FRI-B06 - Addressing Resiliency in Denver with Equity and Inclusion at the Forefront

Friday, November 19, 2021

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM CDT

Location: Music City Center, Room 202

Compliments of:

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/non-HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

Meredith Wenskoski, ASLA, LEED AP

President and Founder
Livable Cities Studio, Inc.
Denver, Colorado

Speaker(s)

Happy Haynes

Executive Director, Parks and Recreation
City and County of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Sam Stevens, PE

Engineering Supervisor
City and County of Denver
Arvada, Colorado

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/non-HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

In 2015, Denver undertook a complex stormwater project to solve a historic drainage problem and flooding in seven low income and minority-occupied neighborhoods. The unprecedented effort resulted in a new form of infrastructure aimed at equity and putting the community’s needs first to create a celebrated series of open spaces.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand importance of local government leadership, the value of partnerships, and the necessary community-first approach to achieve transparent decision-making with a focus on equity and resiliency.
Understand the leadership role a landscape architect can play on a large, complex public project alongside executive leadership and engineers where integrated design strategies are required to address multiple challenges.
Discover the importance of educating local communities through tailored public engagement methods and co-creating with stakeholders to deliver equitable outcomes rooted in community desires.
Examine innovative delivery methods on an expedited timeline to deliver high quality parks, public spaces and resiliency strategies.