Page 51 - CCD Magazine - Winter-Spring 2019 Issue

So how can we continue to grow while providing parks and open space and protecting the environment? The answer may lie in the “mining” of an overabundant resource. In Denver, I’m referring to the city’s 7,338 acres of paved parking lots. That is 11.5 square miles, or more than twice the size of the entire Stapleton neighborhood at build-out. That doesn’t even count paving from roads. Much more than vertical building contributes to Denver’s heat-island effect. That total asphalt surface also exceeds all Denver’s green space by 1,100 acres. There are only 204 acres of undeveloped land left in Denver. Ok, but where will people park? With the rise of ride- sharing, the growing popularity of transit, biking and walking, and the future of driverless cars, demand for parking is already dropping. Meanwhile rising land costs encourage the transformation of surface parking lots to vertical places where people live and work. Cities like New York have seen population and density spike with commensurate growth in parks and open space, mostly achieved by reclaiming industrial land. In Denver, the new green roof ordinance may also help mitigate the heat-island effect as we replace black roofs with solar panels and prairie grasses. Like most cities, Denver faces tough challenges, including industrial pollution, gentrification, homelessness, rising violent crime, traffic, and the persistent Brown Cloud. Density does create issues such as congestion and loss of scale in neighborhoods. But these are growing pains that can be mitigated. Density in itself is not the problem but a positive symptom for a growing, thriving, and maturing city. WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR BUSINESS People News • Industry Events • Educational Features • Project Updates Architectural Renderings • Association News • Your News • IN PRINT • ON LINE • ON TIME Colorado's Construction News And Marketing Magazine To discuss your marketing, contact: mike@ccdmag.com • 303-914-0574 visit: www.ccdmag.com Colorado Construction & Design | 51