State OF THE ROCKIES REPORT

Report Examines Population Growth in the West

By Chris Jackson, 4-25-07

Eighty-three percent of Rockies citizens live in the region’s urban centers. At the rapid pace at which the region is growing, the character of our cities largely defines the character of the region as a whole. Last week at the 2007 State of the Rockies Conference, renowned New Urbanist Peter Calthorpe, along with Mark Johnson of Civitas and Mark Tremmel of the Colorado Architecture Partnership discussed opportunities for New Urbanist projects and revitalizing the region’s urban centers.

The 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card feature on population growth and housing developments offers some startling population statistics. The eight-state Rocky Mountain West grew 9% from 2000 to 2005. Within this population influx is “boom within a boom,” as the 65+ population in the region grew more than 45 percent over the same time period—more than twice the growth rate of any region in the U.S. In addition to the New Urbanist developments discussed at the conference, the 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card looks at the emergence of retirement communities and gated communities in the West. We invite you to read the whole report here (PDF), and further the discussion on NewWest.Net.

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