Denver Watershed Bioremediation
Site Analysis + Proposal
Academic Study on Public Requests for Proposal
Research users, stakeholders, and economic factors of the Denver Cherry Creek Area and tailor a native bioremediation proposal to help combat urban pollutants. Apply systems thinking and the design process to analyze the local environment's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Process
Site Analysis
An assessment of environmental conditions informs planning and anticipated activities required from the space. Challenges like significant urban heat and pollution guide bioremediation strategies as well as considerations for programming.
Hardscape + Vegetation

The dense hardscaping at our site in Denver imposes the Urban Heat Effect-offering limited vegetation to offset rising temperatures.
Traffic + Circulation

Heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic causes urban pollutants like salts and oils to acidify soils and disrupt microbiomes.
Drainage

Positioned at a local low-point, the site collects runoff from its urban surroundings before channeling it into the Platte River.
User Research
The local community drives this eco-focused park proposal as a rich and emerging arts district emphasizes a need for area-wide cultural enhancement

Demographic Insights
The affluent and upscale area suggests expendable incomes appropriate for leisure activities- such as arts, retail, and cultural development.


Zoning + Community
The zoning code shows multi-use and diverse uses in the growing area- including prominent mixed-use housing, industrial centers, and commercial/downtown areas.

Pollinators + Native Species
A healthy ecosystem requires a diverse network of habitants: including native and displaced species of the Colorado plains. Through habitat facilitation, along with food and water supply, an opportunity for a variety of native pollinators and small species can coexist along this waterfront- without endangering traffic or quality of life.
![]() Black Chinned Hummingbird | ![]() Plaster Bee | ![]() Checkered Skipper Moth |
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![]() Yellow Breasted Chat | ![]() Orange Sulfur Butterfly | ![]() White Breasted Nuthatch |
![]() Blue Dasher Dragonfly | ![]() Gray Jay |
Programming + Concepts
Apply user needs with ecological remediation principles to explore how different concepts and uses may divide the space and call for specific features or functions: such as high density plantings in drainage areas as well as spaces for gatherings that are shielded from street noise, pollution, and extreme elements.

Urban Trails

Pollinator Garden

Water Circulation

Gathering Spaces

Untraditional Uses

Circulation

Seating Pods

Nightlife Corridor
Bioremediation Techniques
Due to high runoff into the local watershed, the site offers a unique opportunity to help naturally filter urban stormwater runoff before it is dumped into the Platte River.
Plants with strong root systems are essential for effective buffers at the site. The root system aids water absorption while limiting sedimentary displacement. Additionally, excess water may be stored in bioswales in limit flooding and support wildlife during periods of drought.
Tree Box Filter
Pervious Paving
from Angie

Biofilter Wall/Roof
from Ned Law
from Milton


Additionally, green infrastructure may be introduced throughout the built environment to limit the urban heat effect and improve carbon sequestration.
Plant Schedule
Native plant selections offer year-round interest while supporting local wildlife, filtering urban runoff, and mediating excess heat.


Landscape Design
Transition concepts into finalized designs based on user programming, desired levels of bioremediation intervention, and visual preferences that best reflect the community. Designs echo the community narrative of fusing urban and natural systems for more sustainable cohabitation and quality of life.

Program Diagram variations focus on behavioral uses of space and prioritize community engagement with the surrounding art district.

Hand-Drawn Site Plan notes ecological remediation techniques such as bioswales, riparian buffers, pervious pavement, and filtration strips.

Rendered Site Plan gives a sense for how plant diagram will look once the space is established