Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts by DowntownDenver

Downtown Denver Summer 2011 Pedestrian Count Report Funded by the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District

Overview The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) funds pedestrian counts in Downtown Denver twice a year: a comprehensive count in the summer and a partial count in the winter. The BID began funding pedestrian counts in 1994 and has continued to conduct this valuable research ever since. This report summarizes the data collected during the summer of 2011. Pedestrian counts allow Downtown Denver stakeholders to: o o o o o

Measure pedestrian traffic for prospective Downtown retailers, developers and businesses. Determine the impact of new development. Predict or measure success of a Downtown event. Help determine priority areas for streetscape and amenity projects. Locate areas where increased police presence and cleaning services may be needed.

Methodology Timeframe: The 2011 summer pedestrian counts took place from approximately July 1-August 30. Weather: Weather is a factor when conducting pedestrian counts because counts are performed manually, outside, with clickers and a clipboard. Weather conditions may also significantly influence the amount of pedestrian activity. As such, weather is noted on the count sheet and then recorded. Occasionally, counts are rescheduled due to severe weather. July 2011 experienced 3.20 inches of rain compared to the historical average of 1.59 inches. July 2011 was much rainier than the norm, with many thunderstorms and 18 days with rain. The average temperature for July and August was 75 degrees Fahrenheit with a max temperature of 97 degrees. Four-year process for conducting counts throughout the BID: Historically, the BID has conducted pedestrian counts at various sites along the 16th Street Mall and throughout the BID’s boundaries. Appendix 1 shows the locations that have been counted in the past. The bolded locations are considered “Core Sites” that are counted each summer and winter. 1

There are approximately 120 blocks within the BIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boundaries. Starting in 2011, the Pedestrian Count Program began measuring pedestrian activity at each block during the summer season on a rotating basis. Each block is assigned to Zone A, Zone B, Zone C, or Zone D, with each zone counted every four years. Figure 1 shows a map of the four zones within the BID. Additional sites are measured outside of the rotation schedule due to special requests. These sites may include counting one location multiple times during a season during a different set of conditions (i.e. on a weekend day, late in the evening, during a Rockies game or during a major convention) or may include a location where significant investment is projected to be made within the following 12 months. Core sites are measured at least once per year. The core sites have been created based upon historical count sites, as well as the vision set forth by the 2007 update to the Downtown Area Plan. Pedestrian counts at particular locations allow the BID to measure impacts of future developments related to the Denver Union Station development, the influence of FasTracks and developments in Arapahoe Square.

Figure 1: Downtown Denverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Improvement District Pedestrian Count Zones

Core Sites: The following blocks are counted every summer (mid-day, evenings and weekends) and are given priority consideration for off-season counts: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

16th Street between Tremont and Glenarm Place 16th Street between Glenarm Place and Welton Street 16th Street between Welton and California Streets 16th Street between California and Stout Streets 16th Street between Lawrence and Larimer Streets 16th Street between Blake and Wazee Streets 14th Street between California and Stout Streets 14th Street between Arapahoe and Lawrence Streets Wazee Street between 16th and 17th Streets Larimer Street between 14th and 15th Streets Arapahoe Street between 16th and 17th Streets California Street between 16th and 15th Streets

Findings Daily and Annual Visitors to the 16th Street Mall: Extrapolations allow the BID to analyze peak hour data to calculate daily, weekly, monthly and annual estimates. The BID utilizes the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project (NBPD) model to create daily, weekly, monthly and annual extrapolations. The NBPD project assumes that 25% of all pedestrian traffic occurs from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on a typical summer weekday (Tues, Wed, Thurs) for a pedestrian area with a moderate climate. There are 47,224 daily visitors at the center of the 16th Street Mall, between Champa and Stout Streets. Figure 2 depicts the number of daily visitors along different areas of the 16th Street Mall that were counted in the summer of 2011. The median number of daily visitors to the 16th Street Mall is 35,424. The median number of annual visitors to the 16th Street Mall is 10,894,401. Table 2 shows the extrapolated figures for daily, weekly, monthly and annual visitors for locations along the 16th Street Mall.

