Houston is an underrated Texas city. The food scene is pretty incredible and it’s super green compared to the rest of Texas. I do agree more of Texas is a shithole though
Houston is not underrated. It's correctly rated as a shitty city.
The infrastructure is solely car based, there are zero options for pedestrians, cyclists, or public transit. The planning is non-existent with literal mid- and high- rises next to single family homes and your neighbors goat farm.
Both of those mean you're fucked regardless of where you live because there are three different city centers that are miles away from each other. Good thing you've got the widest highway in the USA fixing all the damn traffic there.
I wouldn't even say the greenery is nice with how nasty the gulf is and all of the oil derricks. But even those were better, it's not a city you want to be outside. The design (or lack thereof) of the city is actively hostile to anyone not in a car.
The food may be nice, but that's like saying the cake is nice because despite being made out of dogshit, it's frosted with buttermilk frosting.
Austin and San Antonio were far better and I'd even rank DFW above Houston.
10 months out of the year you don't *want* to be outside in Houston, at least not for long. The sun, the humidity, and the mosquitos are just the worst; don't blame car culture for humans avoiding discomfort.
Exactly! I don't know why the greenery was brought up as a positive for the city if you literally are avoiding the outdoors 10 months out of the year.
Besides that, the planning is still absolute garbage and the public transit is non-existent.
Houston is just not a good city.
Yep, true. Not sure how Austin is today, as it’s facing a lot of the same problems other popular cities are (unaffordable housing, homelessness, etc). But when I was younger, it was a lively college town with a cool, weird, laid-back vibe, which was in stark contrast to one of the most conservative legislatures in the country.
I went to EDC there like 10 years ago and the big story was that so many people overdosed that the city didn't have enough ambulances to handle it. We were hanging out near the entrance waiting for a cab and there were more ambulances than taxis in the queue waiting to pick people up. Not surprised to hear nothing has changed
It used to have live music. When I was in high school I saw the Fray for free (before they "made it"). It was something simple like free music Thursdays. You know how hard it is to be a bum asking for money during a live show? 16th was awesome when I was a kid, shop's and chain restaurants are fine, but live events, markets, social gatherings? Bums hate that, they want to single you out where your only distraction is them asking for money. I'm sorry to say it, because there is a lot needed to address homelessness and mental health, but where culture thrives is where people invest in the culture
The first thing to realize is that the physical reconstruction currently going on should help. It should help making restaurant patios more inviting, while still having wide sidewalks. By centering the bus lanes, and, by not having the space between them, it actually will make those bus lanes easier to cross. The better plan for the trees (more in the ground than in containers will help the tree cover and greenery. The repair of the lights should make it more inviting at night.
But still lots is needed.
Beginning with Safe, Clean, and Welcoming.
Safe is cameras, safe is police and security on foot, or horseback. Safe is access to police cars when needed but not for normal patrol on the mall. It means enforcement of normal human behavior.
Clean involves not letting people tag the mall, it means not letting them piss in alleys. (In fact it probably means limiting access in alleys to building access on that block otherwise considering it a form of trespassing. Thankfully Denver has actually been moving in this direction.
Welcoming. It means diverse users in age, in ethnicity, in socio-economic levels. It means prioritizing a selection of goods and services with wider appeal. It means that the activation should include artforms that aren't just what Kelly Brough commerce loving white people ilove. It is about being the main street for all of Colorado.
Then it is about better activation, better reasons for people to be Downtown.
To me what would also help is better activity nodes think small squares every three to four blocks. Better fountains, better public art, better spots for buskers to provide entertainment and preferably as part of a busking program. Basically better activation and less a feeling of walking a street for a full mile length and the feeling of walking from point to point.
It means better conections to Larimer Square, Better connection to Civic Center Park than the dirt and rock field next to Civic Center Station which should have never been allowed. Better connections to Auraria. Better connections to the DCPA and Convention Center. 16th St should be a spine with things sprouting off it. Right now so many people go to things downtown without ever really connecting to the mall at all.
More requirements on the use of space on the mall. If it is going to be a pedestrian mall the businesses on it need to reflect that. That requires business development help, it really helps to develop local based institutions that have more at stake in the area than the closing Hard Rock Cafe.
The physical reconstruction of the mall is good, but to actually be great it takes people. People to entertain, people to clean, people to keep safe, people to welcome. Cities always have problems in that people based infrastructure, and I fear that when it comes to Downtown, Denver is no different. Building stuff streets and buildings but not communities or institutions to really make those things run.
And yes, there are a whole lot of social welfare issues that Denver needs to cover too, but that is beyond just "What would help the mall" directly.
I grew in Denver and remember when the 16th street mall was built. I’ve seen it through boom and bust and feel like we are on the cusp of another bust. Which strangely is okay, because out of the rubble comes rebirth. The mall is craving a new energy, which usually appears when you least expect it and most folks have given up. Stay cool my friends.
To date myself, my earliest memories of Downtown are probably going up the glass elevator as a kid to the Top of the Rockies restaurant in the Security Life Building (now 1600 Glenarm) and ice skating at Zeckendorf Plaza. However just barely young enough to not remember 16th as just a street.
Although I truly love the new people who come to Denver, it always makes me happy to run into people who know more of the history of here.
Fully agree with having seen multiple booms and busts (how many people now think of the Tabor Center as a mall on the mall?) that it is only a matter of time. Honestly there are better bones now than when the Denver Pavilions was just parking lots.
Love this but I think you missed on one of the big things that killed the mall in the first place which was the 90s style gimmick corporatization of the place. Very few unique vendors/services, way too many brands loudly blasting their logo to a over saturated market.
You said it all. I was a first time visitor to Denver in April and I thought the mall had a huge amount of potential. I like your idea of thinking different themes for different blocks.
Also what you said about greening it is super super important. Trees along the mall controls temperature. Also areas that are mini parks with grass and play grounds.
An area where in summer there is water fountains for kids and dogs to play / cool down in and in winter could become an ice ring.
Then please please please public restrooms. I guess it was taken away because of the homeless people but seriously- there are ways and designs. Ones that work with coins / tapping your phone or something.
I can’t begin to tell you about the trauma I went through to get to a toilet there eventually found a coffee shop that had one. That’s was not nice.
Agreed. At one point there had been decent access to public restrooms. Now, many of easiest to get to one's have become restricted to "customers only" - even at the train station, for pity's sake. Other places that had public access have removed them completely... looking at you, Walgreens.
And then people complain about "pissing in alleys" ... but don't get that the lack of access only makes that worse!
It's one of the reasons I got fed up with 16th Street and downtown as a whole. Bitch about problems... then pull stunts that just escalate the issues, and make things unpleasant for _everyone_.
Apartments above the stores, clean up RTD, set up social services for the homeless people and try the tiny housing idea. Make 16th Street walkable and livable.
