Inside a lecture hall at the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business, there’s more at stake than a final grade — it’s a chance to bring lasting change to Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
Denver7 shared stories of people and places that make Five Points special and heard about challenges from members of the community during our special Denver7 | Your Voice presentation from our new home neighborhood.
One of the issues we heard about was concern over the lack of economic development in Five Points. We went back to take those frustrations to Denver District 9 City Councilman Darrell Watson – and visited with a student group taking a unique approach to finding a solution.
- What is Denver7 | Your Voice? Read about the project here
A Shark Tank-style pitch competition
“The students were tasked with how they would increase foot traffic and create a vibrant marketplace within the Welton Street corridor,” explained Strategic Business Communications Professor Marji Karish.
The pitch competition kicks off a multi-year partnership between the Five Points Business Improvement District and the University of Denver.
“We came together as a group with all this research and collaborated to create a great idea,” said DU sophomore Aviana Reyes, who was one of the participants.
Some of students’ ideas — a Five Points passport program to increase collaboration and visibility among businesses, or more daytime markets and events, combined with better social media marketing efforts.
'We need a deeper investment from the city'
Councilmember Watson represents the district that includes Five Points. We asked for his response to neighbors' concerns.
“I think some of these small, targeted stipends are necessary to make sure the businesses that are existing can continue to survive," he said. "And then we need a deeper investment from the city and a deeper investment from our budget to make sure that we have long term sustainability."
'Layers for impact'
I asked Five Points Business Improvement District Executive Director Norman Harris what stood out to him from the students’ perspectives.
“I think they were starting to think on ways that you could build partnerships with other universities, organizations like RTD and our city, to really bring forward a collective solution that creates layers for impact,” Harris said.
And for that reason, Five Points leaders say they’re in.
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
