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 16 th 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 BID 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 Denver s Business Improvement District Pedestrian Count Zones 2
Core Sites: The following blocks are counted every summer (mid-day, evenings and weekends) and are given priority consideration for off-season counts: 1. 16 th Street between Tremont and Glenarm Place 2. 16 th Street between Glenarm Place and Welton Street 3. 16 th Street between Welton and California Streets 4. 16 th Street between California and Stout Streets 5. 16 th Street between Lawrence and Larimer Streets 6. 16 th Street between Blake and Wazee Streets 7. 14 th Street between California and Stout Streets 8. 14 th Street between Arapahoe and Lawrence Streets 9. Wazee Street between 16 th and 17 th Streets 10. Larimer Street between 14 th and 15 th Streets 11. Arapahoe Street between 16 th and 17 th Streets 12. California Street between 16 th and 15 th Streets 3
Findings Daily and Annual Visitors to the 16 th 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 16 th Street Mall, between Champa and Stout Streets. Figure 2 depicts the number of daily visitors along different areas of the 16 th Street Mall that were counted in the summer of 2011. The median number of daily visitors to the 16 th Street Mall is 35,424. The median number of annual visitors to the 16 th Street Mall is 10,894,401. Table 2 shows the extrapolated figures for daily, weekly, monthly and annual visitors for locations along the 16 th Street Mall. Daily Visitors to the 16th Street Mall: 35,424 Annual Visitors to the 16th Street Mall: 10,894,401 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 12,869 Daily Visitors to the 16th Street Mall, Summer 2011 47,224 35,424 35,812 36,776 34,670 32,517 29,407 22,306 22,667 46,102 33,490 46,102 Figure 2: Daily Visitors to the 16 th Street Mall based on Extrapolations of Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts 4
16 th Street Mall Weekday Pedestrian Counts, Summer 2011 Count Location along the 16 th Street Mall Afternoon Evening Daily Visitors Weekly Visitors Monthly Visitors (Summer) Annual Visitors 16th between Champa and Stout 7,196 4,796 47,224 393,531 1,742,781 14,523,177 16th between Glenarm and Tremont 7,025 3,194 46,102 384,180 1,701,367 14,178,060 16th between Welton and California 5,604 3,804 36,776 306,469 1,357,219 11,310,156 16th between Curtis and Champa 5,457 4,140 35,812 298,430 1,321,617 11,013,477 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 5,398 4,318 35,424 295,203 1,307,328 10,894,401 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,283 3,625 34,670 288,914 1,279,477 10,662,305 16th between California and Stout 4,783 3,716 32,517 270,977 1,200,039 10,000,326 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 4,481 2,896 29,407 245,055 1,085,242 9,043,685 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 3,454 1,816 22,667 188,891 836,516 6,970,964 16th between Market and Blake 3,399 2,256 22,306 185,883 823,195 6,859,961 16th between Wazee and Wynkoop 1,961 1,532 12,869 107,242 474,930 3,957,747 16th Street Mall Average 5,128 3,315 33,742 281,186 1,245,254 10,377,113 16th Street Mall Median 5,398 3,625 35,424 295,203 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 am- 1:00 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. 5
High Traffic Pedestrian Locations: Summer 2011 In Zone A, the highest pedestrian traffic locations were along the 16 th Street Mall, demonstrating the success of providing a high quality built environment for pedestrians. The 16 th 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 16th between Stout and California 7,272 16th between Champa and Stout 7,196 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 7,025 16th between Welton and California 5,604 16th between Curtis and Champa 5,457 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 5,398 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,283 16th between California and Stout 4,955 16 th between Arapahoe and Curtis 4,481 Blake between 19 th and 20 th 4,289 Zone A: Highest Pedestrian Traffic Weekday Evening (5:00-7:00pm) COUNT LOCATION PEDESTRIANS PEDESTRIANS For both the mid-day and evening count shifts, the areas around the light rail stations on the 16 th 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 16 th 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. 16th between Stout and California 5,497 16th between Champa and Stout 4,796 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 4,318 16th between Curtis and Champa 4,140 16th between Welton and California 3,804 16th between Glenarm and Welton 3,625 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 3,194 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 2,896 Champa between 16th and 17th 2,592 16 th between Market and Blake 2,256 6
Weekday Afternoon and Evening Comparisons Figure 3 shows the difference between mid-day and evening counts along the 16 th Street Mall in summer 2011. Afternoon counts tend to be higher than the evening counts, with the exception of 16 th 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). Figure 3: 16 th Street Mall Pedestrian Counts, Mid-day and Evening Count Comparisons, Summer 2011 7
Weekend Pedestrian Counts: Summer 2011 Saturday Counts Mid-Day Evening 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 3,246 2,886 16th between Market and Blake 2,652 3,991 Larimer between 14th and 15th 1,118 1,493 Arapahoe between 16th and 17th 264 1,377 16th between Glenarm and Welton 4,665 4,089 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 2,894 4,273 16th between Welton and California 4,193 6,500 16th between California and Stout 4,599 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 8
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. 9,000 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. 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 Winter Mid-day Summer Mid-day Winter Evening Summer Evening 0 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between California and Stout 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 16th between Market and Blake Arapahoe between 16th and 17th Larimer between 14th and 15th California between 16th and 17th California between 15th and 16th Figure 5: Downtown Denver Pedestrian Counts by Time of Day and Season, 2006-2011 9
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 12 th and 16 th 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 14 th Street Ambassador Street. The 14 th 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. 10
Appendix 1
DDP Pedestrian Count History: Count Locations Updated October 2011 Location 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 16th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 16th between California and Stout 16th between Champa and Curtis 16th between Court and Tremont 16th between Curtis and Arapahoe 16th between Glenarm and Welton 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 16th between Market and Blake 16th between Stout and Champa 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 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 Blake between 14th and 15th Blake between 19th and 20th Broadway and Court Broadway between 16th and 17th California between 15th and 16th California between 16th and 17th 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 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 Contact Cole Judge (cjudge@downtowndenver.com) for more information.
