[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6169608,"mediaKeyId","5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43","parentId",5403820,"title","DRCOG scenario analysis: transit and combined strategies move regional metrics more than land use alone","audioSeconds",1224,"startMs",2670320,"endMs",3894560,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43&start=2670&end=3894","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43/thumbnail_2670320.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6169608/Colorado/DRCOG-scenario-analysis-transit-and-combined-strategies-move-regional-metrics-more-than-land-use-alone","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169608-75c25ee08623b8972695ac7655e1ce22/orig.mp4?Expires=1773643964&Signature=LVO8uHcSdtyXkfwwoFk8HNeeYKKSumFDg3iO8TzMSZ~fyBcyY7n4iLKbLdWluGK7MXvbhJoISKNk2z1kpqOlBUtnfYJ-1ygH~P0flt0FZgClbGzDh3tU7LbWhJKxV-ugg2SS0nlBN68BVEYvFN~y-gSsmFfveqhCNIm24QQglIOkUmYL1n5WprPB1vrUzeYEssE7aVwPeiqla-RhB7fnLuJ8qITl4wrBnizzEKtCL0rcL-0zHxkpbUjOAFQ-OtKE6xB1Qr3eCMc8z2Id96W-610iihQbk23fZAnXiPW-UxZIH2WyIWZpVFtUN7DtxmsjBc6CmEdxL1q1US4co8GmcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Denver Regional Council of Governments","date","2025-07-15T18:49:54Z","article","DRCOG staff presented scenario results for the 2050 regional transportation plan on July 15, showing that combinations of transit and active‑transportation strategies produce substantially larger mobility gains than land‑use changes alone.

Alvin Bridal Sanchez, DRCOG regional transportation planning program manager, said staff ran multiple transportation scenarios (complete streets, transit expansion, and limited roadway expansion) and two land‑use scenarios (current land use based on state demographer forecasts and a transit‑focused land‑use scenario that adds housing capacity along planned transit corridors). The scenarios were tested using DRCOG’s land‑use and travel demand models and compared using three headline metrics: vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle hours of delay, and transit/walk/bike trips.

“Land use is not the primary driver of mobility changes alone,” Bridal Sanchez said, noting that earlier scenario exercises had found stronger land‑use effects but that this cycle’s results show larger benefits when complementary transportation strategies are implemented with land‑use changes. Staff emphasized the results are relative “what‑if” comparisons to inform policy; DRCOG will not adopt a single scenario but will use findings to guide the RTP candidate project solicitation.

Key findings presented by staff included:
- Under a transit‑heavy scenario (expanded rail, more bus rapid transit corridors, increased service, expanded microtransit and a zero‑fare policy), DRCOG modeled a modest net VMT increase of about 5% by 2050 compared with today but a reduction in vehicle hours of delay from 2023 levels and substantial increases in transit/walk/bike trips. In some transit combinations delay fell below 2023 levels.
- A complete‑streets scenario that increased active‑transportation infrastructure, encouraged micromobility, increased telecommuting and reconnected neighborhoods via new overpasses/underpasses produced the largest modeled increase in transit/walk/bike trips and modest reductions in VMT and delay when combined with transit investments.
- A limited roadway expansion scenario — which modeled the adopted RTP but removed additional regionally funded roadway capacity and restricted local widening over four lanes — produced higher delays and a slight decrease in transit/walk/bike trips unless paired with complementary investments in transit and active modes.

Staff also ran a transit‑focused land‑use scenario that increased residential capacity to 40 dwelling units per acre in established transit corridors and decreased capacity elsewhere. Under current land‑use assumptions those corridors would capture about 38% of growth; the transit‑focused scenario raised corridor capture to about 57% of new growth by 2050. By themselves, the land‑use shifts produced limited movement in the headline mobility metrics; the largest changes occurred when land use changes were paired with transportation investments.

Bridal Sanchez noted local‑level and neighborhood effects can be significant: microtransit and other targeted services can generate meaningful numbers of daily rides (staff cited local reporting of 150–250 rides per day in microtransit deployments), even where regional metrics show limited change.

