About The 5280 Trail

The Downtown Denver Partnership is leading efforts to create The 5280, a bold, visionary project that will transform how the public right-of-way is used in Downtown Denver.

The 5280 will link neighborhoods and connect people by reimagining underutilized streets into the essential downtown experience uniting urban life with Colorado’s outdoor culture. This effort builds on the visionary ideas and goals identified in numerous city and neighborhood plans to reimagine and repurpose our shared public spaces.

As a dedicated urban trail, The 5280 will create a safe and stimulating route for the center city’s rapidly growing population of residents, employees, and visitors, encouraging them to use active modes of transportation while engaging in downtown’s cultural and civic facilities and open spaces. More than a trail, it will add open space to downtown and provide a safe and beautiful place to actively recreate and engage with the downtown neighborhoods, cultural amenities and more.

“The 5280 is poised to connect Downtown’s unique and diverse amenities while creating a powerful sense of place within the vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods in the center city,” says Tami Door, President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “This bold, visionary project will be a game-changer for the center city.”

The Downtown Denver Partnership has selected Civitas to lead a design effort for a bold vision for The 5280. Join us to help reimagine 5+ miles of center city streets into a uniquely Denver amenity that prioritizes people, culture, nature, and health.

This work is made possible by the generous support from the Colorado Health Foundation, the Gates Family Foundation, TIAA, Unico Properties, and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID).

VISION STATEMENT

Prioritizing PEOPLE, HEALTH, CULTURE, and NATURE, The 5280 is a new, distinctly Denver amenity, that connects many vibrant and diverse city center neighborhoods through the great urban outdoors, creating a powerful SENSE OF PLACE.

PRIMARY DRIVERS

• It’s about People
• It’s about Place
• It’s about Health
• It’s about Experience
• It’s about Culture
• It’s about Connection
• It’s about Denver

GUIDING PRINCIPLES + GOALS

• Prioritize people, place, and experience
• Promote health and betterment
• Celebrate the mosaic and culture or our distinct urban neighborhoods
• Connect landmarks, destinations, and special places.
• Bring nature to the city
• Foster active modes of transportation.
• Create a safe, fluid and intuitive route that links to the transportation network.
• Strengthen existing community and reinvestment.

IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH

While Denver is known for its healthy residents, the city faces its share of health risks and challenges inherent in fast-paced urbanization today. Rates of childhood obesity, asthma, and residents experiencing poor mental health have remained high over time. Additionally, traffic safety, as well as the city’s intense urban heat island effect, continue to be concerns in the city. The 5280 will help alleviate these health risks by providing residents with spaces to engage in physical activity and connect with community members. The design of the 5280 will support Denver’s ambitions to improve air quality, mitigate urban environmental issues, and promote traffic calming.

INCREASE OPEN SPACE

As the population of the center city continues to rise, a greater strain is placed on existing open space. To counter this decreasing ratio of open space to people, The 5280 will re-purpose and rethink our shared public realm to provide new quality outdoor space to not only better connect existing green space but also to provide new community green space in our growing downtown.