star Trek, because I happen to be a fan:)Here is something you should take a look at: http://www.thevenusproject.com/
city_think/citythink2.htm
I should say that the Venus Project pretty much defies everything we know and understand about cities. It sort of reminds me of ST.
Anyways, if I had it my way, Auraria would be bulldozed and rebuilt to actually look like a legitimate higher ed campus. Im surprised it didn't make it onto the list of ugliest college campuses. The problem with Auraria, as a whole, is that its just an eyesore.
Example:
http://flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/710112237/
Auraria does have a couple noteworthy buildings like the Tivoli and King Center. But thats not enough. And, judging by the Master Plan presentation, the more crowded the campus gets, the worse it looks to me.
One thing is clear though, Auraria certainly gives Drexel a run for its money!
This isn't for the thread, but needs to be discussed.
(a) We need immediate leadership in attracting quality retail to downtown. It's great that there's Cherry Creek Mall, but we need all that stuff downtown. If that means Cherry Creek has to close, so be it, but we cannot be held hostage to it. We need an Apple Store, we need 4 more Pavilions-like entities between the Pavilions and the Tabor Center with marquee stores. We need to get rid of the junk novelty stores on 16th Street (or consolidate them all into interior sites) and replace them with name brands. The DURA should set aside funds for fascade work with strict requirements for all businesses on 16th. It should be like Times Square. Exciting, vibrant, and alive with light, color, and so on.
(b) We need our city council to visit Chicago's new Millennium Park and see how they've connected the park across Lake Shore Drive (10 times more unfriendly to pedestrians that Speer could ever hope to be) to the lake front using a marvelous new curvy bridge. It's indescribable. We need our people to see what a great city can be. Denver is in precisely the same position Chicago was in the 1960s when the Hancock was built and people started moving back downtown. There is much to be learned from the Chicagoans about how to handle it, what to do and what not to do etc.
(c) Downtown is in immediate need of full-fledged, walking-distance grocery store(s). Chicago has some fine examples of downtown grocery stores and how they've been built and designed into condo towers. Our 8-story building developers don't get the value and principle of having a mixed-use facility. We need a Water Tower Place with a real indoor shopping mall, hotel, and condo tower in one. Not sure why the Spire people didn't figure this out. So you build two buildings three blocks apart to house potentially more than 1000 people and give them no where to buy groceries? They have to drive up Speer to the lamest King Soopers in the state? How is that Pedestrian-friendly? Oh, I know there're 'plans' for one in the redevelopment of Union Station…which is good, but there need to be a couple of them available.
I think that if they would just put a damn multi-story macy's in the sage building…if we could only get a denver version of the old marshall fields store to serve as a retail anchor, I think that retail would spring up.
Anon 1:44:
I thought it was interesting that you started your argument with 'we need an Apple Store?' You're kidding right!? How about something substantial like a Best Buy? Or better yet, an urban Target with groceries?
Also, in any true convention city, such as New York or Chicago, you'll find plenty of novelty stores anywhere near the conference facilities. I feel that having such stores adds to the flavor of the city. It is actually quite wonderful to see so many conventiongoers venture to the 16th Street Mall versus just crossing the street from their hotels. If we replaced most of the exciting and unique shops along the Mall with bland, name-brand stores it would simply be another copy of Park Meadows or Flatiron Crossing!
Anon 9:20:
I take offense at your post. Everyone knows that the King Soopers at 9th and Corona is the lamest in the state! Shame on you.
Anonymous 12/20/2008 05:30:00 PM
You said, "Downtown is for everyone, even people from Omaha." Why Omaha? Don't be hating on Omaha.
@Anon 5:30pm
He didn't mean to exclude all of Nebraska. Obviously, it was just a pun. He might as well have said "Nunavut". Relax.
It's my belief that we have the homeless problem we have is precisely because we have become far too tolerant of them. Yes, they are "bums" and what's needed is a much harsher line on allowing them to panhandle, shoplift, urinate in doorways, and get drunk and high right in the public space. There used to be vagrancy charges that could be leveled at bums, yes, bums. Now, I will agree that given the woeful state of mental health care and the reluctance to compel the mentally ill into involuntary residence facilities (due to previously appalling conditions), that prevails in our society, not everyone out on the streets has chosen to be there. However, begging or committing petty (and sometimes felonious) crimes in order to buy alcohol or drugs has become a pliable lifestyle and a crackdown is long overdue. Are we not building enough low-income housing for day labourers? No, we're probably not. I think there will always be in all societies, some level of people who try and fail to get by on their own and in their cases, helping hands in the form of shelters are needed, especially in the case of families. I do not think that elevating the bum to this level of victimhood has done us any good. We need to take back the 16th Street Mall, Civic Center Park, the Cherry Creek pathway and the Public Library for the people they were intended to serve.
Anon @ 3:49,
I was about to rant off about the rampant elitism that is exhibited here, sometimes, when I realized that you may have a point.
Now here are some things we can both agree on:
We live in a capitalistic society, not a socialist society. In this case, it means that we are not obligated, as citizens of the US, to care for the well being of others in our society. Yes, the state can use our tax dollars to provide welfare services. But this is only possible because we, the taxpayers and voters, give consent. The reality of living in a capitalistic society is that there will always be inequality all the time.
Now it is important to understand that it doesnt have to be this way. The world doesnt have to be…."unfair". But any other way would be considered UN-AMERICAN, wouldn't it? And in such a scary world, where our way of life and freedoms are always in danger, who would want to challenge capitalism? Don't you owe those who have died protecting your freedoms?
Anyways, my point is that the taxpayers/voters and the government that represents their interests determine the plight of the homeless.
AMEN anon 3:49 AMEN!!
I think a strong effort to get more 'anchor' type retail downtown would not be wasted. Seattle has done this very well, they have an entire 'mall district' downtown with Macys, Nordstroms, several movie theaters, and numerous smaller retailers. They also have far more downtown housing. But Denver's housing stock downtown is growing and eventually, the stores will follow. But more stores would also attract more residents…. its kind of a chicken/egg thing.