Committee members asked about cost implications, equity and trade‑offs across jurisdictions. Staff said they did not present cost estimates in the scenario slides because total costs vary widely by portfolio and funding assumptions; DRCOG will carry scenario results into the RTP candidate project solicitation and work with advisory groups, a civic advisory group and a youth advisory panel to gather broader input.

Executive Director Rex (DRCOG) added that the scenarios are an important tool for exploring trade‑offs and emphasized that moving the needle at a regional scale requires substantial investment and combinations of strategies.

DRCOG staff said a report and RTP appendix will document the scenario process and results; staff will continue committee and board briefings as the RTP moves into the call‑for‑projects phase.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","DRCOG | Regional Transportation Committee July 15, 20205 meeting","oneSentenceSummary","DRCOG presented scenario modeling for the 2050 regional transportation plan showing that land‑use changes alone produced limited mobility gains; paired transportation investments (transit, complete streets) produce the largest reductions in delay and increases in transit/walk/bike trips.","taxTitle","Denver Regional Council of Governments, Governor's Boards and Commissions, Organizations, Executive, Colorado","taxId",27825,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6169613,"DRCOG updates small‑area forecast; local feedback adds nearly 8,000 housing units to development capacity",1420,1264990,2685690,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43&start=1264&end=2685","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43/thumbnail_1264990.jpg","/articles/6169613/Colorado/DRCOG-updates-smallarea-forecast-local-feedback-adds-nearly-8000-housing-units-to-development-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169613-aef3c5f8d1426edd3ba6bbd59131539f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773643964&Signature=Rp8A2uIOLiXoCxN~W1PkD4cdotpHVCqhbW6Jif6KgjmAK8PtZWTr7-onTVty5IGv0d8Eo6Ol3j4KXEoZaYUGXEF8VFq~tpGvRJJZQZuipFAcRJrcsqwakA9E5NutQ9Lex-48W8xs9crGH3cIDd0OYN3-KKXWTnFINYDeh8G6MNskuIduyzf5lahUL7AtE6bwC0Iro~qQ9qFcH~ctr9T6bHpen--ZL-Sqk5OoKW2GqBUEvUWxkNF-RrIhc~qN2gxDNF5JSSpJgc4fS7g-gd~~xYKEaTWttfClQ1ZB5HCGznhMMyOhjygl5tCvD--avmHpSWRzvPu78oB9Ldlz95lAFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","DRCOG staff on July 15 summarized updates to the agency’s small‑area forecast — the census‑block level land‑use inputs used in travel demand modeling and the regional housing needs assessment — and explained how local jurisdiction feedback changed project capacities and scheduled development inputs.

Zach Feldman, DRCOG data science and analytics program manager, said the small‑area forecast runs from a 2020 baseline through 2050 and starts from state demography office county forecasts for population, households and regional jobs. The forecast uses UrbanSim (an open‑source land‑use model) to allocate households and employment by choice models that vary by income, age and employment sector. “We call it a small area forecast because it’s done at a very small geography, so at the census block level,” Feldman said.

Feldman said staff tie the model to up‑to‑date on‑the‑ground development by including scheduled development data from CoStar (commercial and multifamily) and Zonda (primarily single‑family), DRCOG’s GIS housing datasets and jurisdiction input. The forecast now better “ages” households — moving existing households into older age cohorts and backfilling with younger household formation — to more realistically represent demographic change.

DRCOG solicited feedback from local governments and agencies from Jan. 20 to Feb. 21, held a webinar and provided office hours. Staff received feedback from 12 jurisdictions and agencies with 105 comments. That process led to capacity adjustments in about 2,800 census blocks and changes to 169 projects that added roughly 8,000 housing units to scheduled development capacity. Feldman said DRCOG applied many changes to planned unit developments because zoning alone may understate the capacity of approved or near‑construction projects.

Feldman cautioned that the county‑level demography forecast remains the top constraint: adding capacity in one jurisdiction means the model must reallocate growth within a county or the region. He also noted blind spots — for example, hotel‑to‑apartment conversions, rehabs and demolitions may not be fully captured in CoStar or Zonda and require local jurisdiction feedback to correct.

