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Denver downtown foot traffic rebounds as visitors replace some office commuters
A Downtown Denver Partnership report finds foot traffic has reached at least 90% of measured levels across the week, while downtown activity increasingly centers on dining, entertainment and social visits. Office and retail vacancies remain visible challenges as city leaders look to reuse commercial buildings.
Downtown Denver’s recovery is taking a different shape than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic, with visitors and people seeking entertainment helping drive activity even as fewer workers commute to offices, according to a new report prepared for the Downtown Denver Partnership by urbanist Richard Florida.
Kourtny Garrett, the partnership’s president and CEO, said downtown foot traffic has been at 90% or more since fall 2025, measured from Monday through Sunday at different times of day. The report’s description did not specify the comparison baseline for that figure.
Florida said visitors and people coming downtown for recreation, coffee, collaboration or dinner make up an estimated 60% to 65% of activity. He pointed to the renovated 16th Street, Denver’s arts scene and its sports teams as draws, including stadiums that remain close to the urban core.
That appeal was reflected in interviews with visitors from Texas and Wisconsin, who described enjoying the city and considering it as a place to live. One visitor said he came for a Broncos game and stayed through the weekend.
The shift comes amid continuing concerns about empty storefronts and office space, alongside past challenges including crime, homelessness and construction. Garrett cautioned against treating office vacancy as the sole measure of downtown’s economic health. City leaders are exploring ways to repurpose commercial buildings and bring more people downtown during business hours.
Florida described the transition as a move from a “work city” toward a “playground city,” and said Denver has repeatedly reinvented its downtown. The report’s findings suggest that events, dining and other visitor activity are becoming increasingly important to downtown’s future, even as the area works to address vacant commercial space.