INSIDE
A
ffordable housing is in more
demand than ever due to
the rapidly rising real estate
prices found in the Den-
ver metropolitan area. An
increasing number of renters find
themselves priced out of their exist-
ing homes and neighborhoods, even
though they are employed full time,
sometimes with multiple jobs.
These individuals and families are
experiencing pressure to make dif-
ficult decisions between living near
their workplace and schools in their
communities where they have lived,
often, for generations and moving
to more affordable locations further
away. While these
locations may
be more afford-
able financially,
they come at the
cost of increased
commute time
and expense, new
schools for children
and the loss of a
network created
when people know
and support their
neighbors.
Our region now
is confronted with several important
questions that will set a trajectory
for the future of our cities and neigh-
borhoods. Primarily, as a society, we
must decide to encourage and foster
economic diversity in order to pre-
serve Denver and our surrounding
cities. The human capital that creates
the vibrant economy that we current-
ly enjoy must not be forced to com-
mute from great distances. Instead,
we should envision and implement a
city with a variety of housing types in
every neighborhood, creating a holis-
tic, sustainable and healthy com-
munity, animated by diversity and
not monoculture. This will have an
impact on how our communities look
for generations to come.
These decisions are as impor-
tant as others that our community
answered over past decades, such
as the decision to support FasTracks
as well as realizing how a new air-
port would lay the groundwork for
regional economic growth.
The Denver metropolitan region
has risen to the challenge on these
important issues and, as a result,
our city has enjoyed sustained
growth, even when other cities
nationally remained flat. Now is the
time to organize a planning strategy
to ensure that diverse housing types
Courtesy Shopworks Architecture
Implementing a variety of housing types in every neighborhood creates a holistic, sustainable and healthy community. This work-force housing project, slated to break ground in the spring,
will feature 70 units for low-income renters to help maintain a housing balance in Englewood.
Chad Holtzinger,
AIA
President,
Shopworks
Architecture,
Denver
