{"id":6912,"date":"2019-09-18T16:05:22","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T23:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/?p=6912"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:05:22","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T23:05:22","slug":"population-growth-takes-planning-patience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/population-growth-takes-planning-patience\/","title":{"rendered":"Population Growth Takes Planning, Patience"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sacramento-Bee-logo-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6903\" src=\"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sacramento-Bee-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"105\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/erik-hall-11-17-17-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6930\" src=\"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/erik-hall-11-17-17-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"259\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<h1>Population Growth Takes Planning, Patience<\/h1>\n<p>Every city dreams of growing until it reaches its full potential \u2014 but that potential typically comes with a few growing pains that must be addressed through a balance of density and aesthetic.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.REBusinessOnline.com\">www.REBusinessOnline.com<\/a> \/ Western Real Estate Business &#8211; August, 2019<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>by Erik Hall, Partner and Design Director<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Van Tilburg, Banvard and Soderbergh Architects in Denver<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is a cultural imperative to manage and cultivate the growth of our built environment to desired effect.\u00a0 Yet, there is often a difference of opinion when it comes to what the desired effect should be.\u00a0 In search of common ground, our built environment matters.\u00a0 We want to thrive in our surroundings, not just survive.\u00a0 The beautiful built environments of the world are captivating.\u00a0 There is great variety in that beauty, from the densest of cities to smaller towns, rural ranches and farm land.<\/p>\n<p>The Metro Denver area is one of those beautiful places.\u00a0 The proximity of natural wilderness, recreational abundance, urban cultural vitality and economic opportunity make Denver a top place to live.\u00a0 With this, Denver has seen a great increase in demand.\u00a0 Enhanced demand strains and stresses infrastructure and services like utilities, schools, roads and open space.\u00a0 When the demand is poorly managed, the result is a decrease in livability.\u00a0 This is a problem, but it is a good problem to have!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dealing with Demand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Where there is no demand, there is no growth.\u00a0 Healthy living things grow within their life cycle.\u00a0 The demand for growth and the strain that results is being felt across the Front Range.\u00a0 There is a need for denser human habitation that is efficient and affordable.\u00a0 The character and livability of our region will be shaped by how we act.\u00a0 We have a responsibility to pass on to our children a built environment shaped by sound decisions.\u00a0 It is not easy or simple.\u00a0 It takes a committed team of intentional skilled professionals focused on the goal.\u00a0 Growth can be done right.<\/p>\n<p>A citizen initiative growth cap was recently passed in Lakewood, Colorado. Those who are involved in the political and professional practice of managing, designing and developing the built environment were generally opposed to the initiative.\u00a0 Despite the warnings of unintended consequences of a growth cap as a means to resolve the problems facing Lakewood, voters spoke.\u00a0 Their vote said the strain and stress on Lakewood\u2019s built environment needed to be managed better.\u00a0 There are legitimate concerns that led to its passage, but growth caps cause more problems than they solve.\u00a0 As an analogy, the body\u2019s immune system warns of problems and begins measures to compensate for those problems.\u00a0 Allergy sufferers will tell you, the immune system can cause more problems than it solves.<\/p>\n<p>Lakewood is a beautiful, diverse city with quality retail areas, mixed-use and denser urban housing.\u00a0 There is much to preserve and much to manage.\u00a0 Still, Lakewood is not perfect.\u00a0 No built environment is.\u00a0 Maintenance, improvement, modernization and growth are necessary ongoing tasks when we recognize the life cycle of certain structures and neighborhood models.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Designing a Better Built Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now there si a statewide growth cap initiative being prepared for the 2020 election.\u00a0 There is worry that quick-buck greed among those who legislate, develop and build our built environment will destroy the livability of our region.\u00a0 I acknowledge there have been bad actors looking to squeeze very dime of profit out of a project with little concern for the legacy of the built environment they leave behind.\u00a0 That said, we cannot cast aside the motivation of socially conscious capitalism as a driving factor in the betterment of the built environment.<\/p>\n<p>Our region\u2019s need for housing does not have to result in an unlivable, boring or uninspiring built environment.\u00a0 Growth and change is stressful, but when the change is tangibly for the better, it is easier to accommodate.\u00a0 Design is a single-digit percentage of total development cost.\u00a0 Architects and other designers are trained in the implementation of materials, massing, light and color to craft livable built environments for human thriving.<\/p>\n<p>Application of this skill is necessary to mitigate the stress and strain on communities that trigger responses like legislative growth caps.\u00a0 Yet, because design fees are an upfront cost, they often get squeezed or shunted off to the lowest bidder.\u00a0 Commitment of the whole team to quality design from the start can make all the difference.<\/p>\n<p>Beautiful places have character.\u00a0 What we design should fit into that character.\u00a0 When an area requires it, design should reshape the character to desired effect.\u00a0 Lakewood\u2019s Belmar is an example of reshaping an area for increased density with a thriving, livable outcome.\u00a0 Where the character of an area is being reshaped, street activation and walkability are critical. In suburban contexts where multifamily is needed, scale and proportion \u2013 right sizing the development to its context \u2013 and including adequate infrastructure and open space, is critical.\u00a0 In single-family residential contexts, denser development needs to enhance the street and respect the neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>The rash of poorly realized slot-home developments is a prime example of poor design maximizing profit while stressing a neighborhood to the point of exacerbation.\u00a0 Parks, green space and public amenities make our built environment sustainable and livable.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t have to be cost prohibitive, but it does have to be designed.\u00a0 If we design and develop with respect to a neighborhood\u2019s character \u2013 and with a mind on the legacy of the built environment we are leaving behind \u2013 the growth of our built environment can be done right.<\/p>\n<p><em>Erik Hall, Partner and Design Director<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Van Tilburg, Banvard and Soderbergh Architects in Denver<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Population Growth Takes Planning, Patience Every city dreams of growing until it reaches its full potential \u2014 but that potential typically comes with a few growing pains that must be addressed through a balance of density and aesthetic. www.REBusinessOnline.com \/ Western Real Estate Business &#8211; August, 2019 &nbsp; by Erik Hall, Partner and Design Director [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6912"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6936,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions\/6936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtbs.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}