University Park Neighborhood Case Study

Located near the University of Denver, the University Park Neighborhood is a diverse, bustling neighborhood with many mixed-use zones. S.R. DeBoer, a founder and an originator of the neighborhood, aimed at making it a “quiet nook” (Denver.org). Today, the neighborhood is quite opposite of that -- with many businesses, houses, multifamily complexes, and D.U., this part of town boasts many financial gains for the city – it also poses a great traffic and parking problem. However, if you search well enough, you will find many pleasant parks and other greenery. The University of Denver, located in this neighborhood, is responsible for much of the development that is observable today. I am quite familiar with this neighborhood because I live in or

But when analyzing University Park, you must not forget the fact that the University of Denver is responsible for much of the development in this part of Denver. In the 1880’s, the Colorado Seminary found its new home as the University of Denver in University Park (Denver.org). With donations made by nearby landowners, the school could begin constructing their first buildings. The donors did have stipulations: There had to be plenty of trees (1,000 to be exact) and timely construction (Denver.org). With downtown thought to be an unpleasant area at the time, University Park was the best option for those involved in planning and funding. In 2000, the University Park Community Counsel (UPCC) took charge, then was disbanded due to financial restraints. It then picked back up in 2002, quickly losing traction. Finally, in 2007, the counsel was reinstated – this would help ensure future plans are considered, and fit the neighborhood’s goal(s) (Denver.org). The counsel incorporated input from residents, business owners, property owners, non-profit organizations, developers, architects, real estate professionals, schools, political leaders and city staff

This may be good, but it may also have negative consequences. Building more modern buildings may flood out the original character of the neighborhood. On the other hand, most urbanization plans outlined in the overall neighborhood plan focused on improving pedestrian access: “Goal 2: Enhanced Pedestrian Experience” (Denver.org). This aligns with other goals in the overall neighborhood plan – improving pedestrian access and experience is present within most, if not all, sections of the plan. But even though urbanization of this neighborhood may have strong positive impacts, it is more than necessary to account for existing buildings. The plan outlines the importance of “seamless transitioning from residential to business” (Denver.org). There is very little in the plan that details how this will be accomplished. This section of the plan mainly explains that it comes down to developers and city planners to ensure “smooth transitioning in zoning”