COVID isn't killing downtown, we put it out on a vine to wither and die a long time ago. The only thing propping it up was our dependence on it being a place you came and left in droves and the sprawl that enabled this behavior. https://twitter.com/larryryckman/status/1300459133217325056

I would guess some people avoid downtown because the only way to feel safe is by armoring yourself with an SUV and having a dedicated place to put it. It feels less safe to walk and bike downtown now because we have allowed the worst of us to continue driving like maniacs

Downtowns should be dense with essentials within a 15-minute walk. Even near me, I get to cross the moat that is 20th St and it sucks. I wish my block had a small grocer and a park that doesn't require crossing multiple arterials to get there

We drove life out of the city center and now that it doesn't get to come crashing in for their 9-5 people are shocked that things aren't holding up

The places with the most activity right now are not the ones with the most parking but are open to pedestrians and cyclists and are easily accessible by walking or rolling to them. This seems antithetical to our common sense but it's not

I'd love to see more neighborhood markets popup so someone could grab their evening's dinner on a walk rather than load up the car up for a Costco run

I'd love to see a truly connected network of bike lanes for everyone to ride, scoot, and roll in so we could more easily frequent the areas and businesses that need support right now. Everyone piling into their SUV alone will not get this done

If the only thing we do is return to what we had before it will just come crashing down again the next time we have another disaster

I've been to places where people both work and live. They have walkable blocks where they get their morning coffee and grocers within a short stroll. One of the biggest commonalities between these places is they haven't given over all their space to cars

Maybe we should build some resilience into the system and plan more for daily participants in the city instead of commuters trying to get in and out as quickly as possible

COVID sucks but it's not the only thing hurting Denver

To be really clear: I don't care where you live. If you chose the suburbs, that's great. If you did that & expect the next city over to cater to you & your massive vehicle, there's a problem

As we're seeing, without everyone & their vehicle we're in trouble. That's a bad design