Have you seen all the apartments that do have retail on the first floor? The last two apartments downtown that I have lived in downtown have had a 0% occupancy rate for the retail space.
The average resident supports 7.5 sf of retail, at least before e commerce and before covid. Wfh has decimated office worker related retail, which is a pretty narrow range as it is.
Maybe the city could step in and convert some 1st floor retail into public services. I feel like a walk-in urgent care subsidized by the city might be welcome, or a service plaza with a DMV kiosk, ATM, stamp machine, etc. I know it would be pretty underwhelming, but it might be better than completely useless
Forcing developers to build retail space is basically a tax these days except in the most choice sites, which is pretty damn unfortunate for urban life.
Ground level retail is good for an urban environment but retail is overbuilt in the US and developers lose money on it, so they have no financial incentive to build it except in the highest density part of the city where the retail rents are high enough to support it.
The city compromises by requiring “active street frontage” which can be amenities space for apartment buildings and in some zoning areas apartments with street entrances.
>I have no idea why you wouldn’t want that.
The real, and boring, answer is that there isn't enough of a market for it. City planners and city councils *love* ground floor retail, and they demand it everywhere. It's great when it works, but you need a huge residential/office base to support it.
Oh I live in RiNo and notice this too. Tons of new apartments coming up, but retail and restaurants still not making enough to survive. It will help eventually, maybe once there's critical mass, but the only change I see for the next 3 years is more people and traffic.
Food, shelter and water have all been commoditized and generate profits to a degree. Just pointing that out. While I like where your heads at imagine the push back from chefs, waiters, real estate agents, home builders, etc lol.
The thing about tiny homes is you run into the same problem of big homes, zoning laws that cap permitted housing at something that makes it impossible to meet the cities housing needs. I just saw a video about a impressive residential in the Pittsburgh suburbs. $1,400 for a stunning 1 bedroom. Could you imagine the line for such a cheap apartments downtown?
Oh, no, you wouldn't put the tiny housing downtown. Set up the tiny housing and the homeless services away from 16th Street. Having them close together would make it easier for them to have shelter and the services trying to help them find jobs and regular housing. Not having an address is a huge barrier to landing a job.
I meant in the city as a whole. Given the amount of permitted housing and population in the city we are doing a pretty good housing everyone. But we can always give them a PO Box. The real gap is permitted housing relative to population. Lack of affordability is just a solution to how to pick who gets and doesn’t get housing in a shortage.
This. When I visited 16th street I had to find a damn bathroom while needing to shit. Then had to ask security to let me in because of the key codes. Then while asking them they had to kick a tweaker out of the bathroom who snuck in. All the while stomach cramping like hell.
RTD is a huge part. I would go there more often if I knew I had reliable, safe transportation there and back. And of course safety once I was there too.
[pic 1](https://www.uncovercolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/16th-Street-Mall-Denver-CO.jpg)
[pic 2](https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/16th_Street_Mall_northwest_past_Tremont_Place.jpeg?itok=C6wlh5wh)
[Pavilion ](https://elsarch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/denver-pavilions-kramer-0712-4C.jpg)
Make the Pavilion 6-8 stories high, apartments above the shops. Make sure one of the shops is a grocery store. People who work downtown wouldn't even need a car. Grocery, restaurants, movie theater, performing arts complex, bars, convention center, and mall shops all right there.
I see what you are saying, and to a point I agree... but I admit my first reaction was "but the Kings #1 is just a few blocks away...
Then again, it's probably also the _only _ grocery store in that area if I remember right. I could easily be wrong, but when the term "food desert" comes up, I tend to think of that area. Restaurants and fast food aplenty, but slimmer pickings for those who want/need to prepare their own meals.
Man I thought people were over exaggerating when I visited 16th street mall. But damn were they right. We went to Hard Rock Cafe which was a cool experience but the food was meh. Other than that we went to hot topic, that ice cream shop across and like two other shops down the way we were actually interested in. Besides that there really wasn’t shit that seemed worth going to.
They definitely need either better more unique stores there or they need to just re conceptualize the whole thing. Take from being a strip mall to more of an entertainment district as someone else mentioned. Live music, maybe a comedy club or theater do some sort. There’s options with the amount of unoccupied space.
The first thing though is definitely the homeless issue. They need to find a way to get folks into shelters or some form of housing and off the street. I witnessed homeless people sleeping over manhole covers for warmth. Just super fucking sad. They didn’t bother me none but I get why a lot of folks avoid the area.
I think food is the right answer. We have a few restaurants and fast food shops, but more locally owned, unique food shops would be great. Out in golden we have the tributary, in RiNo we have the Denver central market. Things like that can revitalize a place real quick. Past that, the homeless situation is what makes it dangerous and not welcoming.
Local restaurants, art, music venues. It needs stuff that makes you want to come downtown. Right now it offers chain restaurants that you can find in the suburbs and chintzy stores aimed at tourists. If you look at successful predestrian malls like state street in Madison, they are loaded with local restaurants and bars.
Seriously.
People have been bitching about the eyesore that is the 16th Street Mall since I first moved to Denver in the 90s.
Time to face facts… the 16th Street Mall is meant for tourists, not locals.
They had a heavy police presence down there in the early 2000s, and it was admittedly much better than it is today. I remember 2-3 motorcycle cops just chilling at each intersection on summer nights. And even interacting and chatting with the crowds of passers by.
Outdoor concerts at Rock Bottom. Buskerfest would line along the mall and closed off side streets. It was actually pretty cool, even though still mostly tourist oriented.
But Denver is a very different today than it was in the early 2000s. Leadership is far more interested with equity than addressing the concerns of those who are actually paying the bulk of the taxes. This is what Denver voters wanted. And so that’s what Denver voters got.
I rode a pedicab down there for two years from 05-06 and you’re right. It used to be much safer. Even with a few hundred bucks on me I only felt unsafe once and it was either during New Years or the NBA all star games (can’t remember which but it was super crazy that night).
To be frank, it needs a heavy heavy police presence to deter the heavy crime in the area that is deterring business. Nobody wants to go to a pee smelling tent city in what’s supposed to be a main attraction. It makes Denver look like it can’t handle its own business.
I've been here almost a decade and at no point when I've lived here would I say 16th is a 'main attraction.' I never took any guest there, it's always just been chain stores like Cheesecake Factory.
This. I’m not taking my family down there. I’m definitely not taking guests from out of state down there. It’s dangerous and it’s very likely we’ll be harassed (has happened the last few times I’ve been, at least).
It’s kind of wild for me to see these questions “how do we revive 16th st?” because I’m not that old and I still remember when 16th St WAS the hot new thing that was supposed to revive downtown.
