"How McMansions lured us into an unhappiness trap" -- WSJ on why smaller houses can lead to happier lives: archive.ph/9zDyE

Sprawl is more than cookie cutter subdivisions. It drives up housing, energy, and infrastructure costs, emissions, and risk. A new DOLA report compares “business as usual” to smart growth, and the results aren’t even close. We break it down in our latest blog: housingforwardco.org/colorado-at-...

Questionable new CDOT study on the proposed I-270 widening claims it won't increase driving. Making driving easier leads to more of it and traffic returns to pre-construction levels in 3–5 years. Big waste of $800M taxpayer dollars. More in the CO Sun article: coloradosun.com/2026/01/07/c... 1/2

We're delighted that the Denver Downtown Development Authority (DDDA) has approved funding for an office-to-residential conversion of the historic Petroleum Building! This adaptive reuse project will turn 12 floors of vacant office space into 178 new apartments. www.denvergov.org/News-article...

Big congrats to Grand Junction, Superior, Larimer County, Glenwood Springs, Fruita, Brighton, and Longmont on being the first to receive grant money from Colorado's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Grant Program! www.cpr.org/2025/11/19/c...

Denver now allows single-stair residential buildings up to 5 stories instead of just 3 thanks to HB25-1273 👏

Exciting news on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Colorado thanks to House bill 24-1152:

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Big news out of Lakewood, Colorado!

Our latest blog post by HFC lead @mattfrommer.bsky.social and economist Luke Teater crunches the numbers on how housing construction affects low-income renters in #Denver: housingforwardco.org/denvers-hous...

Denver's recent apartment construction boom has driven down rents. In our new blog, Luke Teater & I use RealPage data to measure rent changes. Notably, rents in Class C buildings, the most affordable segment, fell twice as fast as pricier Class A and B units. housingforwardco.org/denvers-hous...

Last Tuesday, pro-housing advocates celebrated numerous victories in local elections across Colorado. The message is clear: Pro-housing platforms win elections. Read our press release for details: housingforwardco.org/housing-news...

New Colorado Sun article: Will adding more lanes fix I-270 congestion? CDOT’s favored fix will test its new mission, opponents say. coloradosun.com/2025/11/11/i... This $725M project is one of several costly highway expansions CDOT’s considering in the upcoming 10 year plan.

Colorado’s 2024 land use reforms on ADUs, parking, and TOD were a big step. But the real climate and affordability gains come when cities go beyond the minimums. Let’s double down on smart growth to cut emissions, costs, and wildfire risk. Here's our breakdown: housingforwardco.org/five-ways-sm...

We made it onto Bluesky! 🎉 Climate-friendly, pro-housing content coming soon! 🏘️🌏🌄

(1/2) The CO Energy Office modeled how smart land use policies impact GHG emissions &climate risks. The results: 🏘️ -31% building emissions 🚗 -15% household transpo emissions 🌲 +30% of new homes shifted from greenfield development to infill 🔥 -Tens of thousands fewer homes in wildfire-prone areas

New release from Governor Polis finds most Colorado communities are working toward compliance with state housing laws to expand housing choices & lower costs. www.colorado.gov/governor/new... 1/

New post about how bulk transit passes are incredibly affordable and pair nicely with new parking reform and TOD laws. New tools in SB25-161 expand this program - let's use them! Written with James Flattum from @greatdentransit.bsky.social

New @pewtrusts.org research shows that adding lots of new housing supply lowers rents, especially in older and more affordable Class C apartments. In Denver, average rents fell 4.2% overall in 2023–24, and Class C rents dropped 7.6%. t.co/DukRRheG9Q 1/

Shoutout to Denver for building this sweet protected bike lane on South Broadway. At first I was skeptical but now I use it almost daily, and it looks like I’m not the only one… Now please extend it through Golden Triangle, downtown and into Rino thanks

New press release from SWEEP & partners: Environmental and housing groups support new executive order rewarding local governments for tackling the housing affordability and climate crises. www.swenergy.org/conservation...

Colorado's e-bike rebates have been a huge success! "More than 1/3 of respondents said they were taking 2-3 rides a week, with the next-largest group taking 4-5 trips a week." This is a cost-effective tool to cut emissions & traffic, and save people money. ⚡️🚲 ⚡️ coloradosun.com/2025/08/11/c...

Innovative new program in Denver will offer free e-scooter & e-bike rides to light rail stations to address the first/last minute challenge. Props to RTD for getting this started! denverite.com/2025/08/05/r... 1/

Great new op-ed from State Rep Stewart on the benefits of Lakewood's zoning code proposal to expand housing choices by legalizing "missing middle housing". These housing options cost $230k less than single detached homes. They also reduce driving & energy/water use. coloradosun.com/2025/08/07/o...

