Denver City Council voted Monday to adopt a 20-year plan that provides a roadmap for the future of the city’s parks, facilities and recreation programs.
Denver Parks and Recreation’s "Game Plan for a Healthy City" is a visionary document aimed at addressing the challenges surrounding growth, water usage and climate change. It passed unanimously in a 10-0 vote.
The plan outlines Denver's city parks, facilities and recreational programs as essential elements for a healthy environment, healthy residents and a high quality-of-life for everyone, according to the City and County of Denver.
“City Council’s action cements Denver’s strategic vision and roadmap for our 20,000 acres of park landscapes, urban forests, hundreds of facilities and recreation programs for the next 20 years,” Mayor Michael Hancock said.
According to the city, the four principles guiding the plan include:
- Every Drop: Make the park system more resilient and environmentally sustainable.
- Every Person: Ensure equity in distribution of parks, resources and recreational programming so all residents have the opportunity to improve their personal health and well-being.
- Every Dollar: Manage resources to ensure long-term operational health of the park and recreation system.
- Uniquely Denver: Provide park spaces and recreational programming that reflect Denver's community and cultural identity.
More than 6,000 residents, stakeholders and city staff members provided input on the plan. Under the plan, new regulations to protect and expand Denver's 260 parks and 28 recreation centers will be enacted.
“This strategic plan for the next 20 years of growth and change calls for a renewed commitment to our park and recreation facilities and our legacy as a transformational force in the health of our community," said Happy Haynes, executive director of Parks & Recreation.
Game Plan for a Healthy City is part of a larger three-year effort involving five different city plans. The city council approved two other plans, which address the city's development and transit, during a meeting last month.
The five plans are:
- Comprehensive Plan 2040, a 20-year vision for Denver and its people that offers high-level goals and recommendations.
- Blueprint Denver, a citywide land-use and transportation plan for the next 20 years that aims to create more complete neighborhoods and transportation networks, as well as make land-use decisions "through the lens of social equity."
- Game Plan for a Healthy City, a long-term plan to help the city respond to challenges like growth, water usage and climate change.
- Denver Moves: Transit, a guiding framework meant to improve transit quality and make it more reliable.
- Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails, a citywide plan to improve sidewalks, street crossings and trails.
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