While Denver is the focus of the national story of large growth and change in Colorado and the west, major projects are happening all along Colorado's front range—the urban corridor along the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains. This session will spotlight important projects all along this urban stretch, including Colorado Springs, Aurora, Golden, and Denver. The session will show how significant new developments are fitting into their communities and reflecting the unique locations in different cities up and down the range.

The Platte River has been, for many decades, the industrial back-of-house for the Denver with the exception of a few publicly accessible points. Now, the river has become the focal point of some of Denver's most ambitious development projects—all dedicated to improving and honoring the river. The session will spotlight projects from large, private sector–led development to complex, public/private partnerships and major public initiatives that will totally change the face of the Platte River and, as a result, the city itself.

A recent Harvard study shows that millennials are now returning to the suburbs, and gen Z plans to stay there. This is due to several emerging trends, but a major factor is the rising cost of rent and homeownership in major cities, which makes it difficult for gen Z to afford living in prime downtown locations. As urban costs rise and younger generations seek affordable alternatives to city living, the suburbs are evolving to meet this demand by adopting compact, mixed-use developments that mirror urban downtowns. This session will explore the recent trend of suburban reinvention, where developers, corporate tenants, and investors are seizing opportunities to build new, walkable town centers complete with retail, office, and residential spaces. Drawing on case studies from across the country, the panel will highlight how this shift presents both financial and social opportunities while reshaping the suburban landscape.

Lindsey Scannapieco (ULI Philadelphia Transformational Leader Award winner 2023), presents a session on leaning into the attributes of a closed historic school to create a vibrant, community-centered, mixed-use development in Philadelphia. The presentation will share the case study of the Bok Building (ULI America Special Mention 2023), which today is home to over 200 small businesses and attracts 250,000 visitors per year. The presentation will showcase an approach that embraces the existing building condition and finds resiliency in small, diverse tenant types.

The panelists will discuss the plans for the next phase of development in downtown Denver. The focus will be on public plans and interventions to spur private activity.