Denver’s Holistic Housing Authority

Denver’s vision for a sustainable public housing community is becoming a reality. In this excellent video on their initiatives, the Denver Housing Authority’s director of development, Chris Parr, explains: “For us as a housing authority we firmly believe we’re past that point of just providing housing. We need to embrace and incorporate much more holistic sustainability…revitalizing neighborhoods and revitalizing communities and cities.” The development has achieved LEED Platinum rating, with a PV system on the roof and use geothermal wells for much of the heating and cooling, including water heating. It’ accessible to public transportation and bike shares.
Residents are actively involved in community gardening and have an acre of land for urban farming. Greenleaf, a local nonprofit, trains high schoolers in the area to become urban farmers. Watch the video to get a glimpse of this vibrant, sustainably-minded community.