“Denver is changing, and change is never easy. It’s understandable that the pressures of a growing city — where car ownership makes less sense and transit, walking, and biking start to take precedence on the streets — make some people uncomfortable.
But change is also inevitable, and if Denver doesn’t manage its growth well, the costs will be high. In fact, if the city chooses to restrict growth, by 2040 each additional household will pay $3,600 more per year for transportation, energy, and water than if the city embraces dense development and transit, according to a new report assembled for the Blueprint Denver task force [PDF].
What’s more, each additional resident will cause significantly more traffic, use more water, and cause more greenhouse gas emissions in a low-growth scenario than in a high-growth.
The report models the effects of five different “growth strategies” over the next two decades, ranging from Boulder-esque development restrictions to “multi-pronged” development around transit and walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
Under the growth restriction scenario, the city’s population would expand by about 135,000 people by 2040, while the most pro-growth scenario would add 262,000 people.”
Sachs, Sachs. Streets Blog Denver 24 March 2017.