The forecast and supporting datasets are available via DRCOG’s web map and the small‑area forecast web page; some employment data are suppressed to meet state licensing rules when a geography has very few employers or a single employer exceeds 80% of the employment in that geography. Feldman said consultants using DRCOG’s travel model receive full datasets under licensing agreements that protect state data.

Committee members asked whether large employers crossing county lines are handled; Feldman said staff manually adjust census block assignments for large employers (he cited Lockheed and CU Boulder as examples) and spread employment across campus or facility census blocks. He and other staff thanked DRCOG’s GIS team and noted the Zonda feed helps identify ground‑breaking and lot readiness for single‑family master‑plan communities.

DRCOG has incorporated the updated small‑area forecast into the regional housing needs assessment and will use the newest forecast in RTP air‑quality conformity main runs. Some earlier scenario work used an earlier forecast version and was updated later with the new forecast.","DRCOG staff described improvements to a census‑block level forecast used in travel demand and housing needs modeling and said feedback from 12 jurisdictions produced capacity adjustments affecting about 2,800 census blocks and roughly 169 projects (about 8,000 housing units).",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":80,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6169618,"Committee approves six Transportation Advisory Committee special‑interest seat reappointments",671,593010,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43&start=593&end=1264","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43/thumbnail_593010.jpg","/articles/6169618/Colorado/Committee-approves-six-Transportation-Advisory-Committee-specialinterest-seat-reappointments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169618-731ac517a81b7fc86b66d99b2b8fc7b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773643964&Signature=HvnxVLzEcpgzetFMovk3UfL8U2IpHkBmLH1nCbQvdVbjeCP0bsstL-Fd2~WvkYR5Ve-T2mpkcUtR1zQgeAluZ4NaFiPoE5d3cSf0kQeGc9~4MwPXYs1WdqYDNLDXAc7m6ewBmKiKJ0H3HLBi0GPponSQZJPqIJWEhaYRTbId2cKM5Bgjzzo9RAQJ3OD6IPh-RIazAfoVaR~YrLcfVyA-uJUpOnRFlQHHnlB8RLfyjwICOrQdRGFaSCjYidspV8BiBe2TMJePy6o7OeV9eU2aSNDzCvPCUqNM55b-WcgY4jOH0KdvVQBPZtg5ZQQjiBE8JIb8Y2wSUFRzI5vTe49UFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Regional Transportation Committee on July 15 approved reappointments for six special‑interest seat representatives on the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), confirming staff and chair recommendations for two‑year terms.

Jacob Reiger, DRCOG manager of multimodal transportation planning, explained that TAC — the technical committee that reviews MPO planning products — includes 40 members and nine special‑interest seats representing fields such as aviation, freight, housing and transportation demand management. “These special interest seat members are actually approved by you based on the recommendation of the board chair,” Reiger said, describing the two‑year rolling terms and the committee‑guidelines updates that changed how local government vacancies are filled through subregional forums.

Reiger said six special‑interest seat incumbents (aviation, business, freight, housing, older adults and transportation demand management) were recommended for renewal by DRCOG staff to board Chair Jeff Baker and that Baker nominated them to the committee for approval. Chair Baker accepted a motion to approve the six appointments. Director Skyler (moved) and Director Mower (second) made the motion and second; the committee voted by voice with no recorded oppositions or abstentions and the chair said, “That motion carries.”

Committee members asked about participation and geographic representation. Reiger said special‑interest members participate as full TAC members, attend monthly meetings alongside local government technical staff and contribute across agenda items; he added that DRCOG seeks subject‑matter expertise first but will consider geographic balance when feasible. Director Mower and others said staff monitor attendance and participation and that DRCOG conducts competitive recruitments for many special‑interest seats when vacancies arise.

