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Old 07-16-2016, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Littleton, CO
3,158 posts, read 6,090,207 times
Reputation: 5619

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Maybe the 16th St Mall has outlived its usefulness. By closing it to traffic, it gives the transient population room to squat and room for people walk around them. As a comparison, Times Square is not closed to traffic so any person squatting in place and begging would be in the way and made to move along. The 16th Street Mall is a mile long paved park except people don't want to walk or rest there.

What I think would happen is the a few hot spots would form. One near the convention center/DCPA, one centered around Larimer Square and the Pepsi Center, and one near LoDo. The mall could be a 3 lane one way street with extra wide sidewalks.
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Old 07-17-2016, 12:46 AM
 
Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
7,138 posts, read 10,971,829 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidv View Post
Maybe the 16th St Mall has outlived its usefulness. By closing it to traffic, it gives the transient population room to squat and room for people walk around them. As a comparison, Times Square is not closed to traffic so any person squatting in place and begging would be in the way and made to move along. The 16th Street Mall is a mile long paved park except people don't want to walk or rest there.

What I think would happen is the a few hot spots would form. One near the convention center/DCPA, one centered around Larimer Square and the Pepsi Center, and one near LoDo. The mall could be a 3 lane one way street with extra wide sidewalks.
Where have you been? Times Square has been closed to traffic for years now, and it has been very successful. For Denver to go the opposite direction I think would be a big mistake.

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Old 07-17-2016, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Sweet Home Chicago!
6,703 posts, read 6,398,841 times
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A great spot to watch the mayhem is the Back East Bar. I used to go there all the time. Nice view of 16th from the 2nd floor bar...

Back East Bar And Grill - Denver
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Old 07-17-2016, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
897 posts, read 1,246,060 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KaaBoom View Post
Where have you been? Times Square has been closed to traffic for years now, and it has been very successful. For Denver to go the opposite direction I think would be a big mistake.
Uniformed NYPD officer on every block. You still get harassed by:
1. People dressed as Disney / marvel characters for you to take a picture with and then be guilted into a $20 tip
2. Street artists / street carts selling their goods
3. Random panhandlers

However, there is hardly any aggression. Nor are there many incidents in Times Square. Cop on every corner in uniform. NYPD cars, cops on horseback - police presence.

Been seeing a lot more cops standing on corners on the 16th street mall. Sucks for them, must be annoying to have to stand there, but they are a good deterrent.
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Old 07-17-2016, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Littleton, CO
3,158 posts, read 6,090,207 times
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Originally Posted by KaaBoom View Post
Where have you been? Times Square has been closed to traffic for years now, and it has been very successful. For Denver to go the opposite direction I think would be a big mistake.
Broadway is closed for the 5 blocks that it closely paralleled 7th Ave., but if you look to the right in your picture you see 7th Ave is open for traffic all the way through Times Square.

Additionally, Times Square is only about 6 blocks (1800 ft) long. It has much better density, and it is easier for the police to watch. The 16th St Mall is about 15 blocks long and runs about a mile. If find it hard to believe that Denver needs 3x the shopping that NYC does.

Because of its linear shape, the 16th Street Mall is harder to patrol and navigate. There are stretches of the mall will few or no stores, and with the loss of any sort of department stores downtown, no one wants to shop on the mall anymore. The Tabor Center failed as a retail center, but managed to revive itself as a restaurant hub. The Pavilions haven't been that successful either.

Most of the mall is underutilized and one skip entire blocks of the mall without missing anything. Stores like Walgreens, 7-11, Ross, Famous Footwear, Sally Beauty Supply, and Payless Shoes (all of which are on the same block, by the way) are not what draw tourists.

The next block has Sportsfan, McDonalds, Chili's, Verizon, The Children's Place, Good Times Burgers, Starbucks, Cafe Rialto, and Courtyard by Marriot. Of these, tourist will frequent one or two.

The next block has the Denver location of the Federal Reserve Bank and Rock Bottom. The restaurants are already clustering themselves. One cluster is by the DCPA/Convention Center and another is by Larimer Square
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Old 07-17-2016, 04:53 PM
 
473 posts, read 845,049 times
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Good geography assessment above.

I was biking a few weeks back and walked a few blocks of the mall. I noticed the new little "hang out at the mall" fenced in areas with tables and such - and just thought it looked impractical and crowded it seemed. Who wants to eat lunch in the middle of the street with the shuttles zooming by and angry homeless kids bothering you from all angles. If eating or relaxing/doing lunch hour outside most would prefer a cafe patio or large plaza.

When I've had guests visit in the past and they had a day to themselves I've always just told them "go downtown to 16th Street Mall" - and wander around. Now I give them specific areas - i.e. 16th Street at Union Station, to Riverfront Park, etc. Or the capitol area and down to the museums.
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Old 07-17-2016, 05:10 PM
 
862 posts, read 1,187,841 times
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Originally Posted by himain View Post
My bf and I were there a couple of weeks ago and there was homeless everywhere. Crazy ones swinging in the air screaming at themselves and other people.


We won't be going back down there again and the last time we were there we dropped $300 on food/drinks at different places.
The last time I was downtown was during Colorado Pridefest back in June and yes YES I do remember seeing the many of homeless and/or those who are mentally ill. Actually that is a another growing problem with Denver...those with mental illness who don't take their meds. Yes I know the issue of the mentally ill is a problem in many of other places besides Denver but it just seems to be a bigger problem here..to me anyway and the problem isn't just downtown either. Heck a few months I saw a woman having a major meltdown in the parking lot at the Denver Dumb Friends League because she had wanted to adopt a cat but the one she had wanted was already adopted by someone else so she starts screaming & cussing and hitting herself in the parking lot and to the staff it was like "..what can we do ??" . There are some stores even in the suburbs I avoid because of this sort of thing, Hey when I go shopping I want to do it in peace and not having to hear someone screaming "GOD DAMNIT !!" or whatever at the store staff or at other customers because the store was out of what they had wanted. Scary !!

Back to downtown Denver. I never experienced the open use of marijuana but I don't doubt it at all that it does happen but every time I do go downtown the trip would not be complete without hearing someone scream words like "..OH JESUS CHRIST !!" or..letting out a string of F words at anyone nearby for no reason at all. Even on the light rail I would see people trying to start fights because someone is giving them dirty looks or whatever. Those begging for money but if one just passes them by without giving them what they had wanted here comes the dirty words. Yes I have experience this too. So sad and scary too.

Last edited by tantan1968; 07-17-2016 at 05:28 PM..
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Old 07-17-2016, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Littleton, CO
3,158 posts, read 6,090,207 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesdenver View Post
Good geography assessment above.

I was biking a few weeks back and walked a few blocks of the mall. I noticed the new little "hang out at the mall" fenced in areas with tables and such - and just thought it looked impractical and crowded it seemed. Who wants to eat lunch in the middle of the street with the shuttles zooming by and angry homeless kids bothering you from all angles. If eating or relaxing/doing lunch hour outside most would prefer a cafe patio or large plaza.

When I've had guests visit in the past and they had a day to themselves I've always just told them "go downtown to 16th Street Mall" - and wander around. Now I give them specific areas - i.e. 16th Street at Union Station, to Riverfront Park, etc. Or the capitol area and down to the museums.
Thanks. I teach geography, I especially like teaching urban geography. I have been watching and studying the Denver area, its gentrification, and renewal along with the neighborhoods of the metro area, etc. I'd like to think I have a decent grasp about what is going on.
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