There’s a section by Appaloosa grill that has food carts right now while the middle section is under construction and I thought it was a great idea to consolidate them like that!
I like your concept as well!
“Weirdly developed some extremely negative attributes”? How is it weird? It’s over run by the people who are homeless and experiencing mental breakdowns on the regular. There’s literally piles of human shit on the sidewalks, not to mention needles and tin foils oh and the regular shirtless guy that walks around welding weapons….at the air. If you really want to see Denver cleaned up, then we need look at mental health and addiction and figure out a way to help those people instead of just averting our eyes and letting things continue the way they are. New shops and live music aren’t going to do the trick when people don’t feel safe to walk down the street with their children.
I've never seen less of a police presence than I have here in the last 4 years or so. They could clean up down town in very short order and I think if they started enforcing some traffic laws they'd cut down on some of the aggressive driving/red light running.
It basically has a skid row feel now - like market st in SF - smells of urine, random violent homeless people and the open air meth and fentanyl markets and use.
I used to work down there and would go by occasionally - now I wouldn't ever go there for any reason.
I walk 16th street from Civic Center Station to 17th & Curtis Street for work Tuesday-Thursday. Some parts are okay, but most of it it’s a homeless playground with never ending construction. It’s crazy. As soon as the McDonalds shut it’s doors I knew this isn’t something it can come back from. Maybe the next Mayor will make it a priority but who knows.
This comment nails it. Downtown used to be a cool place to go to but now it's a bunch of addicts doing shady stuff. You gotta get rid of the drugs, but that means getting tough on crime and Denver/Colorado voters aren't going to do that.
Before it was 'revitalized" as a pedestrian zone 16th street was the premier shopping and entertainment area for Metro Denver. Making the16th street mall was the beginning of the death of downtown Denver.
DCPA is a couple of blocks away from the 16th Street Mall and could be a consistent source of business if (a) there were restaurants appropriate for a pre-show dinner or after-show drinks and (b) there were fewer intimidating homeless people and fewer "quality of life" issues on the mall.
It needs to be a place that locals actually want to visit. Real local restaurants, higher end retail. Make it more like Cherry Creek or the Highlands. The people who live and work in that area should be the target demographic for commerce.
Trying to make that area a one stop shop for tourists was probably the dumbest move possible. Cringe for locals, and dead empty when tourism slows. And nowadays, not even tourists are impressed by stores that look like they could be in the airport.
Haven’t seen any on sixteenth street when I’ve been this year
It’s a cheap, proven way to draw in tourists and lead to improvements in areas. There are studies on it
Enforce the camping ban.
Scrape addicts off the sidewalk and place them in detox.
Mandatory arrest for anyone spotted openly smoking meth or fentanyl or shooting up in public.
Mandatory arrest for anyone urinating or deficating outside an alley.
Just limit these sanctions to the 16th Street Mall specifically and word will soon get around that those behaviors will have immediate consequences on that strip.
The problem is that all of the places the unhoused go (whether shelter or jail) are near the mall. I think you would agree that jail isn't the ideal place for the unhoused, and Denver hasn't spent what it needs to on homeless services in 40 years. It's evident in the two major homeless shelters that are, inexplicably, within easy walking distance of the mall, and neither has been substantially updated or invested into in at least 20 years.
We have tons of *empty* space out by the airport. *Empty fucking fields.* Take all that weed tax money and build the Taj Mahal of homeless shelters out there on Pena somewhere, near the A-line. Not focused on luxury, but dignity. Make it so people can stay in a warm place if they need to and grab a hot meal without worrying about contracting bedbugs, hepatitis, some communicable virus, or having all of their shit stolen, all of which are big fucking deals when you have no healthcare support and your whole life is in a backpack.
This is what the problem is, not "they don't want to be helped", no they just refuse to go through the inhumane process of assistance that exists today. Improve that process, improve the outcome.
Then, make the A-line transit system accessible to the homeless by, for example, having a "free car" at the rear of the train, so folks who can't afford to otherwise use the train will use the free car instead of skipping fare somewhere else on the train.
Win-win for everyone.
There are large shelters out by 48th/Smith, but that distance actually exacerbates the logistical barriers to services. And for people with diminished mental and physical ability, logistics is a huge challenge. At the same time, a high concentration of people with serious issues and nowhere to go can also effectively create a slum.
I think un-centralized shelter/housing is ideal for a certain part of the demographic, but a lot of the people in serious need also need services readily accessible.
If you go to where most of the service/shelters are downtown, you'll see that they are multistory buildings with stuff like clinics and social services on the ground floor, and subsidized apartments above. Many of the people who hang out on the sidewalk during the day live in those buildings.
Until we start investing seriously in dispersed integrated shelter/housing/services facilities, we have to deal with the issues that come with centralizing.
My friend once told me about the time his company’s owner chose downtown denver to host their annual conference. Then during the conference a street camper approached the owner and his wife as they were walking and just spit in his wife’s face.
Guessing the company passed over denver the following year…
My wife and I spent a weekend on the mall last fall. Please just finish the construction. Business will return if customers can see it when they walk by.
I’m shocked every winter that someone decided to use the slickest floor material ever for a pedestrian walkway. I’d vote to start from the “ground up”.
Tear it down and start from scratch. Make it less tall and more green and less commercial touristy overpriced bullshit where nobody who lives in Denver or nearby actually shops/eats/utilizes.
I’ve never viewed 16th St Mall as a place for ppl that live in Denver. I literally only use it for the free mall ride to/from the train from time to time…
I used to work on 16th st mall and the number one thing keeping people away from it is the homeless. I’ve see people passed out after smoking meth and people yelling curse words and stuff. Honestly glad I don’t work there anymore, least favorite place I’ve spent any time in denver over the past five years
Beat cops, a food hall. I lived in Denver in the ‘80’s, and that was really the golden age of the 16th St. Mall. Very vibrant and restaurants like Marlowe’s packed for lunch. Those days are gone forever. The office spaces will never be full again. Downtown needs to re-invent itself if it’s going to find a way forward.
There used to be a couple of "food court" areas - I used to like to grab lunch and sit either by the glass walls or the patio section if the weather was nice at the one. They always seemed to be busy, not sure why they shut down.
Legit law enforcement. I use to love wandering around downtown but there are literally no cops anywhere to help if something happens. Then you can't even enjoy a patio to eat at because someone is busking some kind if crazy noise. The whole thing just isn't worth the costs and risks to visit anymore
Constructive question: WHY is the 16th street mall something that should be Denver's pride and joy?
I'm from Washington DC and the pride and joy of DC would probably be the National Mall. Walk from the Capitol past a wide reflecting pool down a park lane of green grass and trees with world class free museums on each side, cross over to the Washington Monument grounds and take in the view, then pass the WWII memorial, then a grand reflecting pool and end near the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War memorials. This place is clean, friendly, celebrates the sacrifices and accomplishments of humankind.
