SustainLane 2006 US City Sustainability Ranking

Denver: On the Fast Track

Located on the high plains at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is geographically unique. As the only large city within a 600-mile area, halfway between the Midwest and West Coast, it has become a major center for the storage and distribution of goods and services.

Denver was one of the few cities in the country to boom during the oil crisis of the 1970s. At a time when almost every city's downtown experienced blight and "white flight," Denver was building skyscrapers and actually putting money into its downtown. But when oil prices fell, so did Denver's economy. A generation later, Denver experienced a similar boom and bust with the rise and fall of the high-tech industry, much of which was based in its surrounding suburbs. These experiences have led the city to pursue a more diversified and sustainable economic future.

With the leadership of Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver is at the forefront of a new economy-one based on sustainability. A petroleum geologist by training, he left that industry to become a brewmaster, in part, he says, "Because microbrew was the more profitable liquid fuel in those days." One of his major concerns is how to minimize the impact of an oil crisis. He realizes that when oil prices rise, they affect not only the cost of driving, but also the cost of producing and transporting goods and services, and consequently the entire economy.

To address these issues, Hickenlooper launched the Denver Sustainable Development Initiative, a collaborative effort to reduce waste; improve air and water quality; and promote multi-modal, transit-oriented land use, energy conservation, green building, solar energy, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The city's GreenPrint Denver program, a collaborative planning effort among government, thought leaders, business and citizens groups, was launched in July 2006.