Growing a Greener Downtown

At the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), we are passionate about fostering vibrant communities, igniting economic vitality, and building a place – a downtown – where all can thrive. Now, there are many ways to do that, but one contributing factor to vibrancy is the built environment, from the buildings to the greenery, and how a place makes you feel.  

Trees are huge contributors to making a place feel welcoming and comfortable. Neighborhoods with dense tree canopies enjoy many benefits such as:  

• 10 degree cooler temperatures 

• Less crime 

• Higher property values 

• Reduced rates of cardiac disease, stroke and asthma  

But sparsely canopied neighborhoods, such as those along Denver's 'inverted L' which have historically been disinvested have lower tree canopies. The downtown area is not what most think of when they hear the word "disinvested," in fact, there was $1.3B of development within downtown throughout 2024, however, there is no arguing that downtown has one of the lowest tree canopies in the city at only 4% land area and only 3% pervious surface.  

Through innovative projects, DDP, in partnership with the City and others, has been working to change that. Our Urban Forest Initiative program works directly with downtown property owners to complete tree bed construction projects that provide more space for our trees to grow. To date, this program has provided nearly 140 trees with larger planting beds. We invite everyone to follow our progress here: https://arcg.is/1L0beT0.  

Another project adding to downtown's tree canopy is the 16th St reconstruction project. As part of this project, each of the 222 trees installed will have access to 1,000 cubic feet of soil, like if they were growing in a field. 

We are planting the seeds – and providing the infrastructure! – for decades to come.