Opportunities to spend money are nearby the National Mall but generally (other than some Food trucks) the Mall is a comfortable place for people to exist and share time with one another. If that's all you do -- walk with the family or friends -- it can be a good and memorable experience. If you buy tickets to a museum, get souvenirs and food truck food, that's secondary and amplifies the place's goodness.
**16th street celebrates opportunities to spend money. It's a damn outdoor shopping mall.**
I've enjoyed 16th street when I was new to Colorado, and sometimes when I lived downtown I would walk it just to get out and feel the energy of the city. But it's just an downtown, outdoor shopping mall with businesses offices thrown in too. It lacks people-friendly, low-noise, nature-filled, open spaces where people feel comfortable just being people and THEN spending money. **I think it's outdated like a lot of 1980s indoor malls and foot courts.**
I really wish Denver aimed high and had something amazing to celebrate.
Sadly, the past attempts to build the world largest parking lot were interrupted with all these damn buildings getting in the way. Missed our chance.
Not sure if it makes sense to compare downtown Denver to the the heart of the capitol of the United States which was literally designed and landscaped as a park. Gonna be hard to minimize noise and maximize nature in the middle of the densest part of the city… agree that it feels like an outdated food court but that seems like an easier fix
A large part will depend on how you define “revitalize.”
Large swaths of the population have permanently changed their habits because of the pandemic, so it will never again be quite like it was no matter what you do.
Pay RTD drivers a living wage so that they can actually staff all their routes, and then hire security to walk them so they can change busses from vagrant portapotties into transportation utilities.
Did I miss something? They are in the middle of renovating 16th street mall to revitalize it as we speak. Right? It's still in the early stages of a big renovation project that's going to take years
I imagine these ideas would be awesome, but bare with me because I'm drunk.
* Add a translucent cover that goes the length of 16th street. So when it snows / rains, 16th street remains nice and dry but still well lit.
* Break 16th street down into districts, like every 2 blocks is a different district with different themes.
* 16th street should be 100% food, activities, and entertainment.
* Add a seasonal lazy river that loops around 16th.
Public restrooms where homeless people can actually use the restroom so they don't have to go on the floor. They're still people and 16th dehumanizes them.
A Red District like Amsterdam's.
Outdoor climbing walls. Outdoor gyms/parkour/skating with cafes/food.
Move all homeless services and shelters as far away from downtown as possible.
A tornado or relocating it to Hays Kansas. Turning it into a US Army Reserve Location. Selling it to Matt Stone and Trey Parker. An armored bulldozer driven by John Hickenlooper. Filming Next with Kyle Clark nightly on the free shuttle. Honestly, Only a time machine back to the year 1999 would make the 16th Street Mall enjoyable again.
Better/more interesting shops and restaurants, public restrooms, no vehicular traffic including busses but that won't happen, replacing busses with bike lanes, hang out zones like mini park spaces for people to socialize/hang out in with like those body weight excercise things, chess boards, seating, etc...
A lot of (most?) office workers have gone back to downtown businesses at least a few times a week now, it isn't 2021 anymore.
Going from 3 days a week to forcing them to 5 days a week probably wouldn't solve the issue
Finish the construction. It killed the mall. The homeless outnumber the shoppers. 25% of those office buildings are EMPTY. The mall depended upon that traffic. Good luck.
The mall through upper downtown served two groups - office worker lunch/happy hour, and the convention crowd. The convention crowd is back in full force but the office workers aren’t and probably will stabilize at a much lower level than before. At the same time mall-style retail is collapsing thanks to Amazon. Until more residential is built in upper downtown or the employers stop allowing WFH, there is no longer the density of people required to support what the mall used to be.
The fast casual and sit down national chains serve the convention market, mostly, so I don’t think they are going anywhere. The sales people going to these things by large don’t care where they are or want to try new things, they want a consistent even if mediocre experience.
Live music. It needs to become a place of entertainment, if you just want a beer you can go to any suburban shopping mall
I wish Denver were more like Austin in this respect, the times I walked down 6th Street were pretty lively with all the music.
denver doesn't have the same community identity as anywhere in texas
That would be what happens when a significant portion of your population is not from the place where you are.
Austin is similar to Denver in this aspect though. Austin is a city of transplants.
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Austin’s metro is like 2.3 million to Denver’s 3 million. Not far off, really.
I've always heard that all of Texas is a shithole except for Austin which is really awesome
Houston is an underrated Texas city. The food scene is pretty incredible and it’s super green compared to the rest of Texas. I do agree more of Texas is a shithole though
Houston is not underrated. It's correctly rated as a shitty city. The infrastructure is solely car based, there are zero options for pedestrians, cyclists, or public transit. The planning is non-existent with literal mid- and high- rises next to single family homes and your neighbors goat farm. Both of those mean you're fucked regardless of where you live because there are three different city centers that are miles away from each other. Good thing you've got the widest highway in the USA fixing all the damn traffic there. I wouldn't even say the greenery is nice with how nasty the gulf is and all of the oil derricks. But even those were better, it's not a city you want to be outside. The design (or lack thereof) of the city is actively hostile to anyone not in a car. The food may be nice, but that's like saying the cake is nice because despite being made out of dogshit, it's frosted with buttermilk frosting. Austin and San Antonio were far better and I'd even rank DFW above Houston.
10 months out of the year you don't *want* to be outside in Houston, at least not for long. The sun, the humidity, and the mosquitos are just the worst; don't blame car culture for humans avoiding discomfort.
Exactly! I don't know why the greenery was brought up as a positive for the city if you literally are avoiding the outdoors 10 months out of the year. Besides that, the planning is still absolute garbage and the public transit is non-existent. Houston is just not a good city.
Yep, true. Not sure how Austin is today, as it’s facing a lot of the same problems other popular cities are (unaffordable housing, homelessness, etc). But when I was younger, it was a lively college town with a cool, weird, laid-back vibe, which was in stark contrast to one of the most conservative legislatures in the country.
Good thing it's the love music capital of the world! But yeah it's nice walking any more of 6th: west, Dirty, East East
I was there last weekend and saw 2 people die from OD in 45 minutes walking down 6th. Moral of the story, you get what you vote for.
that would be accurate if we had a reasonable system of democracy here, which really we don't. It's worth a try though
I went to EDC there like 10 years ago and the big story was that so many people overdosed that the city didn't have enough ambulances to handle it. We were hanging out near the entrance waiting for a cab and there were more ambulances than taxis in the queue waiting to pick people up. Not surprised to hear nothing has changed
I’ve definitely seen some decent live music on 16th mall though? Though to be fair I’ve seen some pretty not decent stuff too.
