I’m all for everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  However, I do expect that opinions that are to be taken seriously are based on facts and logical reasoning.  This piece, published Sat. Feb. 24th in the Rocky Mountain News Wall Street West section, doesn’t measure up.  Please note the picture accompanying this piece is of my neighborhood, Bradburn Village.  The photo is of the apartments here, which comprise only 10% of the housing, the other 90% are single family homes and townhomes–the photo and caption makes it look like the entire development is very high density, which it is not.  We are also NOT a “transit-oriented development”, those are developments which have direct access to light rail, or other public transit, which we do not.  Use a fact-checker Rocky Mountain News.  Also, Bradburn was NOT subsidized with a TIF, and local municipalities regularly subsidize retail and office developments–would you rather them give more money to a big box crappy looking Wal-Mart, or a beautiful, mixed-use community people love to live and work in?  Give me a break.  My letter to the editor in response to this poorly written and researched opinion piece is below.

Dear Rocky Mountain News,

In the opinion piece “New Urbanism’s Flip Side” (Wall Street West-Saturday, February 24th), author Jennifer Lang–who obviously never interviewed residents of Colorado’s new urbanist communities–stated “..Certainly singles and childless couples will find these areas attractive..”.  I live in a single family home in Bradburn Village in Westminster, and while we have childless couples and singles who live here, our community is overwhelming populated by families with children who have found our new urbanist community an ideal place to live.  Anyone who has ever spent more than one day at home with a small child can attest that having things close by to walk to–parks, schools, churches, restaurants, shops, and bars (for parent’s nights out!)–prevents the feeling of social isolation and boredom so common for parents staying at home with their kids in a traditional suburban subdivision–where they have to get into the car (always a big production when you have small children) and drive to get anywhere.

I find the author’s declaration that “Denver-area residents are being bombarded with high-density living centers” and “the freedom to choose where you live is subtly being eroded by the insistence of planners with New Urbanism on the mind” patently ridiculous. New urbanist communities either completed, under construction, or planned in Colorado are far, far outnumbered by more traditional suburban developments, providing more than ample free market choices for house hunters. Ms. Lang states “..how many more people want to live with little or no yard and with all the urban annoyances of noise, crime, etc?”.  First, yes, yards in new urbanist communities are smaller than the average subdivision.  The only thing this means to my family–and to most others that live here–is we don’t spend our time, money, and effort watering, weeding, mowing, and trimming a vast swatch of yard that barely ever gets used.  We all go down to our local pocket parks so our kids can play together and we can socialize instead.

Urban annoyances?  Please.  Bradburn and other Colorado new urbanist communities in suburban areas are higher density than traditional subdivisions, but they are far from being urban, with the blights that can follow.  The only annoyances I’ve ever had living here are decidedly suburban–dog barking. New urbanist communities combine the best of city living–the ability to walk to interesting places–with the best of suburban living–low crime, great schools, and lower density (than cities). 

As to how many more people want to live in new urbanist communities–plenty judging by our resale value in Bradburn, which is much higher than surrounding traditional subdivisions.  New urbanism creates places people want to live, which in a free market drives up prices, meaning there is more demand than supply.  As to the comment that “social engineering” the lifestyles of Coloradoans is the goal of “urban renewal planners”: How horrible that I know all my neighbors, that I have a list of thirty people who live close by that I can call in case of an emergency, or if I just need someone to watch my five-year old so I can get something done.  How horrible that the pleasing streetscapes, walkability, pocket parks, and porches of our community encourage neighbors to talk to one another; to create the true community we have here in Bradburn–I feel so oppressed by our never ending social events, the safety I feel in our community, and the beautiful and architecturally different houses in my new urbanist neighborhood, not all painted fifteen shades of beige.