Daily Visitors to the 16th Street Mall:

35,424

Annual Visitors to the 16th Street Mall:

10,894,401

Daily Visitors to the 16th Street Mall, Summer 2011 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0

47,224

35,812

35,424 29,407

32,517

36,776

34,670

46,102

46,102 33,490

22,306 22,667 12,869

Figure 2: Daily Visitors to the 16 Street Mall based on Extrapolations of Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts

16th Street Mall Weekday Pedestrian Counts, Summer 2011 Count Location Afternoon Evening along the 16th Street Mall 16th between Champa and Stout 16th between Glenarm and Tremont 16th between Welton and California 16th between Curtis and Champa 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between California and Stout 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 16th between Market and Blake 16th between Wazee and Wynkoop 16th Street Mall Average 16th Street Mall Median

7,196 7,025 5,604 5,457 5,398 5,283 4,783 4,481 3,454 3,399 1,961 5,128 5,398

4,796 3,194 3,804 4,140 4,318 3,625 3,716 2,896 1,816 2,256 1,532 3,315 3,625

Daily Visitors

47,224 46,102 36,776 35,812 35,424 34,670 32,517 29,407 22,667 22,306 12,869 33,742 35,424

Weekly Visitors 393,531 384,180 306,469 298,430 295,203 288,914 270,977 245,055 188,891 185,883 107,242 281,186 295,203

Monthly Annual Visitors Visitors (Summer) 1,742,781 14,523,177 1,701,367 14,178,060 1,357,219 11,310,156 1,321,617 11,013,477 1,307,328 10,894,401 1,279,477 10,662,305 1,200,039 10,000,326 1,085,242 9,043,685 836,516 6,970,964 823,195 6,859,961 474,930 3,957,747 1,245,254 10,377,113 1,307,328 10,894,401

Source: The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, Summer 2011

Extrapolation Model Source: National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, Alta Planning and Design (Alta Greenways), 2011. Based on a typical weekday count (Tues, Wed, Thurs), Time was adjusted from 11:30 am-1:30 pm to 11:00 am1:00 pm based on model's limitations, Summer month, Moderate Climate, Pedestrian Space. Averages were used as baseline numbers for the sites with more than one count.

High Traffic Pedestrian Locations: Summer 2011 In Zone A, the highest pedestrian traffic locations were along the 16th Street Mall, demonstrating the success of providing a high quality built environment for pedestrians. The 16th Street Mall is highly walkable with many amenities to visit including over 1,000 retailers and restaurants. Zone A: Highest Pedestrian Traffic Weekday Mid-day (11:30am-1:30pm) COUNT LOCATION

PEDESTRIANS

16th between Stout and California 16th between Champa and Stout 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 16th between Welton and California 16th between Curtis and Champa 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between California and Stout 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis Blake between 19th and 20th

7,272 7,196 7,025 5,604 5,457 5,398 5,283 4,955 4,481 4,289

Zone A: Highest Pedestrian Traffic Weekday Evening (5:00-7:00pm) COUNT LOCATION

PEDESTRIANS

16th between Stout and California 16th between Champa and Stout 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 16th between Curtis and Champa 16th between Welton and California 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis Champa between 16th and 17th 16th between Market and Blake

5,497 4,796 4,318 4,140 3,804 3,625 3,194 2,896 2,592 2,256

For both the mid-day and evening count shifts, the areas around the light rail stations on the 16th Street Mall (Stout and California Streets) have high numbers of pedestrian activity. It is difficult to determine from these numbers if these pedestrians are spending time in Downtown Denver or if they are just passing through. However, high numbers along the rest of the 16th Street Mall suggest that people are visiting and spending time in Downtown Denver. For more information on 16th Street Mall pedestrian counts, visit Appendix 2 for maps of weekday mid-day counts, weekday evening counts, weekend mid-day counts and weekend evening counts.