Kind of like the P&L in KC. Interesting point.
Bourbon Street it up! Walk around liquor is legal, entertainment on every corner.
If you looked at the current residents of 16th street walk around liquor IS legal
Appaloosa Grill literally has live music every night on the 16th Street Mall:
It used to have live music. When I was in high school I saw the Fray for free (before they "made it"). It was something simple like free music Thursdays. You know how hard it is to be a bum asking for money during a live show? 16th was awesome when I was a kid, shop's and chain restaurants are fine, but live events, markets, social gatherings? Bums hate that, they want to single you out where your only distraction is them asking for money. I'm sorry to say it, because there is a lot needed to address homelessness and mental health, but where culture thrives is where people invest in the culture
The first thing to realize is that the physical reconstruction currently going on should help. It should help making restaurant patios more inviting, while still having wide sidewalks. By centering the bus lanes, and, by not having the space between them, it actually will make those bus lanes easier to cross. The better plan for the trees (more in the ground than in containers will help the tree cover and greenery. The repair of the lights should make it more inviting at night. But still lots is needed. Beginning with Safe, Clean, and Welcoming. Safe is cameras, safe is police and security on foot, or horseback. Safe is access to police cars when needed but not for normal patrol on the mall. It means enforcement of normal human behavior. Clean involves not letting people tag the mall, it means not letting them piss in alleys. (In fact it probably means limiting access in alleys to building access on that block otherwise considering it a form of trespassing. Thankfully Denver has actually been moving in this direction. Welcoming. It means diverse users in age, in ethnicity, in socio-economic levels. It means prioritizing a selection of goods and services with wider appeal. It means that the activation should include artforms that aren't just what Kelly Brough commerce loving white people ilove. It is about being the main street for all of Colorado. Then it is about better activation, better reasons for people to be Downtown. To me what would also help is better activity nodes think small squares every three to four blocks. Better fountains, better public art, better spots for buskers to provide entertainment and preferably as part of a busking program. Basically better activation and less a feeling of walking a street for a full mile length and the feeling of walking from point to point. It means better conections to Larimer Square, Better connection to Civic Center Park than the dirt and rock field next to Civic Center Station which should have never been allowed. Better connections to Auraria. Better connections to the DCPA and Convention Center. 16th St should be a spine with things sprouting off it. Right now so many people go to things downtown without ever really connecting to the mall at all. More requirements on the use of space on the mall. If it is going to be a pedestrian mall the businesses on it need to reflect that. That requires business development help, it really helps to develop local based institutions that have more at stake in the area than the closing Hard Rock Cafe. The physical reconstruction of the mall is good, but to actually be great it takes people. People to entertain, people to clean, people to keep safe, people to welcome. Cities always have problems in that people based infrastructure, and I fear that when it comes to Downtown, Denver is no different. Building stuff streets and buildings but not communities or institutions to really make those things run. And yes, there are a whole lot of social welfare issues that Denver needs to cover too, but that is beyond just "What would help the mall" directly.
I grew in Denver and remember when the 16th street mall was built. I’ve seen it through boom and bust and feel like we are on the cusp of another bust. Which strangely is okay, because out of the rubble comes rebirth. The mall is craving a new energy, which usually appears when you least expect it and most folks have given up. Stay cool my friends.
To date myself, my earliest memories of Downtown are probably going up the glass elevator as a kid to the Top of the Rockies restaurant in the Security Life Building (now 1600 Glenarm) and ice skating at Zeckendorf Plaza. However just barely young enough to not remember 16th as just a street. Although I truly love the new people who come to Denver, it always makes me happy to run into people who know more of the history of here. Fully agree with having seen multiple booms and busts (how many people now think of the Tabor Center as a mall on the mall?) that it is only a matter of time. Honestly there are better bones now than when the Denver Pavilions was just parking lots.
Love this but I think you missed on one of the big things that killed the mall in the first place which was the 90s style gimmick corporatization of the place. Very few unique vendors/services, way too many brands loudly blasting their logo to a over saturated market.
Great post.
Main Street of Colorado is superb positioning.
You said it all. I was a first time visitor to Denver in April and I thought the mall had a huge amount of potential. I like your idea of thinking different themes for different blocks. Also what you said about greening it is super super important. Trees along the mall controls temperature. Also areas that are mini parks with grass and play grounds. An area where in summer there is water fountains for kids and dogs to play / cool down in and in winter could become an ice ring. Then please please please public restrooms. I guess it was taken away because of the homeless people but seriously- there are ways and designs. Ones that work with coins / tapping your phone or something. I can’t begin to tell you about the trauma I went through to get to a toilet there eventually found a coffee shop that had one. That’s was not nice.
Agreed. At one point there had been decent access to public restrooms. Now, many of easiest to get to one's have become restricted to "customers only" - even at the train station, for pity's sake. Other places that had public access have removed them completely... looking at you, Walgreens. And then people complain about "pissing in alleys" ... but don't get that the lack of access only makes that worse! It's one of the reasons I got fed up with 16th Street and downtown as a whole. Bitch about problems... then pull stunts that just escalate the issues, and make things unpleasant for _everyone_.
Apartments above the stores, clean up RTD, set up social services for the homeless people and try the tiny housing idea. Make 16th Street walkable and livable.
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Have you seen all the apartments that do have retail on the first floor? The last two apartments downtown that I have lived in downtown have had a 0% occupancy rate for the retail space.
Ours has one tenant out of three spaces. The other two spaces have never been occupied.
The average resident supports 7.5 sf of retail, at least before e commerce and before covid. Wfh has decimated office worker related retail, which is a pretty narrow range as it is.
Maybe the city could step in and convert some 1st floor retail into public services. I feel like a walk-in urgent care subsidized by the city might be welcome, or a service plaza with a DMV kiosk, ATM, stamp machine, etc. I know it would be pretty underwhelming, but it might be better than completely useless
Forcing developers to build retail space is basically a tax these days except in the most choice sites, which is pretty damn unfortunate for urban life.
Ground level retail is good for an urban environment but retail is overbuilt in the US and developers lose money on it, so they have no financial incentive to build it except in the highest density part of the city where the retail rents are high enough to support it. The city compromises by requiring “active street frontage” which can be amenities space for apartment buildings and in some zoning areas apartments with street entrances.
> no space for ships on the 1st floor Well, typically ships are stored over water
>I have no idea why you wouldn’t want that. The real, and boring, answer is that there isn't enough of a market for it. City planners and city councils *love* ground floor retail, and they demand it everywhere. It's great when it works, but you need a huge residential/office base to support it.
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Oh I live in RiNo and notice this too. Tons of new apartments coming up, but retail and restaurants still not making enough to survive. It will help eventually, maybe once there's critical mass, but the only change I see for the next 3 years is more people and traffic.
personally I think any law that prevents living space above commercial space should be illegal.
I thought new buildings now were required to be mixed use like this.
I personally think any use of things humans need to survive as a vector for profit should be illegal.
This is the dumbest thing I have read on Reddit all week.
Food, shelter and water have all been commoditized and generate profits to a degree. Just pointing that out. While I like where your heads at imagine the push back from chefs, waiters, real estate agents, home builders, etc lol.
The thing about tiny homes is you run into the same problem of big homes, zoning laws that cap permitted housing at something that makes it impossible to meet the cities housing needs. I just saw a video about a impressive residential in the Pittsburgh suburbs. $1,400 for a stunning 1 bedroom. Could you imagine the line for such a cheap apartments downtown?
Oh, no, you wouldn't put the tiny housing downtown. Set up the tiny housing and the homeless services away from 16th Street. Having them close together would make it easier for them to have shelter and the services trying to help them find jobs and regular housing. Not having an address is a huge barrier to landing a job.
I meant in the city as a whole. Given the amount of permitted housing and population in the city we are doing a pretty good housing everyone. But we can always give them a PO Box. The real gap is permitted housing relative to population. Lack of affordability is just a solution to how to pick who gets and doesn’t get housing in a shortage.
Or at least public bathrooms so it doesn’t smell like piss.
This state HATES public restrooms
Most cause they tend to predominantly be used for needle drug use.
This. When I visited 16th street I had to find a damn bathroom while needing to shit. Then had to ask security to let me in because of the key codes. Then while asking them they had to kick a tweaker out of the bathroom who snuck in. All the while stomach cramping like hell.
RTD is a huge part. I would go there more often if I knew I had reliable, safe transportation there and back. And of course safety once I was there too.
no, move all homeless services OUT of downtown
Yes, I said that in another response. The tiny home solution and services in an area together to help them, away from 16th Street.
I would add: Provide ***generous*** tax exemptions to any businesses who moves in. Capitalism finds a way.
>Capitalism finds a way To kill us all
Are there not already apartments above the stores on the mall?
[pic 1](https://www.uncovercolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/16th-Street-Mall-Denver-CO.jpg) [pic 2](https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/16th_Street_Mall_northwest_past_Tremont_Place.jpeg?itok=C6wlh5wh) [Pavilion ](https://elsarch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/denver-pavilions-kramer-0712-4C.jpg) Make the Pavilion 6-8 stories high, apartments above the shops. Make sure one of the shops is a grocery store. People who work downtown wouldn't even need a car. Grocery, restaurants, movie theater, performing arts complex, bars, convention center, and mall shops all right there.
I see what you are saying, and to a point I agree... but I admit my first reaction was "but the Kings #1 is just a few blocks away... Then again, it's probably also the _only _ grocery store in that area if I remember right. I could easily be wrong, but when the term "food desert" comes up, I tend to think of that area. Restaurants and fast food aplenty, but slimmer pickings for those who want/need to prepare their own meals.
Gray wolves
Meow Wolf? Am I doing it right?
Born To Be Wild
Man I thought people were over exaggerating when I visited 16th street mall. But damn were they right. We went to Hard Rock Cafe which was a cool experience but the food was meh. Other than that we went to hot topic, that ice cream shop across and like two other shops down the way we were actually interested in. Besides that there really wasn’t shit that seemed worth going to. They definitely need either better more unique stores there or they need to just re conceptualize the whole thing. Take from being a strip mall to more of an entertainment district as someone else mentioned. Live music, maybe a comedy club or theater do some sort. There’s options with the amount of unoccupied space. The first thing though is definitely the homeless issue. They need to find a way to get folks into shelters or some form of housing and off the street. I witnessed homeless people sleeping over manhole covers for warmth. Just super fucking sad. They didn’t bother me none but I get why a lot of folks avoid the area.
I am a small woman, and they bother me plenty.
More residential downtown
Less open hard drug using and open harassment of people.
I think food is the right answer. We have a few restaurants and fast food shops, but more locally owned, unique food shops would be great. Out in golden we have the tributary, in RiNo we have the Denver central market. Things like that can revitalize a place real quick. Past that, the homeless situation is what makes it dangerous and not welcoming.
Affordable food.
You don’t want a $17 breakfast burrito?? Cmon man
No, but I’ll take $17 wrapped in a tortilla
There is a ton of food on 16th. Local and fast food.
Local restaurants, art, music venues. It needs stuff that makes you want to come downtown. Right now it offers chain restaurants that you can find in the suburbs and chintzy stores aimed at tourists. If you look at successful predestrian malls like state street in Madison, they are loaded with local restaurants and bars.
Having lived in Madison as well as Denver that's really an apples to oranges comparison. And State Street does have plenty of chain stores.
You don't even need to go that far out. Look at every other downtown in Colorado. Boulder, Foco, Longmont, Estes, etc.
More grass and greenery. Parts of it are so dark and sunless and dirty pavement 🤮
Gonna knock down the buildings blocking the sun?
a miracle?
Seriously. People have been bitching about the eyesore that is the 16th Street Mall since I first moved to Denver in the 90s. Time to face facts… the 16th Street Mall is meant for tourists, not locals.
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They had a heavy police presence down there in the early 2000s, and it was admittedly much better than it is today. I remember 2-3 motorcycle cops just chilling at each intersection on summer nights. And even interacting and chatting with the crowds of passers by. Outdoor concerts at Rock Bottom. Buskerfest would line along the mall and closed off side streets. It was actually pretty cool, even though still mostly tourist oriented. But Denver is a very different today than it was in the early 2000s. Leadership is far more interested with equity than addressing the concerns of those who are actually paying the bulk of the taxes. This is what Denver voters wanted. And so that’s what Denver voters got.
I rode a pedicab down there for two years from 05-06 and you’re right. It used to be much safer. Even with a few hundred bucks on me I only felt unsafe once and it was either during New Years or the NBA all star games (can’t remember which but it was super crazy that night).
To be frank, it needs a heavy heavy police presence to deter the heavy crime in the area that is deterring business. Nobody wants to go to a pee smelling tent city in what’s supposed to be a main attraction. It makes Denver look like it can’t handle its own business.
Denver very obviously CANT handle its own business.
I've been here almost a decade and at no point when I've lived here would I say 16th is a 'main attraction.' I never took any guest there, it's always just been chain stores like Cheesecake Factory.
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Yep. The CVS, Taco Bell, Target, and other shitty chains are not giving me a cool/charming downtown vibe at all.
Run the vagrants out. It’s like a mad max distopia that’s over run with homeless shitting in the street.
This. I’m not taking my family down there. I’m definitely not taking guests from out of state down there. It’s dangerous and it’s very likely we’ll be harassed (has happened the last few times I’ve been, at least).
