By Daniel Pava, FAICP, President Western Planner

Early March always means that spring is not far off, and that the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute annual workshop takes place at the University of Denver. The theme this year was “Hot, Dry and Crowded – Planning for the Future” focusing on how planners can help communities during an era of climate change. RMLUI always puts on a great program, and I am grateful to have been there, especially since the national planning conference in Houston has been cancelled on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems that the dynamics of climate change may have been contributing factors to the spread of this new disease. Indeed, it isn’t only the Rocky Mountain West, but many places around the globe that are facing similar challenges and choices. This is why planning matters more than ever: our elected officials at all levels of government need us to provide fact-based information and options for community health and well-being. Keep in mind that modern planning had its origins in public health in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What goes around comes around! The Western Planner continues to be a network resource to share good ideas and experiences that can improve our communities even as we face new challenges.

The opening plenary at RMLUI featured author F. Kaid Benfield of Placemakers who shared seven thoughts for a more sustainable future. Benfield noted that our land use patterns are still not helping, and that even the greenest development isn’t good if it is in the wrong place. However, there are locations all around us such as brownfields, parking lots and obsolete malls. While density is desirable, it must be human scale and pleasant. It’s no wonder that Americans don’t walk much given the unpleasantness or dangers they face on foot. Benfield concluded that even small patches of nature are very beneficial to well-being in the smallest towns and largest cities. We need lovable places that last over time. I think that perhaps folks will resonate more with this message as we practice social distancing and stay closer to home during the next few months.

F. Kaid Benfield of Placemakers was the opening keynote speaker

I spent the remainder of the morning in one of the hot topics in land and water sessions, Planning for Climate Adaptation. CSU Professor Brad Udall provided the big picture about the Colorado River Basin. UA Tucson Professor Kathy Jacobs spoke more specifically about being at an inflection point in the southwest necessitating rethinking localized solutions and adding more voices in the public interest. Sarah Fox (Northern Illinois University) rounded out the panel providing practical real world examples of the things that local governments can do with mandates, incentives, restrictions, and regulations. We are beyond mitigation and must adapt to a new normal as the costs of inaction will outweigh new solutions. Check out “Colorado River Conversations” online.

Chris Nelson gave a cheerful lunchtime plenary talk, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet – Emerging Changes in the Rocky Mountain West.” Nelson prognosticated that many of our commercial places are ripe for redevelopment and that we are “underdemolished” to accommodate growing demand for walkable neighborhoods. He gave examples of repurposing malls that could crate 10,000 urban villages of 5,000 people, noting that today there is demand for 50 million attached homes but only 10 million available. Lots to ponder while you are sequestered at home these days!

Thursday afternoon offered two sessions that caught my interest. While my Western Planner colleagues attended other panels, I gravitated to Small Towns: Big Change – Civic Engagement and Rural Resilience, and then off to “Green Under Pressure: Current Practices in Lan Conservation.” Check out the Western Community Assessment Network WeCAN on-line to learn more about conducting community reviews in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. There is a best practices publication that you can access that showcases what small communities have done with small grants. The second and last panel of the day dealt with innovative ways to leverage conservation easements and comprehensive plans in an era of decreased federal funding and increased public lands use. Examples given included projects in Douglas, Routt and Gunnison Counties in Colorado which have taken a long time but preserved open space and wildlife corridors. Partnerships and collaboration between local, state, federal agencies, foundations and land trusts are key. Larimer County and Fort Collins have preserved over 72,000 acres despite 50% population growth between 2010 and 2018.

On Friday morning, I opted to learn about hot topics in housing “Who Wins in Gentrification.” Losing your house is a real problem particularly for low-income minority and female headed households, whether you live in Denver or in a smaller rural town. What makes a huge difference is getting legal representation or laws that protect renters’ rights. Another approach is state-wide “source of income” protections that require landlords to accept all income regardless of its source. Aligning plan policies and zoning regulations to be consistent, removing barriers such as maximum density and large minimum lot sizes, inclusionary affordable housing regulations, impact fees are helpful; but be wary as aspirational entitlement policies that really don’t incentivize change. Later that morning but along the same topic, I attended “Vulnerable and Valuable – Resilience and Preservation in Mobile Home Parks.” The speakers were from Boulder and Aurora, and talked about ways to protect this kind of affordable housing even though these cities are very different. Denver Meadows is a case study where a 10-month moratorium allowed a task force to recommend a relocation plan, and resulted in changes to the Colorado Mobile Home Park Act that include dispute resolution, and increased vacate time from 48 hours to 30 days. Notice of sale of a Park went from six to 12 months. In Boulder, the city is partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the school district, Energy Outreach Colorado, and the Colorado Housing Finance Authority to site a Zero Energy Modular (ZEM) factory that will produce replacement homes for the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park, and eventually other locations in the state. More information about ZEM can be found at themodcoach.com

The Friday plenary lunch was the Carver Colloquium which was presented as a debate which topic was “The Rights of Nature: Should Nature Have Legal Rights.” Former Colorado Attorney General for Natural Resources Laura Chartrand (con) and Attorney Grant Wilson (pro) of the Earth Law Center presented their well stated arguments with eloquence and passion. Both see themselves as advocates for environmental protection but that this can be accomplished either evolutionary or revolutionary. Wilson argued for changes in the legal system to enfranchise ecosystems with legal standing based upon Justice Douglas’ 1972 position, and what other countries such as New Zealand already have done. Chartrand cautioned against such drastic changes that would divert attention from existing cases and programs, noting that considerable progress has been made based upon stakeholder consensus, including environmental organizations. We need more collaboration and less frivolous litigation, she implored. It was a lot to digest over an hour lunch.

My last event of this year’s RMLUI workshop was a mobile tour “Learning What Denver Did Right: Multimodal Transportation, Microclimates and River Access.” We walked over to the University station and took the train downtown. Along the line, we saw examples of infill and brownfield redevelopment at the stations. We walked over to 16th Street Mall and boarded the free shuttle to Union Station. After admiring “Denver’s Living Room” we strolled over the viaduct towards the revitalized railyard district full of new mid-rise residential and office buildings, and along the Platte River. I remember seeing this area many years ago and marveled at the transformation to a vibrant urban neighborhood. We enjoyed a Friday afternoon happy hour with tasty local brews after our sojourn into Denver’s futurescape.

I recommend that you consider the RMLUI workshop should you have the opportunity to attend. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and others as we weather the adversity of this pandemic storm. It’s another opportunity to demonstrate how good planning really does make a difference and that our choices have consequences.

Dan's Recap of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute