Planning Studio II: Colorado HSR-Route Alternatives, Spring 2013

For this assignment, my studio group was asked to identify alternative routes for North-South and East-West High Speed Rail (HSR) corridors in Colorado. We had three criteria for the alternatives. The first map had to show the two routes meet near Downtown Denver. The second map had to show the two routes meet someone besides Downtown Denver. The last map had to follow a beltway alignment (C-470 & E-470). We began the analysis by first determining our guiding principles. After much debate, we ended up with maximize ridership, minimize cost, and maximize long term economic development. It is important to note that there was not a hierarchy in our principles and that not all maps simultaneously achieve these principles. For example, in order to maximize ridership, some routes went into urban cores, which could potentially lead to higher costs.