This site presents the results of data collection efforts undertaken by students in the Fall 2010 Planning Methods I course at the University of Colorado Denver. As part of a module on the future of technology in planning, students worked in teams of four to inventory various streetscape elements in Downtown Denver using multiple mobile data collection devices including iPhones, Android phones, GPS-enabled digital cameras and traditional GPS units.
These groups consulted with the Downtown Denver Partnership who identified the following elements as most relevant to future pedestrian planning in the district:
- Bike racks
- Benches
- Cafes
- Lamps
- News stands
- Planters
- Trash cans
- Street trees
The students were asked to create a baseline inventory of elements located on designated “Priority Streets” as noted in the Pedestrian Priority Zone document produced as part of the Downtown Multimodal Access Plan (DMAP). The project demonstrated the power of these new technologies, as data collection effort took the 57 students an afternoon to complete. We anticipate updating the Downtown version of this site each Fall semester.