Appendix 2
Summer 2011 Pedestrian Counts Weekday Mid-day Counts (11:30a.m.-1:30p.m.) 1,961 3,339 3,454 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. 5,398 4,481 The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. 5,457 7,196 Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 7,274 5,604 For more information contact: 5,315 7,025 Cole E. Judge 511 16 th 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 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. 4,318 2,896 The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. 4,140 4,796 Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 5,338 3,804 For more information contact: 3,709 3,194 Cole E. Judge 511 16 th 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 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. Weekend counts are conducted on Saturdays. The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 4,599 4,193 For more information contact: 4,665 3,246 Cole E. Judge 511 16 th 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 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. Weekend counts are conducted on Saturdays. The data is also available on ExperienceDowntownDenver.com. Historical and specialized reports are available by request. 5,216 6,500 For more information contact: 4,089 2,886 Cole E. Judge 511 16 th 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 18th between California and Stout 18th between Curtis and Arapahoe Mid-Day Evening 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 0 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 7,277 16th between Stout and California 7,274 5,338 16th between Champa and Stout 7,196 4,796 16th between Lawrence and Arapahoe 5,398 4,318 16th between Curtis and Champa 5,457 4,140 16th between Welton and California 5,604 3,804 16th between California and Stout 4,783 3,716 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,315 3,709 16th between Glenarm and Welton 5,251 3,540 16th between Tremont and Glenarm 7,025 3,194 16th between Arapahoe and Curtis 4,481 2,896 Champa between 16th and 17th 1,248 2,592 16th between Market and Blake 3,399 2,256 Stout between 16th and 17th 1,537 1,888 16th between Lawrence and Larimer 3,454 1,816 19th between Champa and Curtis 210 1,728 16th between Wazee and Wynkoop 1,961 1,532 Larimer between 16th and 17th 898 1,418 Larimer between 14th and 15th 1,813 1,297 Blake between 19th and 20th 4,289 1,281 14th between Market and Larimer 710 1,272 Stout between 17th and 18th 1,122 1,106 Market between 15th and 16th 800 1,046 14th between Curtis and Champa 459 1,027 Curtis between 16th and 17th 2,256 956 California between 17th and 18th 1,364 921 18th between Champa and Curtis 583 914 17th between California and Stout 1,722 884 California between 16th and 17th 2,314 830 Wynkoop between 16th and 17th 822 804 Welton between 17th and 18th 2,227 794 Stout between 15th and 16th 829 727 17th between Stout and Champa 1,205 678 Welton between 16th and 17th 1,504 675 Champa between 17th and 18th 1,614 633 17th between Curtis and Arapahoe 1,956 630 18th between California and Stout 910 607 18th between Stout and Champa 968 606 17th between Welton and California 1,841 604 18th between Curtis and Arapahoe 942 593 18th between Welton and California 1,288 566 17th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 1,505 554 17th between Lawrence and Larimer 2,253 515 Stout between 18th and 19th 553 466
Lawrence between 16th and 17th 1,042 465 20th between Curtis and Arapahoe 375 464 Champa between 19th and 20th 581 440 15th between California and Stout 584 432 17th between Champa and Curtis 906 430 California between 18th and 19th 2,032 414 Larimer between 19th and 20th 485 400 Arapahoe between 16th and 17th 1,112 366 19th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 279 355 Lawrence between 17th and 18th 788 354 Curtis between 17th and 18th 923 352 Arapahoe between 17th and 18th 1,005 338 19th between Curtis and Arapahoe 332 325 Curtis between 18th and 19th 623 317 Larimer between 18th and 19th 523 316 19th between Welton and California 722 310 Lawrence between 18th and 19th 657 308 18th between Lawrence and Larimer 726 306 California between 19th and 20th 486 298 20th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 163 287 18th between Arapahoe and Lawrence 756 270 Welton between 18th and 19th 311 248 Lawrence between 19th and 20th 245 247 19th between Lawrence and Larimer 413 237 19th between Stout and Champa 530 223 Arapahoe between 18th and 19th 398 213 19th between California and Stout 546 190 Larimer between 17th and 18th 519 182 Arapahoe between 19th and 20th 282 178 20th between Stout and Champa 357 177 Stout between 19th and 20th 234 172 Curtis between 19th and 20th 376 167 Champa between 18th and 19th 1,100 162 20th between Champa and Curtis 345 130 20th between Lawrence and Larimer 145 94 Broadway (20th) between Welton and California 173 81 20th between California and Stout 349 57