New Richard Florida Report Positions Denver to Build the Next Model for American Downtowns

Report finds downtown activity nearing pre-pandemic levels and identifies opportunities to build a more diverse, resilient urban core

DENVER, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Downtown Denver has an opportunity to emerge from the post-pandemic reset with a stronger, more diversified urban core built around far more than the traditional five-day office economy, according to a new report released today by the Downtown Denver Partnership.

The Next Era of Downtown Denver: Reinventing Downtown for the Way We Live Now, developed by world-renowned urbanist Richard Florida, finds that Denver’s recovery is already well underway and argues that the city has many of the assets, political will and private-sector leadership needed to build a new model for downtowns across the country if it continues to connect and capitalize on them.

The report cites that foot traffic has recovered to over 90% of pre-pandemic levels, visitor and resident activity is at or above pre-pandemic levels and more people live downtown today than before the pandemic, even as the traditional office-driven central business district (CBD) continues to face significant vacancy.

The report also points to generational investment happening within the downtown core, including 16th Street, as well as in closely connected areas such as the Auraria Campus for Higher Education, the Ball Arena redevelopment, the new Broncos and Denver Summit stadiums and destinations such as the National Western Center and Denargo Market. This extraordinary level of investment builds on landmark Denver developments including Union Station, Coors Field, Market Station, Larimer Square and LoDo, which have transformed the city over the past several decades.

With that momentum underway, the report focuses on how Denver is translating its existing momentum into long-term economic strength while confronting the significant challenges that remain within the traditional office core.

“Downtown Denver is in the midst of a fundamental reinvention,” said Florida. “Too much has been made of office vacancy and occupancy — measures that reflect an older economy when downtown was organized primarily around the office. The more important measure today is activity: how many people are downtown, what brings them there, and how they use it throughout the day and week. By that measure, Denver’s rebound is already well underway. What has impressed me most is the extraordinary energy and commitment across Denver’s business, civic and political leadership to accelerate that transformation and build the next generation of downtown.”

The report argues that office occupancy alone is no longer the sole measure of downtown health. Hybrid and remote work have changed how people use cities, creating an opportunity for downtowns to become places people choose to spend time for a wider range of experiences, connections and opportunities.

That evolution is already visible across Downtown Denver. Florida describes the broader downtown as a “mosaic” of distinct but interconnected districts, pointing to areas like LoDo, Union Station, Ballpark, Golden Triangle, Central Platte Valley, Auraria and the stadium districts as places where housing, education, entertainment, culture, innovation and business increasingly overlap.

The report also identifies several assets that give Denver a distinct advantage, including $10 billion in investment around major sports venues, the arts’ $3 billion economic impact, Colorado’s $66 billion outdoor recreation economy, a growing downtown residential population and the region’s higher education and innovation ecosystem.

The greatest challenge and opportunity remains the traditional CBD. With roughly 12 million square feet of vacant office space, Florida says Denver will need a range of approaches, from office conversions and reinvestment to redevelopment for housing, parks, entertainment, innovation and other uses that bring more people downtown throughout the day and week.

“Denver has a rare opportunity to shape what comes next rather than recreate what existed before,” said Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “We have people returning, more residents choosing downtown and billions of dollars being invested across the urban core. This report challenges us to connect those assets and be intentional about building a downtown that is more diverse, resilient and distinctly Denver.”

Housing will play a central role in that evolution. More people live downtown today than before the pandemic, more than 1,600 residential units are under construction, and the Downtown Area Plan calls for doubling the downtown residential population from roughly 35,000 to 70,000 by 2045.

Together, the findings reinforce Florida’s central argument: Denver’s next chapter should build on the assets and activity already drawing people downtown rather than depend on the return of a single dominant use. This reinvention could position Denver as a national model for the future of American downtowns.

“Downtown is Denver’s shared gathering place and its front door to the region,” Garrett added. “Our work now is to ensure the investments already underway add up to something greater: a downtown that creates opportunity, reflects the identity of our city and gives people more reasons to be here every day.”

Florida developed the report through more than a year of research, site visits and conversations with business leaders, public officials, civic and community leaders, university leaders, entrepreneurs, developers and others across Denver. The report builds on the Downtown Area Plan and major public and private investments underway across the urban core.

Florida presented the report’s findings Oct. 15 as the keynote speaker at the Denver Business Journal’s Reimagine Denver: Downtown Reality Check event, where he joined local commercial real estate leaders in a broader conversation about the future of downtown.

Read the full report here: The Next Era of Downtown Denver: Reinventing Downtown for the Way We Live Now.

About the Downtown Denver Partnership
The Downtown Denver Partnership implements a place-based economic development strategy to support its vision for an economically competitive, dynamic and growing downtown. The Partnership convenes the public, private and philanthropic sectors to drive progress forward for the benefit of all in Denver’s center city. Visit downtowndenver.com for more.

About Richard Florida
Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading urbanists. He is a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Kresge Foundation. He is the author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis. His forthcoming book, The Way We Live Next, will be published by Harper Business in May 2027.

Media Contact:
Sarah Cullen
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