The Game Plan Process:creating a vision

Denver’s historyof parks and

recreation is rich

with political

far-sightedness, civic

pride, gifted design,

and community

generosity. The

Game Plan, a

strategic master

plan for Denver’s

parks and recreation

future, builds on this

legacy. It provides a

framework of values

to guide planning

and development

decisions over the

next 50 years.

�

Chapter 1

t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

Denver’s parks and recreation facilities areunrivaled in the Rocky Mountain West. Theyembrace nearly 3,000 acres of “traditional” parksand parkways and 2,500 urban natural acres inthe city alone, with an additional 14,000 acres ofspectacular mountain parks. On the drawingboards are an additional 334 acres ofneighborhood and community parks and 1100acres of natural areas at Stapleton and Lowry. Its29 recreation centers, seven municipal golfcourses, and nationally recognized culturalattractions, such as the Denver Zoo, the DenverBotanic Gardens, Historic Four Mile House, RedRocks and the Buffalo Bill Museum, servemillions of visitors annually.

The system’s 135-year history spans from thefirst park, a single block that two savvydevelopers donated to the city in 1868 tocreate Curtis Park, to nearly 20,000 acres ofurban parks and mountain parkland in 2003.

Our parks capture all that is the essence ofColorado, from sand-hill prairie along FirstCreek in far northeast Denver to fragile tundraat the peak of Mt. Evans. They span nearly 100miles, 8,700 feet in elevation change, and fiveecosystems.

But Denver also is a highly urban park system.In fact, the city owes much of its urban formand character to the tree-lined streets,parkways, boulevards, and parks that weredesigned in the late-19th and early-20thcenturies. Parks give each Denverneighborhood a social heart, an identity and,often, a name.

Parks are about recreation — people“re-creating” themselves away from work andhome. Denver is a city of people who like toplay and enjoy the outdoors. In survey aftersurvey, Denver residents credit parks, openspace, and recreational opportunities for ourhigh quality of life, a close second only to oursunny skies and great weather.

Change is the constant in park and recreationtrends and the pace has quickened. Peoplenow skate, run, and jog past people strolling.The few street-corner jungle gyms of our earlyhistory have evolved into our 29 recreationcenters and incredible citywide recreationprograms.

City Park by moonlight �

“When you’re in big congested cities

and there’s not a lot of front or

backyard, the neighborhood park is

your front yard. The most important

park is not . . . the Grand Canyon, it’sthe local park.”

Mayor Wellington E. Webb

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� A FIRST-RATE PARK LEGACY

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Denver planners, leaders, and residentsshaped this incredible legacy deliberately, andalways with an eye toward building on thepast. Denver now faces considerable change— new leisure and work trends, demographicshifts, and increasing population density —with no adopted strategic plan for its parks,recreation, and open space.

The last city-wide parks plan was completed in1986 and never adopted. Denver Parks andRecreation (DPR) and Denver residents wantedto fill this critical void with a plan for the futureto protect and extend the existing legacy.

That community mandate was reflected in theDenver Comprehensive Plan 2000, theplanning and development guide for all citydepartments and agencies, which called forDPR to create a master plan as thedepartment’s top priority. As a supplement tothe Denver Comprehensive Plan 2000, theGame Plan will guide DPR’s budget, capitaldevelopment, and policy decisions, as well asprovide a planning framework forcollaborations with other city agencies,organizations, and businesses.

The Public Process: A Continuing Dialogue

Thousands of Denver citizens participated inthe Game Plan process. Working with a citizenadvisory committee (CAC) and the Parks andRecreation Advisory Board, DPR engaged thepublic in a 16-month process to develop thisplan. The public process entailed extensiveopportunities for community input from 14public forums, formal and informal surveys, sixfocus groups, and website.

Thousands of individual comments wereconsidered in making recommendations.Bilingual and alternate materials were availablefor the public forums:

� February/March 2001 quadrant meetings� Nine June 2001 open houses held in parks

across the city� Two April 2002 open houses and a public

hearing� Six focus groups engaging youth and non-

English speaking communities� Two meetings in Jefferson County for

communities surrounding mountain parks� The 2001 Game Plan Survey, yielding 1,500

responses

� Game Plan open house, June 2001

DDPPRR aatt aa GGllaannccee

� Denver 2000 Population~554,636

� Size~64,176 acres (without

Denver International Airport)� Urban parks~3,000 (irrigated)

acres, plus 343 planned acres� Urban natural areas~2,500 acres,

plus 900 at Stapleton and Lowry� Municipal golf courses ~7

(942 acres)� Largest city parks (in acres) ~City

Park – 314, Sloan’s Lake – 290,

Washington Park – 195� Mountain parks ~14,000 acres� Parkways ~100 miles� Greenways and trails ~135 miles� Recreation centers ~29� After school sites ~27� Pools ~19� Skate parks ~1� Employees ~1,400-1,600

seasonal and full-time� Annual budget ~ about $56 million

(total capital and operating)

