80238 - Looking at the issues of social and economic equity through the lens of one community

I have been contemplating a blog that looks at the issues of economic and racial equity through the lens of my own neighborhood and the neighborhoods surrounding it in Northeast Denver. After a tumultuous fall where the issues of racial and economic equity have taken on a new tone because of Ferguson, MO and New York, I am beginning in earnest.

The blog's title, 80238, is the zip code of my neighborhood, known as Stapleton in Denver, Colorado. Why is Stapleton an appropriate lens for looking at the issues of racial and economic equity in the US?  Stapleton is a very unique American community, located on the site of the old Stapleton International Airport in Denver - it represents one of the larger infill redevelopment projects in the nation.

Envisioned in the Stapleton Development Plan or "Green Book", as it is called by locals, Stapleton is to be a "place of economic, social and environmental innovation" that is intended to be a model of urban development. The plan is for Stapleton to be fully integrated into the surrounding community. The language in the development plan describes how "Stapleton has been a fenced and secured island for two-thirds of a century" . . . that, along with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal site to the north and the Lowry Air Force base to the south, "created enormous holes in the urban fabric of Northeast Denver." As a result the vision is to reunite Stapleton to the adjacent neighborhoods in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City.

A primary goal of the Green Book was for Stapleton to retain middle income families by ensuring a diversity of housing prices, strong schools and public amenities like parks and recreational facilities. Doing so would add to the tax base and revitalize public institutions.

Fifteen years since the release of the Green Book and 12 years since the first houses were occupied in Stapleton, it is time to may be time to ask:

• Has Stapleton achieved its vision to be integrated into the surrounding community and a place for middle income families to be retained in Denver?  
• How do we measure whether Stapleton has filled the hole in the urban fabric of Northeast Denver? 
• What has been achieved and how has it fallen short? 
• Is integration with the larger community still an important goal to the people of Stapleton?  
• If so, how can Stapleton realize the vision?
• If not, what does it say about Stapleton as a "model urban development" and the future of Northeast Denver?

While offering no absolute answers to these questions - I will explore them and invite those who read to offer their insights on the past, present and future of 80238.

I look forward to writing and encourage you to join in the discussion.  Feel free to comment on the blog and share your ideas on the issues in Stapleton and the larger issues we will explore here. In encourage you to follow the 80238 twitter feed @80238blog or the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/80238blog.

I look forward to seeing what we learn.