Resources

The mixed use zoning project is rooted in years of planning efforts, including participation from many Wheat Ridge citizens. Below is a list of planning documents that help guide the vision for our City, as well as a link to the City’s current zoning code.

Mixed Use and the Connection to Health

Mixed use communities are characterized by many features that reduce dependency on the automobile and encourage active lifestyles. By co-locating different uses in one place, promoting a compact form of development, and enhancing pedestrian connections, mixed use development often creates places where people feel comfortable walking, biking, and using transit.

Emerging research correlates increased walking with how “walkable” a neighborhood is. In other words, people who live in areas with sidewalks, nice streetscape design, and a variety of uses or amenities nearby may be more likely to walk than those who live in communities without these features. Additionally, street design that supports bike and pedestrian modes of transportation, and supports public transportation, can result in fewer traffic accidents and fatalities. These communities may also have improved air quality by reducing the number of cars on the road.

For more information:

Active Living Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This website provides research on how building communities in a smart way positively impacts our health.

Public Health Law and Policy
This website provides great resources, including podcasts and publications, on planning for healthy, active communities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stories of Prevention of Research
Read about a current research project on how mixed use communities may influence residents’ lifestyle choices.

American Planning Association – Planning and Community Health Research Center
Find research and policy guides related to planning healthy communities.

National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity
This website provides a wide range of information on the prevention of childhood obesity. From the home page, check “Environment” or “Land Use” under “Search” to the right for information related directly to the built environment.

LiveWell Colorado
A link to resources, including data and white papers, about active and healthy lifestyles in Colorado.

WalkScore
Is walking convenient in your neighborhood? Find out how pedestrian-friendly your community ranks. WalkScore calculates the “walkability” of any address based on the distance between your home and amenities such as stores and restaurants

The Economic Impact of Mixed Use

Current research shows built environments that provide a variety of uses and support multi-modal transportation may:

Yield more jobs.
Increase utilization of local retailers.
Attract development.
Connect low income residents to jobs, commerce and health care.
Support a sense of community and neighborhood interactions.
Attract a skilled workforce. Why? Our current and future residents increasingly want to live in communities that support walking, biking and taking public transportation to destinations such as shopping, open space, trails and city facilities such as libraries and recreation centers.
Help urban centers that have evidence of disinvestment