Rocky Mountain PBS – As cities age across the country, there is a movement to maintain infrastructure by also changing a community’s way of life. In Denver, it is called a  ‘Living Street’ — an area that supports mobility (mass-transit to biking to walking to, even, automobiles), public interaction and economic development through the planning and repurposing of urban land near transit lines.

In a series of short videos, Rocky Mountain PBS — as a part of Blueprint America — depicts the varying aspects of the Denver Living Streets Initiative, and the rebuilding of Denver.

Rocky Mountain PBS – Colorado is growing. In 1950, Colorado’s population was just over 1.3 million. By 1980, nearly 3 million. During the 1990s, the state added over one million inhabitants, or about 275 people each day. In 2000, Colorado had 4.3 million residents. In the Denver metro area alone, some 2.8 million people live there — and by 2030, Denver’s population is expected to grow by 1 million.

At the same time, the state is trying to grow its infrastructure to meet the demands of its growing population. The Denver metro area already has an extensive public transit system, and is seeking to expand it with more light-rail in the coming years.

Colorado State of Mind on Rocky Mountain PBS — as a part of Blueprint America — talks with Colorado’s state planners to see how the state is managing its infrastructure.

Joining Colorado State of Mind host Cynthia Hessin:

Cynthia Hessin, Colorado State of Mind

- Bill Vidal, Denver Manager of Public Works

- Margo Hatton-Wolf, Pueblo Riverwalk Foundation

- Parry Burnap, Denver Mayor’s “Greening” Director

- Trent Prall, Engineering Manager, city of Grand Junction’s public works and planning departments
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Rocky Mountain PBS is a partner station of Blueprint America

Also, the Congress of New Urbanism – of which Denver is host to – has a new video posted, it’s called “Built to Last” and it is from filmmakers First + Main Media from Julian, CA and Paget Films from Buffalo, NY (John Paget, Dr. Chris Elisara, and Drew Ward).

National Transportation Policy Project

At the same time, the National Transportation Policy Project just released its take on transportation in America: Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy. What they say is that “U.S. transportation policy needs to be more performance-driven, more directly linked to a set of clearly articulated goals, and more accountable for results.”

Downtown Denver

They say in Denver, ‘most people just got here.’ With a population of some 2.8 million people, the metro area has grown steadily in the past 10 years – averaging a 1.9 percent growth in population each year from 1998 to 2008. And by 2030, Denver’s population is expected to grow by 1 million – to over 3.8 million people.

As the city’s growth rate has consistently outpaced the national rate every decade since the 1930s, its people have spread out across the region similar to Phoenix, Arizona, or Houston, Texas.

Though all of these Western outposts grew into mega-metros and continue to spread out, there are, at the same time, new developments to at least manage their growth.

Phoenix has built light-rail. Houston has built light-rail. And, so has Denver – since 1994.

Denver light-rail near Union Station

The existing light-rail system in Denver provides transportation through the central (line opened in 1994), southwest (2000), and southeast (2006) of the metro area. With each year – and with each new line – ridership has increased.

Still, even with a rail and bus system, the population in the Denver region continues to spread out. That, however, could change with the completion of the Fas Tracks plan.

In 2004, area voters approved Fas Tracks to build out Denver’s mass transit system, even into the growing suburbs.

The Plan

By 2016, an additional 122 miles of rail will be put in place along six new lines as well as extending routes already in place and expanding the regional bus system. If completed, the Denver metro area will rank among the top five regions in the country for total miles of fixed rail.

But even with the expansion of mass transit, Colorado – as a state – has done little to manage its continued growth in terms of development. In 2000, however,  Colorado voters did have an opportunity to control regional growth, but, after initial support, the referendum was defeated – and it has not been revisited since.

As the Denver metro area continues to spread out, its mass transit system, at the same time, will also have to continue to be built even further out for it to remain effective for the region.

Fas Tracks plan, Denver Region Transportation District

Sources: Denver Region Transportation District, The New York Times