Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Hill
What other greenfield development is happening within the city limits of Denver besides Stapleton? Am I missing something, or am I not understanding the definition of the term "greenfield development?"
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The Aerotropolis. Denver annexed a large amount of land along Pena Boulevard when it annexed DIA. Green Valley Ranch, the new Panasonic City going in, parts of Gateway, half of High Point, are all in "Denver."
Ken's question about the politics of Denver minus the post-war annexations is an interesting one. I think the assumption in this group is that we'd be more urbanist, and possibly better off for it. Sure, if not for all of southwest Denver - non-suburban, actual Denver voters - it would probably be easier to convert Broadway/Lincoln off of being car sewers, to the benefit of adjacent neighborhoods.
But I would challenge that line of thinking. I think without some of the more suburban/stable areas to tide Denver over through the bad decades, the core city could've just as easily declined into insignificance. It would've been hard pressed to facilitate and capture a lot of the core infrastructure that has enabled today's ability to capitalize on shifting preferences, and boom as a result. We might not have held on to major cultural facilities, stadiums, convention facilities, probably couldn't have financed DIA without state help, etc. I think Denver benefits greatly from having a diverse cityscape, from old urbanism, to new urbanism, to everything in between. Allows us to weather a lot of change, without being defined by (and thus constrained by) any one way of thinking and doing things.