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� THE MANDATE FOR THE GAME PLAN

t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

� Informal recreation-center user surveys� A focus group with current and potential

nonprofit partners� More than 200 individual presentations to

organizations across the city� City Council briefings� Staff retreats, workshops, and

presentations� Interactive Game Plan web site at

www.denvergov.org/gameplan

Those community patterns — of use, of valuesexpressed, of ideas — are woven throughoutthe Game Plan. The 2001 Game Plan Survey, astatistically valid seven-page instrument, yielded1,500 responses and provided extensiveinformation on park and recreation use, values,and priorities. The survey reveals that residentsgreatly value all parts of Denver’s parks andrecreation system and consistently supportmountain parks and urban natural areas.

Compared to other cities, Denver’s parks arewell-used. More than 90 percent of Denverresidents surveyed had visited a park orrecreation facility in the previous year,significantly higher than a national averagenearer 65 percent. And, overall, residents arevery pleased with Denver’s parks andrecreation programs.

Yet residents surveyed are also less satisfiedwith resources committed to park

maintenance, and are inclined to feel thatdistribution of resources within the city is notentirely fair. Denver residents want the city tobalance adequate care of existing facilities withthoughtful expansion for the future.

A majority of residents were willing to pay atleast $4/month for either additional amenitiesthat they especially value or for increasedmaintenance.

Finally, some recommendations for DPRpolicies were consistent from source to source.

Priorities for DPR programs should be to serveyouth and seniors. Adults programsconsistently rated last. DPR should strengthenits relationship with the community throughbetter communications, accountability, andcommunity involvement. And DPR shouldincrease its environmental stewardshipthrough all aspects of the department,especially in water conservation.

As the Game Plan moves forward intoimplementation, this public dialogue willcontinue with community oversight tomeasure the plan’s progress and developmentof a community voice in all aspects of the parksand recreation system.

� Crofton Elementary students design a park

“Denver can be made one of the

ordinary cities of the country, or she

can be made the Paris of America.”

Mayor Robert Speer, 1907

4

The Game Plan is a value-driven strategicframework, divided into two broad parts. First,it offers a 50-year physical vision of Denver as aCity in a Park: ideas for the future, as well asideas for today. Second, it recommends shortand long-term policy, management, andcommunity actions to implement the vision. Itpresents a mandate for new, more responsivecity policies and funding strategies.

As a framework plan, the Game Plan offers thebig picture but fewer specificrecommendations for individual parks,recreation facilities and programs, or DPRdivisions. It provides information and criteriathat will help the city make decisions andrespond to future requests and trends.

It also clarifies values that the people of Denverexpressed as important for their parks andrecreation system. These four values, whichare inherent in our park legacy and arearticulated in the Denver Comprehensive Plan2000, direct DPR to work towards:

� a sustainable environment,� equity in facilities and services,� engagement of the community, and� sound economics.

All Game Plan recommendations, in fact, aremade with these values in mind. They are thedetermining criteria for allocating resources, forDPR management and accountability, forcontinuing our partnership with the public,and for protecting Denver’s open spaces forthe future. These values determine thepriorities for physical ideas for A City in a Park,and are summarized as follows:

Sustainable Environments

The Game Plan’s first priority is to protect thepark system’s physical resources. Discussionsabout vision, new trends, and expansions aremeaningless if policies and funding areinadequate to keep even the current physicalresources — natural ones such as open spaceand adequate clean water, or built ones suchas irrigation systems and historic structures —in good condition.

The issue is one of sustainability — of designing,building, and maintaining our resourcesresponsibly so we will be able to appreciatethem well into the future. That means building,adapting, and managing the park and

� Red Rocks, circa 1890

Congress Park scooter �

“Priorities for DPR programs

should be youth and seniors.

Adults consistently rated last.”

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� THE VALUES FRAMING THE PLAN

t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

recreation system to survive in and contributeto a drought-prone, water conscious City.

Denver’s parks and recreation system has thepotential to be a national model in protectingnatural and built resources. The Game Planprovides direction that will strengthen DPR’sleadership in protecting our resources throughnew strategies and policies for environmentalresponsibility, preservation of historic placesand structures, and high standards of design,construction, maintenance, and programming.

