Some of Denver's leaders are sounding the alarm over rising household income levels and the threat to affordable housing. But in an editorial in The Denver Post, Vincent Carroll argues that an exclusive downtown Denver is better than the alternative.
"We have reached the point in the development of downtown Denver when people are complaining — or at least seriously worried — about its successful transformation," writes Carroll.
"Denver really runs the risk of becoming an elitist city," Councilwoman Judy Montero told The Post. "With development and transportation build-out and all of these transit stops, the idea was for this to be mixed income and equitable. ... We have to find a middle. We have to find a balance."
"Good luck locating that middle," answers Carroll. "When neighborhoods gentrify with the sweeping speed that has occurred downtown (as well as in Highland in north Denver, and years ago in Cherry Creek), the pressure on prices can prove irresistible. Preserving or expanding 'affordable housing' in such an environment — meaning residential units that people with median household incomes can afford — becomes an increasingly difficult task."
"Yet why cavil? Many cities would give anything to possess the allure of Denver's downtown — a magnet for educated professionals in their 20s and 30s."
FULL STORY: Carroll: Downtown Denver too exclusive? Better than the alternative

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)