Taking a closer look at Blueprint Denver

Blueprint Denver is a land use and transportation plan that commenced in 2002. Blueprint Denver went through a revision in 2019. The original goal in 2002 was to establish “Areas of Change” and “Areas of Stability” throughout Denver:

“Established ‘Areas of Change’ and ‘Areas of Stability’ citywide.

Blueprint Denver’s ‘innovative areas of change’ and ‘areas of stability’ approach has accommodated significant population growth in areas of change, while maintaining the character of stable neighborhoods by allowing limited growth in areas of stability. We’ve seen up to 10 times the investment in areas of change over areas of stability, even though areas of change represent only 1/5 of our whole city.
Emphasized multi-modal streets and mixed-use development.

Blueprint’s emphasis on multi-modal streets and mixed-use development has kept us focused on strategies to move more people in different ways, and to allow more people to work, live, shop, play (and more) in their own neighborhoods.
Represented the community’s vision.

Blueprint’s direct contributors included more than 2,000 residents and property owners in Denver’s diverse neighborhoods.”

Blueprint Denver’s revised mission is to:

“Denver has changed considerably since 2002, and Blueprint has reached the end of its shelf life. It’s time to plan for the next 20 years — and address the city’s ongoing population growth and transit expansion, and as well as sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change. 

• It’s time for a modern approach to regulations.
• FasTracks has been a game changer for Denver. How can we better integrate the FasTracks system into our overall land use and transportation planning strategy?

Denver’s rapid growth underscores the need for an updated land use and transportation plan to ensure we’re directing growth to the right places while protecting stable neighborhoods.”

The updated summary for Blueprint Denver is less than 100 words…for a document that spans over 300 pages. Randal O’Toole, a land-use and transportation expert and Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute joins Kim as today’s featured guest. O’Toole not only read this massive document, but he’s also analyzed it. O’Toole and Kim discuss how this plan threatens single-family homes and neighborhoods, potential zoning changes, and how this will affect current and future residents of Denver.