Equity

How the city expands our parks and programsand allocates resources will be based onequity, meaning comparable distribution,access, and quality across the city. It does notimply equally dividing the annual budget pie orproviding identical amenities for everyone.Parks, parkways, natural areas, and recreationcenters should vary across the city, reflectinggeography as well as the needs, character, andhistory of neighborhoods.

However, access to open space and facilities —including parks, trails, natural areas, tree-canopy cover, recreation facilities,playgrounds, ballfields, waterways, amenitieslike flowerbeds, and recreation centers —should be distributed equitably across the city.

Equity also means applying equally highstandards of quality construction, programs,and maintenance across the city. And, fromsidewalks to cultural events, equity means thatpublic places and programs are physicallyaccessible to all populations.

Based upon an analysis of park and recreationservices across the city, the Game Planprovides data for equitable and informeddiscussions and funding decisions. It offersstrategies to balance the needs of underservedestablished neighborhoods with the needs ofnew or emerging neighborhoods.

Engagement

Highly successful parks and recreationdepartments anticipate, respond to, involve,and respect their users. Engagement meansthat Denver residents are encouraged toparticipate in every aspect of the park andrecreation system, including programming,park design, and maintenance.

It means that DPR policy and vigorouscommunity outreach invite all voices in theprocess, especially youth. In turn, Denveritesare encouraged to take an active stewardshiprole as volunteers and advocates. DPRresources are also strengthened and leveragedthrough innovative partnerships with other

City Park tennis lessons �

� Park fesitval, circa 1960

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agencies and organizations dedicated to openspaces and recreation. A policy of engagementalso results in a park and recreation system thatrichly reflects Denver, our cultural diversity andevolving recreation trends.

And, finally, engagement means that Denver’sparks and recreation facilities and programsshould serve the community in a muchbroader sense, as public places alive withprograms and opportunities for Denverresidents to learn, to create and to thrive. Parksand recreation centers are places for jobtraining, environmental education, orcommunity festivals — economic and socialcatalysts for neighborhoods.

Sound Economics

Ensuring a sustainable parks and recreationsystem requires adequate funding. The GamePlan emphasizes the need for creative sourcesfor both operating and capital dollars. Ourability to develop new parks and programsdepends upon our ability to maintain ourcurrent system while securing funds forimprovements and acquisitions.

This requires realistic and sustainableeconomic practices and dependable revenues.It also takes a skilled staff to develop andmanage high-quality programs and facilities.

The Game Plan’s financial proposals are basedon analysis of existing infrastructure,identification of neighborhoods “in need,” andfinancial patterns over time. Therecommendations vary from increasing publicfunding to compensate for chronic capitalunderfunding to improving our businessrelationships with service providers.

Edging Commons Park �

� “Hands on Denver” volunteer

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t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

What new ideas or emphases could enhanceour extensive and beloved park and recreationsystem? What needs to be protected? Changed?What does a 21st-century City in a Park looklike? It signifies a change in how we define ourparks and recreation programs as well as howwe design, build, and manage them.

As a City in a Park, Denver itself becomes alarge park, with streets, buildings, and peopleas integral elements of a rich and variedlandscape. It begins at our front doors andextends to the mountain and prairie parks.And it embraces the public realm in its entirety.

The City in a Park vision is built upon five broadthemes. The first three reinforce currentplanning directions in Denver:

� building new parks in new places; � celebrating the Colorado landscape

in the city; and � responding to 21st century needs

and trends.

The final two themes chart new territory forDPR and Denver. Then weave together landand the work of various city departments withnew ideas about places: transforming open

space into green infrastructure and connectingthe public realm. A brief overview of eachtheme follows, with details in later chapters.

Building New Parks in New Places

Except in developing areas, such as Stapleton,Lowry, and future “areas of change” (outlined inBlueprint Denver), where population growthwill be channeled, Denver is a city ofestablished neighborhoods and parks. How dowe accommodate new types of uses and addpark land to bring underserved neighborhoodsup to par in these established areas?

Blueprint Denver projects 132,000 newresidents by 2020. The majority of these newresidents will live in areas of change, which willbe converted from outdated land uses to newmixed uses and open spaces. This will meanlooking at old places in new ways. Forexample, over the past 20 years, Denver hastransformed “brownfields” (abandoned,industrial, or contaminated lands) into newdevelopment.

One example is the former railyards along theSouth Platte River in the Central Platte Valley,

� Contemporary playground at Lowry

8

� A CITY IN A PARK: FROM VALUES TO PHYSICAL VISION

now the setting for dramatic new places suchas Commons Park.

