Project Overview

Denver Parks & Recreation and the Downtown Denver Partnership are collaborating to create an innovative Master Plan for Downtown  Denver’s outdoor spaces.  The 20-year plan will focus on investment in Downtown’s parks and public spaces to enhance the quality of life, and create a sustainable, vibrant downtown that is economically healthy and growing.  The master plan will serve as a supplement to the 2007 Downtown Area Plan and Denver Parks and Recreation’s GamePlan; and will assess and analyze recreational needs, programming, policies, operations and management, financing and future acquisition opportunities as part of an implementation strategy.

View a map of the study area and eight districts that compose the Downtown.

How to Get Involved

We want to hear from you to understand what you think about outdoor spaces in Downtown Denver. Input from residents, employees, business owners, visitors and students will help guide the development of this plan.

A public meeting was held October 13, 2015. The final public meeting will be January 26, 2016 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Commons on Champa at 1245 Champa Street. We welcome you to participate. Contact us at info@theoutdoordowntown.com to find out more.

Background Statement

The City and County of Denver, in collaboration with the Downtown Denver Partnership, is officially kicking off a master planning effort - The Outdoor Downtown - to create a plan to make Denver the premier “livable outdoor downtown” by providing innovative, inviting and accessible parks and public spaces that contribute to a diverse, vibrant and economically thriving Downtown.

Vision Statement

Denver will be renowned throughout the world for the creation and implementation of our signature parks, special events, innovative use of public spaces, social gatherings and celebration of art, culture and heritage. We must continue to imagine and build a new sustainable future for our Downtown parks and public spaces through social, cultural and economic investments.

The Outdoor Downtown Plan will accomplish the following:

Goals

• Celebrate and activate Denver’s outdoor Downtown by:
• Encouraging a wide variety of cultural, leisure, entertainment and recreation activities.
• Providing a variety of uses in and types and sizes of spaces located throughout Downtown that invite participation by diverse audiences.

• Create a premier outdoor Downtown by providing accessible and inviting parks and public spaces that contribute to an economically thriving Downtown by:
• Identifying strategies, uses and regulations that strengthen their adjacent edges.
• Investing in parks and public spaces that contribute to a prosperous city.
• Assuring that Downtown Denver remains economically, culturally and socially essential.
• Enhancing the public realm through expanding park-type amenities to key connecting streets and corridors.

• Foster a diverse and livable Downtown by:
• Fostering ongoing, inclusionary processes that strengthen the connections between people and the Downtown spaces they use.
• Expanding opportunities for streets, sidewalks, alleys, parking lots, plazas, rooftops, pathways and other outdoor spaces to serve public recreation and leisure purposes.
• Enhancing their safety, quality, condition, vitality, utilization, amenities and functionality.
• Considering the needs of residents, students, visitors, workers and businesses.
• Addressing urban social issues, public health and wellness.
• Distributing equitable access to parks and public spaces across the city.

• Cultivate Denver’s culture and identity in the parks and public spaces by:
• Discovering outcomes that reflect the unique attributes to the Downtown (programs, events, activities, policies and regulations).
• Creating authentic spaces that reflect the culture, people and context and instill a strong sense of community identity and stewardship.

• Provide environmentally and functionally sustainable parks and public spaces by:
• Determining the design principles, management, operations, funding, partnerships, and policies needed to make these places feasible and sustainable.
• Improving access to and well-defined connections between spaces through a variety of modes.
• Employing strategies for sustainable operations and maintenance.
• Adapting to demographic changes, urban transformation and recreation trends.

 

Public Meeting Recap

View the materials and plan recommendations that were presented at the January 26, 2016 public meeting. Following the presentation, those present were asked to choose their top priorities and we are currently tallying those results. Please check back soon to see the results and feedback. Comments or questions regarding these materials may be directed to info@theoutdoordowntown.com.

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