Denver has a reputation for building new residential units to accommodate its rapid growth. But the incoming class of new city councilmembers brings strong anti-development politics.
"The Denver City Council's next class will take office in mid-July with the most new members in more than a decade and will have up to three new voices questioning development policies," reports Jon Murray.
"In a runoff Tuesday for central Denver's open District 10 seat, Wayne New, who made aggressive development in Cherry Creek North a motivating factor in his campaign, defeated Anna Jones, a community development consultant," according to Murray. Moreover, "New joins councilman-elect Rafael Espinoza, from northwest District 1, and Paul Kashmann, from southeast District 6, as more skeptical voices on the issue."
Despite the unprecedented turnover on the Denver City Council, local political analysts quoted by Murray expect some policies changes regarding development as a result of the new councilmembers, but the city's strong mayoral system should limit the possibility of any drastic institutional change.
Denver's development climate is of particular interest due to the city's strong growth trends. Much of the public narrative about Denver's development in recent years has been devoted to transit oriented development in the urban core, yet development controversies in suburban cities and explosive growth on the city's fringes might be the more impactful trends to watch in the region.
FULL STORY: Denver elections add three new skeptical development voices to City Council

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie