In Denver, ground has been broken for a

In Denver, ground has been broken for a dense, urban addition to the city’s downtown. The Commons neighborhood will grow on 51 acres of vacant rail yards, and its street grid will connect with Denver’s bustling LoDo neighborhood and the 16th Street pedestrian/transit mall. A new regional transit center at the historic Union Station will be part of The Commons. Over the next 20 years the project’s six subareas are projected to include 6.2 million square feet of housing, offices, shops, restaurants, and hotels. Buildings will vary in scale from six to 20 stories, and design guidelines require ground floors that meet the street and encourage retail and pedestrian activity. The Commons is designed by Design Workshop and master-developed by the Trillium Corporation of Washington.