Viva Streets Logo from Official Viva Streets website – http://about.livewellcolorado.org/vivastreets
This Sunday, August 14, 2011 from 10am to 2pm, something grand will happen in Denver. After years of work and advocacy from the community, Denver will host its first Viva Streets event. Based on the Ciclovia concept that originated in Bogata, Columbia in the 1980’s and has now spread to cities around the world, Viva Streets is the ultimate street party. From 10am to 2pm this Sunday, August 14th, E. 23rd Avenue through Park Hill and part of Stapleton from Colorado Blvd to Syracuse Street will be closed to automobiles. People of all walks of life are invited to come out and walk, bike, roller blade, skate their way along 23rd from activity to activity.
Map of Viva Streets event from Official Viva Streets website – http://about.livewellcolorado.org/vivastreets
The event is free and open to everyone. Festivities will kick off at 10am at 23rd and Kearney in Park Hill. Participants can simply go for a stroll or a bike ride or they can enjoy some of the many free activities along the route. There will be a children’s play area, free yoga classes and music at various locations along 23rd.
The original Ciclovia started in Bogata, Columbia in the 1980’s and is still going strong. Every Sunday, Bogata closes 120 kilometers of streets and over 2 million people walk, run, bicycle, skate, and enjoy the closed roadways from 7am to 2pm. Strong leadership in Botata, from community activists and public officials such as former mayor Penalosa, have kept Columbia’s Ciclovia alive for all the citizens of that city.
Similarly, in Denver, visionary work by civic leaders such as former Councilwoman Carla Madison, who passed away in April, coupled with advocacy from BikeDenver and funding from LiveWell Colorado, has made Denver’s first Viva Streets a reality. So come out and enjoy a great car-free Sunday. With new Council members such as Susan Shepard and Albus Brooks showing interest in continuing Viva Streets, hopefully this will be the first of many.
Awesome! The first concrete steps are happening to get people to think differently about transportation. I’m in 🙂
Parkhill and 23rd avenue was a strange choice for this event…anyone who lives here knows that of all neighborhoods, ours needs little help in ‘promoting’ the kind of values Ciclovia challenges…we had a 23rd ave parade on the 4th of last month…and every weekend, individual blocks are closed for block parties…we ain’t Bogota Columbia folks.
I wasn’t able to go…and might feel a little differently if I had…but…did the organizations who funded this think about the expense and ugly impact of 4 huge STREET CLOSED signs at EVERY intersection from Colorado Blvd to Syracuse??? And the scores of No Parking standards lining the street for the whole way? The labor to put em down and pick em up alone…and police? I don’t know who funds LiveWellColorado or BikeDenver, but…it sure doesn’t look like dollars well spent to me..money is tite on the whole planet…and it calls for thotful spending at all levels. That’s how I feel anyhow.
Tom Rutter
2566 fairfax
I think 23rd in Park Hill was a good choice for exactly the reason that the neighborhood already is used to the idea of mixed-use streets. There was a pretty good turnout, I thought, and hopefully they’ll use the success to expand the program.