It's nice to see support for townhomes gaining traction locally. Chart is from Lakewood's 2024 housing plan, text is from Colorado Springs Housing Needs Assessment outreach (reported by KOAA)

After a long night, Denver city council voted 9-3 to eliminate minimum parking requirements for all uses citywide! 👏

Helpful update from @denverite.bsky.social on housing in Denver. The good news: Denver recently doubled its supply of new apartments, leading to the first sustained rent drop in 15 years 🥳. Metro rents fell 3.7% this year while incomes continued to rise - a real win for affordability. 1/

CDOT's expanded Bustang service is a real bright spot for CO's transportation system. Ridership has doubled since 2021 because of: 1) New "Mobility Hub" bus stations on the highways mean buses only stop for 30 seconds and drive in the Express Lanes to bypass traffic. “It’s very train-like,”.... 1/

It's official - last night, Boulder voted to eliminate minimum parking requirements for all new development citywide! 👏 The city's had parking minimums since 1954, which has forced builders to oversupply parking, resulting in empty lots, less housing, & higher rents. 1/

New housing cost data from Arapahoe County shows single-family homes are $250,000 more expensive than townhomes & condos ($600k vs $350k). 1/ t.co/k6uzaa9Xp6

Today, our Housing Forward Colorado campaign published an updated Colorado Land Use Progress Report, which tracks local action to comply with the 2024 state land use laws. June 30 was a major deadline & we reviewed dozens of city ordinances. housingforwardco.org/colorado-lan... A few takeaways:

Essential reading for Coloradans interested in housing & land use. “The state’s lot size and parking requirements are “really at odds with this notion of Colorado being an environmentally friendly state, a state where people care about the land, where a lot of attention is paid to land management.”

Berkeley - the city that literally invented single-detached-only zoning – passed landmark zoning reform on Friday. Berkeley will now allow 70 homes per acre across all residential zones (~8 homes per 5k sf lot). 🔥🔥🔥 Huge congrats to @eastbayforeveryone.bsky.social & their coalition!

An RTD bus stop getting hosed by a sprinkler this morning. Good metaphor for how we treat transit riders in Colorado (and then wonder why more people don’t use it)

Big shout out to Wheat Ridge City Council for getting rid of parking minimums for all multifamily development across the city. Motion passed last night 7-0! @rachelhultin.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/FqvVCaT...

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientists urge support of Berkeley’s middle housing ordinance.

Excellent new op-ed from Lukas Hagen on how removing parking mandates in Denver will "help lower rents and home prices in an era of high building material costs and exorbitant interest rates." www.westword.com/news/denver-...

Great thread and blog post from Max Nardo with a summary of the results from Portland's middle housing legalization and how a similar policy might play out in Colorado:

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SWEEP's latest report in the Colorado Sun: "The cities that aren’t fighting Jared Polis’ housing agenda - Many Colorado cities are taking steps to obey the state’s new land use laws — and some have gone even further than they’re required." @maxnardoco.bsky.social coloradosun.com/2025/05/30/t...

Our team at SWEEP is tracking local progress toward complying with Colorado's 2024 state land use laws and today we published a Progress Report. Big date to watch is 6/30 when the ADU & parking reform laws take effect, but so far dozens of cities are taking action: www.swenergy.org/directory/co...

When vacancy rates rise, rents fall. It's the most robust finding in housing. If you want housing costs to fall, you have to build.

Very disappointed in our Colorado lawmakers tonight. Road deaths/injuries jumped 50% in the last 5 years. For a $0.25/month fee on car insurance, we could’ve funded $12M/year of pedestrian & bicycle safety projects - saving lives & lowering insurance rates, but no apparently that was too much. Smdh

Great op-ed from @jlocantore.bsky.social about the economic benefits of transit and the threat posed by the Trump admin: www.denverpost.com/2025/04/25/d...

CO's HB24-1304 takes effect 6/30, after which cities can no longer enforce minimum parking mandates for multifamily housing near transit - a policy that's proven to lower housing costs, cut emissions & support local business. More in our new Parking Reform Primer: www.swenergy.org/parking-refo...

Not a single time in this article glorifying the need for sprawl to address the US's affordable housing crisis is there a mention of the vast transportation costs of sprawling living patterns. Nor is there mention of the fact that sprawl is directly linked to disinvestment in urban cores.

Sprawl “solves” the housing crisis by turning it into a transportation crisis.

Want to help shape the future of land use in Denver? Join this town hall tomorrow night to make your voice heard. Cities are for people, not cars!

"Developers can now construct apartment buildings up to 75 feet tall in neighborhoods that were previously restricted to single-family homes. The change is “monumental on a national scale,” according to Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of the nonprofit Abundant Housing MA."

“If your state cares about climate change, you need to take the reins and step up and direct your transportation funds to projects that are going to reduce emissions.” – @mattfrommer.bsky.social apnews.com/article/gree...