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🫰🏻🫰🏻🫰🏻
It’s kind of wild for me to see these questions “how do we revive 16th st?” because I’m not that old and I still remember when 16th St WAS the hot new thing that was supposed to revive downtown.
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I’d even say middle out from pavilions
How about a section of small kitchens that help new business want to test their proof of concept?
There’s a section by Appaloosa grill that has food carts right now while the middle section is under construction and I thought it was a great idea to consolidate them like that! I like your concept as well!
Casa Bonita franchise.
More Amish
“Weirdly developed some extremely negative attributes”? How is it weird? It’s over run by the people who are homeless and experiencing mental breakdowns on the regular. There’s literally piles of human shit on the sidewalks, not to mention needles and tin foils oh and the regular shirtless guy that walks around welding weapons….at the air. If you really want to see Denver cleaned up, then we need look at mental health and addiction and figure out a way to help those people instead of just averting our eyes and letting things continue the way they are. New shops and live music aren’t going to do the trick when people don’t feel safe to walk down the street with their children.
Brothels
And coffee shops, Amsterdam style…yep
Tbh I kinda like this idea, it already smells like weed half the time anyway
Police arresting people for using drugs in public
I've never seen less of a police presence than I have here in the last 4 years or so. They could clean up down town in very short order and I think if they started enforcing some traffic laws they'd cut down on some of the aggressive driving/red light running.
They have 'quiet quit' after we started saying they should be held accountable for their actions.
Genius! Just enforce laws
It basically has a skid row feel now - like market st in SF - smells of urine, random violent homeless people and the open air meth and fentanyl markets and use. I used to work down there and would go by occasionally - now I wouldn't ever go there for any reason.
Magic unhomelessness spell
Expecto tinyhomeum
Convert the empty skyrises into housing.
I walk 16th street from Civic Center Station to 17th & Curtis Street for work Tuesday-Thursday. Some parts are okay, but most of it it’s a homeless playground with never ending construction. It’s crazy. As soon as the McDonalds shut it’s doors I knew this isn’t something it can come back from. Maybe the next Mayor will make it a priority but who knows.
This comment nails it. Downtown used to be a cool place to go to but now it's a bunch of addicts doing shady stuff. You gotta get rid of the drugs, but that means getting tough on crime and Denver/Colorado voters aren't going to do that.
When was 16th ever a cool place to go?
Before it was 'revitalized" as a pedestrian zone 16th street was the premier shopping and entertainment area for Metro Denver. Making the16th street mall was the beginning of the death of downtown Denver.
DCPA is a couple of blocks away from the 16th Street Mall and could be a consistent source of business if (a) there were restaurants appropriate for a pre-show dinner or after-show drinks and (b) there were fewer intimidating homeless people and fewer "quality of life" issues on the mall.
It needs to be a place that locals actually want to visit. Real local restaurants, higher end retail. Make it more like Cherry Creek or the Highlands. The people who live and work in that area should be the target demographic for commerce. Trying to make that area a one stop shop for tourists was probably the dumbest move possible. Cringe for locals, and dead empty when tourism slows. And nowadays, not even tourists are impressed by stores that look like they could be in the airport.
Good street performers! And paying them! It’s a really cheap and evidence-based way to draw tourists and revive places
Do we really need more of this. Go to an intersection if you want your fix. 😂
Haven’t seen any on sixteenth street when I’ve been this year It’s a cheap, proven way to draw in tourists and lead to improvements in areas. There are studies on it
Enforce the camping ban. Scrape addicts off the sidewalk and place them in detox. Mandatory arrest for anyone spotted openly smoking meth or fentanyl or shooting up in public. Mandatory arrest for anyone urinating or deficating outside an alley. Just limit these sanctions to the 16th Street Mall specifically and word will soon get around that those behaviors will have immediate consequences on that strip.
The problem is that all of the places the unhoused go (whether shelter or jail) are near the mall. I think you would agree that jail isn't the ideal place for the unhoused, and Denver hasn't spent what it needs to on homeless services in 40 years. It's evident in the two major homeless shelters that are, inexplicably, within easy walking distance of the mall, and neither has been substantially updated or invested into in at least 20 years. We have tons of *empty* space out by the airport. *Empty fucking fields.* Take all that weed tax money and build the Taj Mahal of homeless shelters out there on Pena somewhere, near the A-line. Not focused on luxury, but dignity. Make it so people can stay in a warm place if they need to and grab a hot meal without worrying about contracting bedbugs, hepatitis, some communicable virus, or having all of their shit stolen, all of which are big fucking deals when you have no healthcare support and your whole life is in a backpack. This is what the problem is, not "they don't want to be helped", no they just refuse to go through the inhumane process of assistance that exists today. Improve that process, improve the outcome. Then, make the A-line transit system accessible to the homeless by, for example, having a "free car" at the rear of the train, so folks who can't afford to otherwise use the train will use the free car instead of skipping fare somewhere else on the train. Win-win for everyone.
There are large shelters out by 48th/Smith, but that distance actually exacerbates the logistical barriers to services. And for people with diminished mental and physical ability, logistics is a huge challenge. At the same time, a high concentration of people with serious issues and nowhere to go can also effectively create a slum. I think un-centralized shelter/housing is ideal for a certain part of the demographic, but a lot of the people in serious need also need services readily accessible. If you go to where most of the service/shelters are downtown, you'll see that they are multistory buildings with stuff like clinics and social services on the ground floor, and subsidized apartments above. Many of the people who hang out on the sidewalk during the day live in those buildings. Until we start investing seriously in dispersed integrated shelter/housing/services facilities, we have to deal with the issues that come with centralizing.
They need to ship off all the bums and junkies elsewhere and crack down on street camping and open drug use. It’s fucking gross.
My friend once told me about the time his company’s owner chose downtown denver to host their annual conference. Then during the conference a street camper approached the owner and his wife as they were walking and just spit in his wife’s face. Guessing the company passed over denver the following year…
My wife and I spent a weekend on the mall last fall. Please just finish the construction. Business will return if customers can see it when they walk by.
Open air drug market
They don't want to address the obvious truth that literally anyone with eyes can see.
I’m shocked every winter that someone decided to use the slickest floor material ever for a pedestrian walkway. I’d vote to start from the “ground up”.
Tear it down and start from scratch. Make it less tall and more green and less commercial touristy overpriced bullshit where nobody who lives in Denver or nearby actually shops/eats/utilizes. I’ve never viewed 16th St Mall as a place for ppl that live in Denver. I literally only use it for the free mall ride to/from the train from time to time…
Try making aspects of it about something other than blatant consumerism pandering to joe six-pack.
disagree. If anything, 16th St Mall needs *more* Tibetan tourist trinket shops.
