water & environment
introduction
With water access, bike paths and abundant shade trees, the South Platte River at Confluence Park is a favorite outdoor destination for urban Denverites. Protecting the river's water quality through improved storm sewer maintenance technology is one goal of Greenprint Denver. Credit: Denver Parks and Recreation.
Natural Resource Stewardship: The City as a Park
Denver was founded on a pioneering spirit and built according to the dreams and plans of many early civic visionaries, the most notable of which may have been Robert Walter Speer, Denver's mayor from 1904-1912 and 1916-1918.
During his era, the City Beautiful Movement emerged as an architectural concept to promote urban beautification.
Mayor Speer created a master plan to build parks, fountains, grand boulevards and extraordinary civic buildings, all based on classic European design. He oversaw construction of many of the city's prized civic amenities, including Denver's Civic Center buildings, the zoo and museum, Sloan's Lake, Speer Boulevard, and other landmarks.
A believer in the value of natural beauty, Speer doubled the city's park space from 573 to 1,184 acres and added landmarks such as Washington Park, City Park, Alamo Placita Park, Sunken Gardens Park, and the Denver Mountain Parks system. He also founded a tree-planting program that gave away 110,000 shade trees to residents.
With his successors building upon that legacy, Denver's park system is now one of the most diverse and expansive in the nation. It represents a wealth of natural amenities that continue to draw people here for the opportunities they offer for recreation and enjoyment.
At the end of Speer's tenure in 1918, Colorado's oldest and largest water utility, Denver Water, was formally established to help irrigate this new park system, distribute water to the city's residents, and protect the area's water resources. Today, Denver Water serves everyone in the City and County of Denver and nearly 50 percent of those who live in the suburbs.
Denver's future rests in the city's ability to protect, care for and enhance its physical resources. A new type of urban beautification project is underway, one that requires the dedication and commitment of all of us acting as stewards of the city's natural resources to preserve them for our own enjoyment and that of future generations.
Greenprint Denver outlines a series of goals that target key natural resources needing immediate action, along with long-term objectives that are focused around Denver Parks and Recreation's Master Plan, called the Game Plan. This strategic document calls for a canopy of drought resistant street trees to cool neighborhoods, cleanse the air, and establish a network of public spaces where residents can walk to enjoy a vibrant urban landscape and healthy ecosystem.
Clean waterways, such as the South Platte River that drains the length of the city, are precious amenities that connect land and water and provide important wildlife habitats. Conserving water resources according to Denver Water's Integrated Resources Plan is well in line with the objectives of Greenprint Denver, and the plan serves as a model for other environmentally-conscious communities around the world.
By working together, we can expand the city's natural landscapes in an environmentally-friendly manner using native plants, provide protected habitats for birds and other urban wildlife, and continue our region's focus on water conservation to ensure that the legacy we leave behind is as grand and beautiful as that of any of those who came before us.
IN-DEPTH:
- View Denver Park and Recreation's strategic Game Plan.
- Learn more about Denver Water's Tap+Smart Conservation Plan.
- Read more about Mayor Speer's historical legacy.
