In the late 1980s I was still working at IBM, but had taken on a number of side projects to expand my horizons. One of those projects was working with the City of Denver on the redevelopment of Stapleton Airport.

At the time Stapleton was still in operation, and the new airport, DIA, was little more than a politician’s dream with a bunch of drawings and reports being pitched to the media.

Leading the charge was Denver Mayor Fedrico Pena who had decided to make the new airport the centerpiece of his administration, and several staffers were working full-time to make sure this dream would become a reality.

While most people were focused on the issues and opportunities surrounding the new airport, I was focusing on what I believed was an even bigger opportunity – redeveloping the 4,700 acres of prime real estate in the heart of Denver that would come available once the airport was moved.

To me, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to create something remarkable, and I was working overtime to help make it happen.

So what is it that separates a great community from a remarkable one? And more importantly, how will these criteria for “being remarkable” change in the future? Follow along as I fill you in on the rest of the story.

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