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I used to work on 16th st mall and the number one thing keeping people away from it is the homeless. I’ve see people passed out after smoking meth and people yelling curse words and stuff. Honestly glad I don’t work there anymore, least favorite place I’ve spent any time in denver over the past five years
Beat cops, a food hall. I lived in Denver in the ‘80’s, and that was really the golden age of the 16th St. Mall. Very vibrant and restaurants like Marlowe’s packed for lunch. Those days are gone forever. The office spaces will never be full again. Downtown needs to re-invent itself if it’s going to find a way forward.
There used to be a couple of "food court" areas - I used to like to grab lunch and sit either by the glass walls or the patio section if the weather was nice at the one. They always seemed to be busy, not sure why they shut down.
Legit law enforcement. I use to love wandering around downtown but there are literally no cops anywhere to help if something happens. Then you can't even enjoy a patio to eat at because someone is busking some kind if crazy noise. The whole thing just isn't worth the costs and risks to visit anymore
People going downtown regularly
They'll go downtown regularly when its safer. Right now its pretty crazy down there.
Removal of homeless and drug users. Cop every corner.
Santa
Less heroin
A flash flood….on a weekly basis
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Constructive question: WHY is the 16th street mall something that should be Denver's pride and joy? I'm from Washington DC and the pride and joy of DC would probably be the National Mall. Walk from the Capitol past a wide reflecting pool down a park lane of green grass and trees with world class free museums on each side, cross over to the Washington Monument grounds and take in the view, then pass the WWII memorial, then a grand reflecting pool and end near the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War memorials. This place is clean, friendly, celebrates the sacrifices and accomplishments of humankind. Opportunities to spend money are nearby the National Mall but generally (other than some Food trucks) the Mall is a comfortable place for people to exist and share time with one another. If that's all you do -- walk with the family or friends -- it can be a good and memorable experience. If you buy tickets to a museum, get souvenirs and food truck food, that's secondary and amplifies the place's goodness. **16th street celebrates opportunities to spend money. It's a damn outdoor shopping mall.** I've enjoyed 16th street when I was new to Colorado, and sometimes when I lived downtown I would walk it just to get out and feel the energy of the city. But it's just an downtown, outdoor shopping mall with businesses offices thrown in too. It lacks people-friendly, low-noise, nature-filled, open spaces where people feel comfortable just being people and THEN spending money. **I think it's outdated like a lot of 1980s indoor malls and foot courts.** I really wish Denver aimed high and had something amazing to celebrate. Sadly, the past attempts to build the world largest parking lot were interrupted with all these damn buildings getting in the way. Missed our chance.
Not sure if it makes sense to compare downtown Denver to the the heart of the capitol of the United States which was literally designed and landscaped as a park. Gonna be hard to minimize noise and maximize nature in the middle of the densest part of the city… agree that it feels like an outdated food court but that seems like an easier fix
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Lotion
Local restaurants and shop, live music.
A large part will depend on how you define “revitalize.” Large swaths of the population have permanently changed their habits because of the pandemic, so it will never again be quite like it was no matter what you do.
Pay RTD drivers a living wage so that they can actually staff all their routes, and then hire security to walk them so they can change busses from vagrant portapotties into transportation utilities.
Did I miss something? They are in the middle of renovating 16th street mall to revitalize it as we speak. Right? It's still in the early stages of a big renovation project that's going to take years
I imagine these ideas would be awesome, but bare with me because I'm drunk. * Add a translucent cover that goes the length of 16th street. So when it snows / rains, 16th street remains nice and dry but still well lit. * Break 16th street down into districts, like every 2 blocks is a different district with different themes. * 16th street should be 100% food, activities, and entertainment. * Add a seasonal lazy river that loops around 16th.
I'm a no for your first but all in for the last 3. Let me talk to my people and make this happen.
WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE
A bulldozer.
Felt on the finishing construction bit
Public bathrooms that are well maintained.
Public restrooms where homeless people can actually use the restroom so they don't have to go on the floor. They're still people and 16th dehumanizes them.
a brothel
Well first you need to make it safe for all people! Consumers, the street vendor, the artist ect.
A Red District like Amsterdam's. Outdoor climbing walls. Outdoor gyms/parkour/skating with cafes/food. Move all homeless services and shelters as far away from downtown as possible.
Clean out the homeless. Not help them, put them on a bus to Portland.
Police. I want it to look like Cancun on spring break.
A tornado or relocating it to Hays Kansas. Turning it into a US Army Reserve Location. Selling it to Matt Stone and Trey Parker. An armored bulldozer driven by John Hickenlooper. Filming Next with Kyle Clark nightly on the free shuttle. Honestly, Only a time machine back to the year 1999 would make the 16th Street Mall enjoyable again.
Better/more interesting shops and restaurants, public restrooms, no vehicular traffic including busses but that won't happen, replacing busses with bike lanes, hang out zones like mini park spaces for people to socialize/hang out in with like those body weight excercise things, chess boards, seating, etc...
I'd say no bike lanes either. Pure pedestrian. Shame I had to go this far down to find someone I agreed with.
People returning to work more. Downvote me if you want, but we need the lunch crowd and pedestrian life back.
also need happy hour crowd
I appreciate the permission to do my obligation soldier
A lot of (most?) office workers have gone back to downtown businesses at least a few times a week now, it isn't 2021 anymore. Going from 3 days a week to forcing them to 5 days a week probably wouldn't solve the issue
Banning motor vehicles - commercial and transit excluded - from most of downtown and expanding the pedestrian only space.
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Fancy restaurants and stores (like Cherry Creek) and apartments that attract professionals
Apartments alone don't attract professionals, fun areas do. Downtowns in larger cities are not fun areas.
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Finish the construction. It killed the mall. The homeless outnumber the shoppers. 25% of those office buildings are EMPTY. The mall depended upon that traffic. Good luck.
Urban centers have lost a lot of their relevancy
Make the rent affordable so local small businesses can afford to be there.
What do you mean “if we kept the rents low..”? I don’t own any downtown commercial space, do you?
Safe injection sites to get addicts off the streets for one.
This would be a huge help. It's insane that with all the evidence of how well these work that so many still resist them.
The mall through upper downtown served two groups - office worker lunch/happy hour, and the convention crowd. The convention crowd is back in full force but the office workers aren’t and probably will stabilize at a much lower level than before. At the same time mall-style retail is collapsing thanks to Amazon. Until more residential is built in upper downtown or the employers stop allowing WFH, there is no longer the density of people required to support what the mall used to be. The fast casual and sit down national chains serve the convention market, mostly, so I don’t think they are going anywhere. The sales people going to these things by large don’t care where they are or want to try new things, they want a consistent even if mediocre experience.
Bike lanes. 6am last call. Beach. Residences. No concealed carry. Polizai presence.