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Denver Regional Council Of Governments
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About Metro Vision

The purpose and history of Metro Vision

Metro Vision protects and enhances the region’s quality of life, is aspirational, long-range and regional in focus, offers ideas for local implementation, respects local plans, encourages communities to work together, and is dynamic and flexible.

It's a regional plan.

Simply put, Metro Vision is our region’s plan for continued success. The most basic purpose of the regional plan is to safeguard for coming generations the region’s many desirable qualities by calling on all of us to become active participants in planning for our present needs with an eye toward our desired future. The Metro Vision plan emerged from a collaborative process involving many public and private partners that spanned nearly five years. The plan builds on six decades of regional collaboration and cooperation through the Denver Regional Council of Governments, where communities large and small come to the table together. The first Metro Vision plan was adopted in 1997 and has been revised regularly to adapt to changes in the region and extend its future horizon. At the same time, the basic commitments of Metro Vision and its process have remained constant.
 

Read the plan

History

Even before the idea, the name or the plan itself existed, DRCOG, its members and partners knew the importance of regional cooperation. It's one of the oldest councils of governments in the nation, and its member governments and staff understand the importance of collaboration. Explore the many iterations of the Metro Vision plan, as well as foundational documents that laid the ground work for the current plan.

  1. Hot air balloons over Erie, Colorado, with snow-covered foothills beyond.

    1992

    Metro Vision Statement Principles and Policies

    1992: The Board of Directors accepts principles and policies developed by task force charged with preparing a new plan. The principles and policies expressed the fundamental elements of a vision for the region.

  2. A report cover with a stylized compass rose and the words Metro Vision 2020 Vision framework for the Denver Metropolitan Region

    1995

    Vision framework

    1995: The Vision Framework was a major milestone in the development of Metro Vision 2020. The Framework examined alternative growth scenarios as the region expected to add nearly 1 million people between 1990 and 2020.

  3. A report cover with a stylized city skyline, suburban homes and mountains and body of water. Words read Metro Vision 2020 Plan, with the date 1997.

    1997

    Metro Vision 2020

    1997: After seven years of working with the public and stakeholders around the region the Board of Directors adopted Metro Vision 2020. Metro Vision 2020 integrated multiple plans into a single vision for the future and was a significant milestone in defining and achieving consensus on key regional issues.

  4. Representatives from five communities and 25 municipalities stand and sit before a large table during the Mile High Compact signing ceremony on August 10, 2000.

    2000

    Mile High Compact

    2000: The Mile High Compact was a landmark intergovernmental agreement to voluntarily and collaboratively manage the nature and location of growth in the Denver region. It's considered an innovative model for regional cooperation.

  5. A reporc cover shows an architect's rendering of a community space with people trees and spacious buildings. The cover reads Metro Vision 2030 Plan.

    2005

    Metro Vision 2030

    2005: The first major update to Metro Vision extended the planning horizon to the year 2030. Numerous work groups refined core components of the first Metro Vision plan and updated recommended implementation activities.

  6. A report cover with an aerial photo of the Denver region, the Denver Regional Council of Governments logo, photos of downtown Denver, a light rail train and pedestrians in the suburbs, with the words Metro Vision 2035 Plan.

    2007

    Metro Vision 2035

    2007: The Metro Vision 2035 plan built on previous plans and extended the planning horizon to 2035. Metro Vision 2035 emphasized the importance of development patterns and design features that meet the needs of residents as they age. The updated plan established a new target for open space protection.

  7. A report cover with the words Metro Vision 2035 Plan, and a collage of images including the foothills, multifamily housing, a bridge and bicyclists.

    2011

    Metro Vision 2035 Update

    2011: The Board of Directors led a two-year effort to further incorporate sustainability and measurable goals and targets into the Metro Vision 2035 plan. The major update relied on significant contributions from stakeholders as the Board defined what a sustainable region would look like, and how the region will measure its progress toward sustainability.

  8. A report cover with a photo of downtown Denver and illustrations of passengers on commuter rail, a farm worker at a farmers market, an older adult and her grandchild visiting an urban medical clinic and a pair of children playing with a dog in the suburbs.

    2017

    Metro Vision

    2017: Metro Vision’s core values have been carried forward in the most recent update, adopted in 2017 and most recently updated in 2024. The plan continues the region’s emphasis measuring progress and considers the region’s social and economic health alongside its physical development.

A stylized depiction of a medical worker opening a door for an older woman holding the hand of a small child while a man in a wheelchair uses a ramp to board a bus. In the background, a person is walking down the sidewalk while a man is locking his bike to a rack.

Why does it matter?

Without the kind of shared understanding that Metro Vision provides, the Denver metro area might look very different today. That willingness to work together is special, and it affects the region's residents every day, even if they have no idea that a regional plan exists. The region’s strong shared sense of it’s future, as expressed through the Metro Vision plan, also bodes well for continued success. Metro Vision does not replace the vision of any individual community; rather, it is a framework for addressing common issues that reach beyond jurisdictional boundaries. It anticipates that individual communities will contribute to Metro Vision outcomes and objectives in different ways and at different speeds for collective impact.