The appointments are effective for two years and do not go to the DRCOG board; per committee guidelines, TAC directly approves these seats as part of the MPO 3‑C planning process.","The committee approved six special‑interest seat appointments on the Transportation Advisory Committee for two‑year terms, following staff recommendation and the DRCOG board chair’s nomination.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6169623,"Regional Transportation Committee recommends board adopt revised regional roadway system",524,67740,592310,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43&start=67&end=592","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5403820-09cd1fa79fba72939da1f8bd0456eb43/thumbnail_67740.jpg","/articles/6169623/Colorado/Regional-Transportation-Committee-recommends-board-adopt-revised-regional-roadway-system","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169623-1da6f8ae64e54112a2b6a3d772fdd854/orig.mp4?Expires=1773643964&Signature=FJB0eJ4TuFbrSZX3tzHQrS~RFL8w713Bl6uqm7eO3peQXSZYQGMk1gwOBJ-2OHpxQVsn-aOdwAoSstkXidb7nDQI2XJpc78Gg5IT0GViCoIy2GRHjIi6Aj3Hy2E0lffSRFTYkFwGEmBdA95K5N2G8Kqfqbll6rFBTEIZdgVn6FlQOTKNeloJrz2Qy5Pq3QCiGP7FiPI8oU8DqKdc91VQrivSnNMrvI1voSThIoK-3g4dDMaJeYOJh9BXKzyQNsNNRoG6SdDZ0q318ZvZYD7O0vMnm7wDfejd63dntUdv11sFD64EJ9NzYi4lxK7IawSCXeNAngXi1gNL8vsNPJYybQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Regional Transportation Committee on July 15 recommended that the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) board adopt a revised regional roadway system that would expand the region’s eligible roadway network, subject to verification of federal functional classification and the council’s planning boundary.

Alvin Bridal Sanchez, DRCOG regional transportation planning program manager, described the proposed network as the set of roadways that will be eligible for regional and federal funding during the agency’s 2050 regional transportation plan update. “We fix it, as we say, at the beginning of the RTP update,” Bridal Sanchez said, explaining why the committee acts to set the network at this stage.

The packet and presentation showed locally submitted additions and removals, DRCOG staff–suggested rural additions, and realignments. Staff said the proposal focused on roadways that are federally aid–eligible and that DRCOG had vetted suggested rural additions — including major collectors and missing state highways — via county forums, one-on-one meetings with local agencies and a mid-March to mid-April call for revisions from member governments. The proposal noted some submissions were data issues and marked “no action needed.”

Staff recommended the committee forward the network to the board for adoption while confirming that any added roads meet the federal functional classification and fall within DRCOG’s planning boundary. Bridal Sanchez told the committee staff would continue work to confirm boundary location and, where necessary, pursue changes to federal functional classification for candidate roadways.

Chair Jeff Baker took a motion from Director Shelley Cook to recommend board adoption of the regional roadway system “dependent on federal functional classification and planning boundary.” Director Pak Bas seconded. Chair Baker called for a voice vote; committee members said “aye” and the chair announced, “That motion carries.” The Transportation Advisory Committee had earlier made a unanimous recommendation in favor of the proposed network.

Committee members asked staff how DRCOG determined new rural inclusions. Bridal Sanchez said staff screened for roadways eligible for federal aid, then consulted local staff about travel volumes, role as critical community connections and links to recreation areas; not all staff-suggested rural segments were forwarded after local review.

Director Shelley Cook asked whether wildfire protection plans and evacuation routes could factor into decisions; Bridal Sanchez said inclusion in the regional roadway system would make a roadway eligible for funding through DRCOG’s Transportation Improvement Program if the roadway lies within the metropolitan planning organization area, though other complementary planning processes also exist.

The recommendation now goes to the DRCOG board for final action; DRCOG staff will complete the federal classification and planning-boundary checks before board adoption.

For the record, the committee’s presentation and the attachments include maps and a segment list that show staff-proposed (teal/pink/gold) and locally proposed changes (teal = local additions, dashed red = local removals, gold = local realignments, pink = staff additions) and a dark- and light-color legend for segments recommended to move forward or not.","The committee voted to recommend the board adopt a revised regional roadway system that incorporates staff- and locally proposed additions, subject to federal functional classification and planning boundary confirmation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DRCOG scenario analysis: transit and combined strategies move regional metrics more than land use alone

DRCOG updates small‑area forecast; local feedback adds nearly 8,000 housing units to development capacity

Committee approves six Transportation Advisory Committee special‑interest seat reappointments

Regional Transportation Committee recommends board adopt revised regional roadway system