Smart Growth
Douglas Broadwater
GEOG 101
December 7, 2012
Stephen Buckman

Smart Growth
Stapleton International Airport in Denver Colorado was first opened in 1929, and operated continuously until it closed in 1995. After 66 years of operation, upgrades, and expansion the airport had five concourses, six runways up to 12,000 feet in length and covered nearly 4,700 acres of land. From 1995 on the site sat largely abandoned while investor attempted to find vendors to set up shops in the empty concourses, in 1997 a hail storm punched holes in the roof of the terminals causing extensive water damage, the decision was made to tear down all the structure except for the 12 story control tower that is hoped to serve as an airport monument, developer want to turn it in to anything from a museum, restaurant or recreation center although its final destiny has yet to be determined("Denver Urban Renewal Authority", n.d.). In 1999 the City of Denver selected Forest City Stapleton Inc. as a master developer for Stapleton’s Sustainable Development Plan. This would generate economic development, enhance existing neighborhoods and businesses and offer high quality attractive homes to people with all different ranges of incomes. (Smartgrowth in action, n.d.) Stapleton covers 4,700 acres and is just fifteen minutes from downtown Denver. The project was estimated to take 15-20 years until full completion. Upon being complete they are expected to have 30,000 residence, and 35,000 workers, 10 million square feet of commercial space, 2 million square feet of retail centers and more than 1,100 new acres of parks, trails, and wildlife habitat. By early 2006 there was 7000 people living at Stapleton and three schools were already opened. The housing ranges from multi to single family homes and also includes apartment and duplex style living. They even reserved some homes for lower-income families and seniors. Many of Stapleton’s homes and offices will be within a 10 minute walk from one of the four planned town centers, which include two to four story buildings with shops, offices, an a park. The shops and resides will be mixed use with apartments above and shops on the first floor. All of the traffic ways are walker friendly, with wide shoulders/ bicycle lanes or sidewalks, and with parks and homes such a short distance away from shops it encourages people to walk and bicycle, and with several bus routes and a rail line coming soon that connects the neighborhood to downtown Denver and the rest of the metro area. By the end of 2014 people will be able to use public transportation to get to Denver International Airport, and downtown Denver, the same time that Stapleton development is slated to be completed. (Smartgrowth in action, n.d.) The Education Master Plan supports small neighborhood schools for 500 students or less, rather than large, comprehensive regional schools. Here again, educational and planning goals dovetail. Many experts believe smaller schools provide a better education and social environment for students who would “fall through the cracks” in a comprehensive school. Smaller schools require smaller sites that fit into city neighborhoods, allowing kids to walk to school and boosting sense of community. Creating schools to lure families who can choose to live elsewhere was another major challenge for Stapleton. More recently, the $14 million Denver School of Science and Technology debuted at Stapleton. Boosted by start-up funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this charter high school welcomed its first freshman class of 130 to a temporary building in August 2004. I live in Parker Colorado, which is a suburb of Denver, so I am glad to see the growth and redevelopment of areas such as Stapleton, Lowery Air force base which has a similar development plan, Rocky mountain Arsenal which has been turned into a national wildlife refuge, and many other sites throughout the metro area. Parker is also doing some redevelopment of their own but on a smaller scale, such as revitalizing abandoned shopping centers, creating a walking main street with trails connecting to some housing developments and parks.

References
Smart Growth in Action. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.smartgrowth.org/pdf/cs_028_Stapleton.pdf
Denver Urban Renewal Authority. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.renewdenver.org/redevelopment/dura-redevelopment-projects/denver-county/stapleton.html
Stapleton Denver. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.stapletondenver.com