Car-Free in Colorado

Situated thirty minutes outside of Denver, Cyclocroft, Colo. is a "property experiment," bike-friendly planned community by Netherlands-based urban design firm B4place and money blogger Pete Adeney.

Cyclocroft is designed to be built from the ground up on a one-square-mile plot of land, without a traditional city grid and will promote “debt-free, light-weight living” for approximately 50,000 people, Curbed reports. The community plan utilizes and is modeled after Dutch easement and platting standards to support 80 people per acre on average. The density will be broken up with walkable, public green space, with streets emphasizing foot traffic and cycling, with parking lots placed on the peripheries of the city.

Meanwhile, the center will consist of three to nine-story buildings of row houses, urban flats, micro-apartments, live-work spaces, and neighborhood retail. A small district of mid to high-rise buildings would make up a mini-downtown, all with heights ranging from 10 to 40 stories. The plan floats innovative building materials—think mineral foam technology, 3D-printable walls, and cross-laminated timbers—and advocates for ADA accessibility through first-floor residences, ubiquitous ramps, chamfered curbs, and slow-speed streets. Other design features include dark-sky compliant lighting, underground utilities, and extensive use of gardens and terraces.

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