In the future, existing and new facilities such aspublic schools could do double-duty,providing school and community recreationspaces and facilities. Fully built neighborhoodsmay need to identify and adapt places such asutility corridors or privately owned campusesto develop new parks.

Celebrating the Colorado Landscape in the City

Denver’s mountain parks have offeredresidents a scenic retreat for 90 years. TodayDenver residents also want that taste ofwilderness within urban parks and openspaces. A sustainable park system in the aridwest must incorporate the plants andlandscapes able to survive in and offer relieffrom drought.

Denver parks can have more natural areas thatreveal and restore the Colorado landscape,while continuing to provide spaces forrecreation purposes or parks laid out andplanted in a formal style.

New parks are beginning to extend beyondDenver’s 19th-century formal parks andparkways planted with bluegrass lawns andnon-native street trees. This original “green

grid” of parks and parkways provides awelcome respite within an arid climate. Yet itdoes little to let people experience the nativelandscape that gives the Denver region itscharacter and Colorado wildlife their home.Newer Denver parks celebrate the Coloradolandscape with its native grasses and the naturalebb and flow of rivers and conserving water.

Responding to 21st Century Needs and Trends

Shade structures over playgrounds? Public“food court” playgrounds? Twenty-four-hourrecreation centers? Like any large complexorganization with a limited capital budget, DPRcan be slow to catch up, let alone anticipate,new directions. And parks and facilitiesrequire an intensive investment in fixed capital.

For example, Denver recently opened a $1million skate park, the country’s largest, butcontinues to try to find ways to meet the needsof other residents who desire places to in-lineskate, ride horses, and exercise dogs. TheGame Plan provides a process to help the citystay in tune with the people it serves and to beready in the 21st century.

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Food court as playground �

� Pelican on the Platte

t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

Transforming Open Space into “Green Infrastructure”

This is a new way for Denver to integrate publicopen space with other basic city infrastructure,such as stormwater drainage, air andwater-quality controls, to transform our parksystem into an environmental system, into“green infrastructure”.

The idea is to develop and manage Denver as acity in an ecological park. Park lands andfacilities will conserve natural resources such aswater and energy and protect the quality of ourair, water, soils, landscapes, and wildlife habitats.

Although all plants and turf consume water,trees contribute a great deal in return. Forexample, trees dramatically improve air qualityby removing pollutants, and can increaseinfiltration of ground water. Open spaces canalso store and help clean vast amounts ofstormwater. As the city retrofits older parksand builds new ones, each piece in the systemcan contribute to protecting and enhancingthe city’s natural resources.

Connecting the Public Realm

The City in a Park vision weaves Denver’s openspaces together into a whole. It begins at each

resident’s front door, with thousands of newstreet trees and sidewalks connectingneighborhoods and creating safe “front yard”green spaces available to everyone.

It extends beyond the edge of the city to aregional web of trails, waterways, and wildlifehabitats. In between, the city is connected bypublic spaces, including downtown civicspace, parks and plazas, community gardens,Learning Landscapes in every Denver publicschool, and public recreation centers.

This comprehensive regional perspectivereflects the spirit of Denver’s bold early plans,such as the1914 Olmsted Plan for themountain parks and the Sopris-Lee plan in1868 that proposed Sloan’s Lake and City Park,then located outside of city limits. The GamePlan emphasizes new connections betweenexisting sites in the system and proposessolutions for how we get people from theirhomes, across rivers, roads, and tracks, toparks, schools and downtown.

Stormwater carefully channelled and cleaned �

� 17th Avenue Parkway today

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Denver Parks in Development

Existing Denver Parks

Public Golf Courses

Parks in Other Municipalities

Designated Denver Parkways

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�

Existing Park and Open Space System

t h e G a m e P l a n p r o c e s s :

Expanding Our Vision

The physical vision of Denver as a City in a Parkstretches our definition of parks and recreationin three broad ways. First, it expands the rangeof public spaces that function as parks,providing residents with maximum choice andopportunities for access, as well as a rich menuof experiences that respond to neighborhoodneeds and emerging leisure trends.

Second, it broadens the definition of parks andpublic spaces across a range of scales, from thefront yard to neighborhood to community toregion — and connects this system physicallyto a degree not yet experienced. And, finally, itweaves environmental goals into the designand management of all public spaces.

The City in a Park vision also honors the valuesexpressed by the people of Denver:sustainability, equity, engagement, and soundeconomics. Those values could translate intothe following ten broad goals for the GamePlan. Chapter 2 discusses the context — theexisting conditions, history, and data analysisfor achieving the following ten goals:

1. More parks and recreation for allcitywide. The Game Plan proposes addingmore than 700 acres of parkland anddistributing them equitably among growingareas and existing neighborhoods. Theseadditions may be made by recycling industrialland, sharing open spaces and ballfields withschools, businesses, and institutions, and evensharing utility corridors.

