Transportation Trade-offs and Priorities in Denver

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• A new approach to street classifications and types that integrates land use, multimodal transportation needs, green infrastructure, parking, and placemaking
• How to assess differences between a complete-street approach and a complete-network approach with modal priority and overlapping and layered networks for each mode, as well as global pedestrian priority
• How to bring various departments, stakeholders and community members together to discuss and make tough decisions about trade-offs associated with creating real modal priorities

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Denver, like most mid-sized to large cities, suffers from the silo effect due to its size and the division of labor into departments. Many departments have an interest and stake in the public right-of-way as our streets provide mobility, safety, access, placemaking, parking, green infrastructure and more. The current Denveright planning effort is bringing together all the various departments and stakeholders to rethink the community's approach to the transportation system. Guided by a multi-modal strategic plan, the current efforts are engaging the community in a conversation about trade-offs and priorities that will have very real implications for the existing and future networks. Building on an aggressive vision to change the car culture of Denver, the plans articulate specific goals and strategies to create complete networks for each mode of travel as opposed to trying to make every street complete when the existing constraints simply won't allow it. A new set of street types is being developed by an interdepartmental working group and vetted by various stakeholders groups. Learn how this street typology is integrating land use, modal priority, and neighborhood context to set a new course for how Denver utilizes the right-of-way in a rapidly growing community.