Weekday Afternoon and Evening Comparisons Figure 3 shows the difference between mid-day and evening counts along the 16th Street Mall in summer 2011. Afternoon counts tend to be higher than the evening counts, with the exception of 16th Street between California and Stout Streets (the area between the two light rail stations).

16th Street Mall Pedestrian Counts: Mid-day and Evening, Summer 2011 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

Mid-day Evening

Counts were conducted from 11:30am-1:30pm (afternoon) and from 5-7pm (evening) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Summer of 2011 (July-August). th

Figure 3: 16 Street Mall Pedestrian Counts, Mid-day and Evening Count Comparisons, Summer 2011

Weekend Pedestrian Counts: Summer 2011 Saturday Counts 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 16th between Market and Blake Larimer between 14th and 15th Arapahoe between 16th and 17th 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 16th between Welton and California 16th between California and Stout

Mid-Day 3,246 2,652 1,118 264 4,665 2,894 4,193 4,599

Evening 2,886 3,991 1,493 1,377 4,089 4,273 6,500 5,216

Saturday pedestrian counts were conducted at select locations within the BID (see Figure 4). These counts reveal higher numbers of pedestrians during evening counts than mid-day counts, an opposite trend from the weekday counts.

Figure 4: Saturday Pedestrian Counts, Summer 2011

Time of Day and Season Looking at historical data, summer is the busiest time for pedestrian traffic. Several count sites that have been counted were analyzed (Figure 5), revealing that the highest pedestrian traffic times are: 1) summer mid-day, 2) winter mid-day, 3) summer evening and 4) winter evening. Figure 5 shows the figure for each season for the selected sites based on averages from 2006 to 2011.

Downtown Denver Pedestrian Counts by Time of Day and Season

Based on Averages from 2006-2011; Counts conducted by the Downtown Denver Partnership where Mid-day is 11:30am-1:30pm and Evenings are 5-7pm. 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 Winter Mid-day

4,000

Summer Mid-day

3,000

Winter Evening

2,000

Summer Evening

1,000 0 16th 16th 16th 16th Arapahoe Larimer California California between between between between between between between between Glenarm California Lawrence Market 16th and 14th and 16th and 15th and and and Stout and and Blake 17th 15th 17th 16th Welton Larimer Figure 5: Downtown Denver Pedestrian Counts by Time of Day and Season, 2006-2011

Outlook for 2012 In 2012, Zone B will be counted. Zone B encompasses the area between Larimer Street and Court Place to the North and South and 12th and 16th Streets to the West and East. Zone B contains Downtown Denver’s Theatre District and institutions such as the Denver Performing Arts Complex and the Colorado Convention Center. Zone B also contains the 14th Street Ambassador Street. The 14th Street streetscaping project will be complete by the end of 2011. Key locations in Zone B were counted in 2010 and in 2011 to provide “before” and “during construction” pedestrian counts. 2012 will allow for the “after” counts following the completion of the streetscaping project. Several significant pedestrianfriendly amenities were added throughout 2011 such as wider sidewalks, new crosswalks, planters, trees, benches and way-finding signage. This will be an exciting count area for Downtown Denver in 2012. Acknowledgements The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District thanks the summer 2011 pedestrian counters who spent hours counting pedestrians around Downtown Denver. The BID also thanks the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project and Alta Planning and Design for providing a model for pedestrian extrapolations. Pedestrian count sheets and counter instructions are available upon request.

Appendix 1

DDP Pedestrian Count History: Count Locations Updated October 2011 Location 1994 16th between Arapahoe and Lawrence l 16th between California and Stout l 16th between Champa and Curtis 16th between Court and Tremont 16th between Curtis and Arapahoe l 16th between Glenarm and Welton l 16th between Lawrence and Larimer l 16th between Market and Blake l 16th between Stout and Champa l 16th between Tremont and Glenarm l 16th between Wazee and Wynkoop 16th between Welton and California 17th between Glenarm and Welton 17th between Lincoln and Sherman Arapahoe between 16th and 17th l Blake between 14th and 15th Blake between 19th and 20th Broadway and Court Broadway between 16th and 17th California between 15th and 16th l California between 16th and 17th l Champa between 16th and 17th Cleveland and 15th: Civic Center Colfax and 14th: Webb Building Crossing Court between 15th and 16th Crossing Colfax at 15th Crossing Colfax at Broadway Curtis between 14th and 15th Denver Pavillions Holiday Counts Larimer between 14th and 15th l Larimer between 15th and 16th Speer and Larimer: Auraria Crossing Speer and Lawrence: Auraria Crossing Stout between 14th and 15th Wazee between 15th and 16th Welton between 14th and 15th Writer's Square Wynkoop between 19th and 20th

1995 l

1996

l l

1997

1998 l l

1999 l l

2000 l l

l l l

l l

2001 l l l l l l l l l l l

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

l l l

l l

l l l

l l

l l l l l l l

l l l l l

2011 l l l l l l l l l l l

l l l l

l l l

l l l l

l l

l l l

l l

Contact Cole Judge (cjudge@downtowndenver.com) for more information.

l l l l

Appendix 2

Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts Weekday Mid-day Counts (11:30a.m.-1:30p.m.)

1,961

3,339

Pedestrian counts are conducted at key retail locations during the peak hours of lunch-time (11:30a.m.1:30p.m.) and the evening rush hour (5-7p.m.). These are one-time counts performed on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

3,454 4,481

The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com.

5,398 7,196

Historical and specialized reports are available by request.

5,457

5,604

For more information contact:

7,274

7,025 5,315

Cole E. Judge th 511 16 Street Suite 200 Denver, CO. 80202 303-534-6161 cjudge@downtowndenver.com www.downtowndenver.com

Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts Weekday Evening Counts (5:00- 7:00 p.m.)

1,532

2,256

1,816 2,896

The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com.

4,318 4,796

Historical and specialized reports are available by request.

4,140

3,804

For more information contact:

5,338

3,194 3,709

Cole E. Judge th 511 16 Street Suite 200 Denver, CO. 80202 303-534-6161 cjudge@downtowndenver.com www.downtowndenver.com

Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts Weekend Mid-day Counts (11:30a.m.-1:30p.m.)

2,652

2,894

The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 4,193

For more information contact:

4,599

3,246 4,665

Cole E. Judge th 511 16 Street Suite 200 Denver, CO. 80202 303-534-6161 cjudge@downtowndenver.com www.downtowndenver.com

Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts Weekend Evening Counts (5:00 - 7:00 p.m.)

3,991

4,273

The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 6,500

For more information contact:

5,216

2,886 4,089

Cole E. Judge th 511 16 Street Suite 200 Denver, CO. 80202 303-534-6161 cjudge@downtowndenver.com www.downtowndenver.com

Appendix 3

Business Improvement District Pedestrian Counts: Zone A Summer 2011 20th between Lawrence and Larimer Broadway (20th) between Welton and California Stout between 19th and 20th 19th between Arapahoe and Lawrence Welton between 18th and 19th 20th between Champa and Curtis 20th between Stout and Champa Curtis between 19th and 20th 19th between Lawrence and Larimer Larimer between 19th and 20th

Larimer between 17th and 18th 19th between Stout and Champa Stout between 18th and 19th 18th between Champa and Curtis Curtis between 18th and 19th 14th between Market and Larimer 18th between Lawrence and Larimer Lawrence between 17th and 18th Wynkoop between 16th and 17th Larimer between 16th and 17th

Mid-Day

18th between California and Stout

Evening

18th between Curtis and Arapahoe Arapahoe between 17th and 18th Champa between 18th and 19th Stout between 17th and 18th Champa between 16th and 17th California between 17th and 18th 17th between Arapahoe and Lawrence Champa between 17th and 18th

Larimer between 14th and 15th 17th between Curtis and Arapahoe California between 18th and 19th 17th between Lawrence and Larimer

California between 16th and 17th 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 16th between California and Stout 16th between Glenarm and Welton

16th between Curtis and Champa 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 16th between Stout and California

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

Appendix 4

Weekday Count Data Results, Summer 2011, Downtown Denver Site Mid-Day Evening 16th between California and Stout 5,126 16th between Stout and California 7,274 16th between Champa and Stout 7,196 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 5,398 16th between Curtis and Champa 5,457 16th between Welton and California 5,604 16th between California and Stout 4,783 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,315 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,251 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 7,025 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 4,481 Champa between 16th and 17th 1,248 16th between Market and Blake 3,399 Stout between 16th and 17th 1,537 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 3,454 19th between Champa and Curtis 210 16th between Wazee and Wynkoop 1,961 Larimer between 16th and 17th 898 Larimer between 14th and 15th 1,813 Blake between 19th and 20th 4,289 14th between Market and Larimer 710 Stout between 17th and 18th 1,122 Market between 15th and 16th 800 14th between Curtis and Champa 459 Curtis between 16th and 17th 2,256 California between 17th and 18th 1,364 18th between Champa and Curtis 583 17th between California and Stout 1,722 California between 16th and 17th 2,314 Wynkoop between 16th and 17th 822 Welton between 17th and 18th 2,227 Stout between 15th and 16th 829 17th between Stout and Champa 1,205 Welton between 16th and 17th 1,504 Champa between 17th and 18th 1,614 17th between Curtis and Arapahoe 1,956 18th between California and Stout 910 18th between Stout and Champa 968 17th between Welton and California 1,841 18th between Curtis and Arapahoe 942 18th between Welton and California 1,288 17th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 1,505 17th between Lawrence and Larimer 2,253 Stout between 18th and 19th 553

7,277 5,338 4,796 4,318 4,140 3,804 3,716 3,709 3,540 3,194 2,896 2,592 2,256 1,888 1,816 1,728 1,532 1,418 1,297 1,281 1,272 1,106 1,046 1,027 956 921 914 884 830 804 794 727 678 675 633 630 607 606 604 593 566 554 515 466

Lawrence between 16th and 17th 20th between Curtis and Arapahoe Champa between 19th and 20th 15th between California and Stout 17th between Champa and Curtis California between 18th and 19th Larimer between 19th and 20th Arapahoe between 16th and 17th 19th between Arapahoe and Lawrence Lawrence between 17th and 18th Curtis between 17th and 18th Arapahoe between 17th and 18th 19th between Curtis and Arapahoe Curtis between 18th and 19th Larimer between 18th and 19th 19th between Welton and California Lawrence between 18th and 19th 18th between Lawrence and Larimer California between 19th and 20th 20th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 18th between Arapahoe and Lawrence Welton between 18th and 19th Lawrence between 19th and 20th 19th between Lawrence and Larimer 19th between Stout and Champa Arapahoe between 18th and 19th 19th between California and Stout Larimer between 17th and 18th Arapahoe between 19th and 20th 20th between Stout and Champa Stout between 19th and 20th Curtis between 19th and 20th Champa between 18th and 19th 20th between Champa and Curtis 20th between Lawrence and Larimer Broadway (20th) between Welton and California 20th between California and Stout

1,042 375 581 584 906 2,032 485 1,112 279 788 923 1,005 332 623 523 722 657 726 486 163 756 311 245 413 530 398 546 519 282 357 234 376 1,100 345 145 173 349

465 464 440 432 430 414 400 366 355 354 352 338 325 317 316 310 308 306 298 287 270 248 247 237 223 213 190 182 178 177 172 167 162 130 94 81 57