Within a half-mile of every home are newcommunity gardens, natural areas, walkingtrails, playgrounds, informal play areas, orinterpretive historical and cultural areas. Olderparks are refurbished, expanded, andenhanced with new natural areas, public art,and trails. Recreation centers are built andrefurbished with higher standards for programsand square feet per user.

2. Greener neighborhoods with lots ofnew shade trees . . . The Game Plan vastlyincreases the city’s tree canopy from thecurrent 6 percent citywide to 10 percent incommercial areas and 18 percent in residentialneighborhoods.

� Congress Park art benches

Chess players at Davis Center �

12

� SUMMARY

Shading and beautifying city streets enhancesneighborhood identity and pride, createspleasant passageways betweenneighborhoods and city parks, and improvesair quality. Trees remain a top priority even in adrought.

3. . . . while using less water . . .The 2002 drought dramatically illustrated thevulnerability of our water supplies. Withoutsacrificing the historic beauty of our parks orour recreational opportunities, we can reducewater needs (currently 2 billion gallonsannually) through more efficient management,better irrigation systems, and by preserving orrestoring natural areas that thrive withoutirrigation.

4. . . . and conserving other naturalresources. The Game Plan also proposes“green,” or environmentally friendly, practicesfor design, renovation, construction, andmaintenance of all buildings and landscapes.These measures will conserve water, energy,and other natural resources, reduce pollution,and protect wildlife habitat.

5. Improved access: You can get therefrom here. Getting to a park or recreationcenter can be difficult. The Game Plan seeksto improve pedestrian, bicycle, public transit,and other routes for people of all ages and

abilities. To achieve this, Denver needs moresidewalks and trails, as well as safer crossings atarterial roads, interstates, and railroad tracksthat separate neighborhoods from parks andtrails. Existing trail systems need to be vastlyimproved to weave together the entire region.

6. Predict the recreation future (Whatnext? Disc golf on in-line skates?) Thirtyyears ago, we could not have forecastedtoday’s passions for cycling, skateboarding, in-line skating, disc golf, and dog-exercise parks.Recognizing that recreation needs evolve, andrequire both space and special facilities, theGame Plan outlines a process for DPR to keepup with trends, resolve conflicts, and providenew recreation opportunities.

7. Bring a “taste of nature” close tohome. The Game Plan proposes more naturallands, including conservation areas andhealthy waterways that offer access for everyresident of every neighborhood. These naturalareas will be woven into a regional system thatextends from mountain parks to sandhillprairies. Natural areas save water, providewildlife habitat, and create more diverse parksand recreation experiences. New parklandsmay include the sage and golden hues of thenatural prairie as well as the deeper green ofirrigated lawns and ballfields.

� Falcon

� City Park picnicers, late 1800s

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8. A sumptuous past: Protect Denver’shistoric parks, parkways, and structures.Denver’s oldest parks and parkways aretreasures recognized through local and federalhistoric designation. The Game Plan proposesto preserve this legacy through comprehensivetraining, strict design review, restoration andrepair efforts that use durable and historicallyaccurate materials, and preventativemaintenance.

9. Save another historic treasure:Revitalize the Mountain Parks. Denver’smountain park system includes 46 historicparks with classic structures and scenic drives.They encompass 14,000 acres of natural andhistoric treasures in three counties. The GamePlan recommendations protect and enhancethese resources by: making connections thatweave mountain parks into a regional system;reducing fire risk; balancing conflicting forms ofrecreation; and devising new funding sourcesand management techniques.

10. The Game Plan means business:Change the way DPR works, focusing onsound economics and creativepartnerships. The Game Plan recommendsboth incremental and sweeping changes toimprove management and to secure funding.It proposes new funding sources, partnerships,and strategies to increase DPR’s capital budgetand efficiency.

For example, improvements may result frompartnerships being initiated with more than 50schools and from joint ventures with privatelandowners. Some programs and activitieshelp pay their own way through fees forresidents who can afford to pay. Building upona long and effective history of involvement,residents become even greater stewards andvolunteers, participating in park and recreationprogramming, fundraising, and maintenance.

Demand for group picnic areas keeps growing �

� Northside Park sculpture . . . and visitor

“In connection with the Civic Center

and its system of radiating

boulevards, the mountain parks will

form a climax of beauty and an

opportunity for pleasure

unequalled.”

1913 Municipal Facts

14