A city that is livable for all of its people, now and in the future- Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000

A city that is livable for all of its people, now and in the future-Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000

What is a livable city?

A city that is livable for all of its people, now and in the future- Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000

What is a livable city?1. What constitutes a good life for Denver’s people?2. How might we shape a good city to support a good life?

A city that is livable for all of its people, now and in the future- Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000

What is a livable city?1. What constitutes a good life for Denver’s people?

2. How might we shape a good city to support a good life?

A good life for Denver’s people, understood fundamentally, is a life where

we DWELL in The Fourfold of EARTH and SKY, DIVINITIES and MORTALS,

and where we strive to keep the Fourfold in the things that support and

shape our lives.

DWELLING” names the basic character of human being,

understood as being at home in the world.

Mortals dwell in that we save the EARTH. To save properly means to let something free into its own essence. Saving the earth does not master the earth and does not subjugate it.

Mortals dwell in that we receive the SKY as sky. We leave to the sun and the moon their journey, to the stars their courses, to the seasons their blessing and their inclemency; we do not turn night into day nor day into a harassed unrest.

Mortals dwell in that we await the DIVINITIES as divinities. In hope we hold up to the divinities what is unhoped for. We await for intimations of their coming and do not mistake the signs of their absence. We do not make the gods for ourselves and we do not worship idols. In the very depth of misfortune, we wait for the weal that has been withdrawn.

MORTALS dwell in that we initiate our own essential being - our being capable of death as death - into the use and practice of this capacity, so that there may be a good death.

A good life for Denver’s people is founded upon America’s political ideals:

• that all Men are created equal;• that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights;• that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.• that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men.• that these Governments derive their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.

• that the People & their Government live under the Rule of Law, with Liberty, Equality, Justice;

• that whenever Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People: - to alter or to abolish it, and

- to institute new Government,

- laying its foundation on such Principles and - organizing its Powers in such Form that shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

A good life for Denver’s people emerges broadly out of multiple themes:

• The nature and dignity of the Person;• Respect for and obligations to others, especially to their avoidance of death and suffering;• Respect for and obligations to Earth, our island home;• A society of free individuals with individual Rights;• The qualities which constitute a full life:

- a full life where we strive to be connected with what we see as Good or of crucial importance, or of fundamental value. For example, a life lived

• in the everyday pursuits of family and business (parent, businessperson); and/or• in self-mastery through reason (philosopher); and/or• in the honor ethic (warrior); and/or• in the preservation of memory (historian); and/or• in expressive poeisis (artist, musician, architect); and/or• in the world of nature (scientist, naturalist, explorer); and/or• in caring for the needs of humans and other sentient beings (physician, nurse); and/or• in education (teacher, writer); and/or• in the political realm of democracy and citizenship (political leader); and or• In Ultimate Concern for the Unnameable, YHWH, El, Elohim, Ein-Sof, God, Allah,

Brahma, Enlightenment, No-Self, Nirvana, Atman, the Tao, the One, the Good

A good life for Denver’s people emerges broadly out of multiple themes:

• The nature and dignity of the Person;• Respect for and obligations to others, especially to our avoidance of death and suffering;• A society of free individuals with individual Rights;• The qualities which constitute a full life:

- a full life where we strive to be connected with what we see as Good or of crucial importance, or of fundamental value, and- a full life where we tell about our sense of Good through our Stories, and

- a full life where we tell Stories, not only about the lives we strive to lead, but also about:+ our beautiful natural terrain at the foot of the Rocky Mountains;+ our beautiful locales (neighborhoods);+ our enduring things (parks and monuments);+ our freedom of movement (walking, riding, driving);+ our unique frontier stories (History)+ our love of art, culture, learning, sport; and+ our hope to build a better society and a more civilized world: mentally, morally spiritually, materially.

A good life for Denver’s people emerges out of our LIBERTY to choose what

we find to be good for ourselves and good for our community. A good life

for Denver’s people is dependent upon our FREEDOM:

• our FREEDOM of speech and expression;• our FREEDOM to worship or not to worship God in our own way;• our FREEDOM from want; and• our FREEDOM from fear.

A good life for Denver’s people is dependent upon a healthy democracy.

But democracy is fragile.

The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.

It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.- Robert Maynard Hutchins

As Denver’s people, we must work together to sustain, nurture, and strengthen a healthy democracy if we are to live a good life.

A city that is livable for all of its people, now and in the future- Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000

What is a livable city?1. What constitutes a good life for Denver’s people?2. How might we shape a good city to support a good life?

Recent Population Growth by State, 2000 to 2004

2.7%

-5.0% 1.0% 7.0% 13.0% 19.0%

Dist. of Col.North DakotaWest Virginia

OhioIow a

PennsylvaniaLouisianaMassach.New York

KansasMichiganAlabama

MississippiVermont

NebraskaOklahoma

South DakotaIllinois

KentuckyWyoming

IndianaWisconsin

MontanaMissouri

ConnecticutArkansas

Rhode IslandMaine

New JerseyMinnesota

TennesseeHaw aiiNationAlaska

New MexicoSouth

MarylandOregon

New Hamp.Washington

VirginiaDelaw areCalifornia

NorthColorado

UtahIdaho

GeorgiaTexasFlorida

ArizonaNevada

AREAS OF CHANGE are parts of the city where development or redevelopment can best be accommodated because of transportation choices and opportunities for mixed-use development. The purpose of Areas of Change is to channel growth where it will be beneficial and can best improve access to jobs, housing, and services with fewer and fewer auto trips.

AREAS OF STABILITY comprise the majority of Denver, primarily established residential neighborhoods and their associated commercial areas, where limited change is expected during the next 20 years.The goal for these areas is to identify and maintain the character of an area while accommodating some new development and redevelopment.

AREAS OF CHANGE: TRANSIT-ORIENTED COMMUNITIES

COLORADO STATION: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006