Representing Resources: Denver

Published: May 2, 2024 • By Eric Deakin

Artist's Statement

Our natural resources and the usage of which can be symbolized by our relationships with simple, day to day basics such as food, water, transportation, and the choices made regarding the utilization of these potentially costly necessities.

These comparative images in diptych format intend to conceptualize the usage of some important resources, and help to provoke positive change in terms of urban sustainability and a more resilient system as a whole.

All images captured within the City of Denver between September 2022 and April 2023.

Eric Deakin is a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Geography, with a Photography minor.

Exhibit A. Food Injustice & Redistribution

A large, gray industrial cart filled with food waste, including vegetable peels and scraps. Bags of garbage are stacked in the background, suggesting a waste disposal area.

People gather around a table outdoors, serving and receiving food. The scene is lively and communal, with a background of urban buildings.

In the United States, 40% of all food is wasted annually, while 1 in 6 people go hungry.1 Mutual aid and redistribution programs not only help to fill in the gaps, but also by fostering positive relationships through the promotion of equity and community.2

1 “Food Waste and Hunger.” Edible Michiana, 2018, https://ediblemichiana.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/food-waste-and....

2 Blood-Anderson, Noelle. “4 Ways Mutual Aid Benefits Neighborhoods [Infographic].” One Omaha, 10 Apr. 2023, https://www.oneomaha.org/mutual-aid-in-neighborhoods/.

Exhibit B. Gray & Blue-Green Infrastructure

Nighttime urban scene with a dimly lit sidewalk and a street drain partially clogged with leaves. Nearby, a tree and illuminated building create a quiet atmosphere.

A brick industrial building with tall arched windows and a weathered chimney. Sparse trees are in the foreground, and the sky is overcast, conveying a somber mood.

Major urban areas like Denver depend on a system of impervious “Gray” infrastructure as a conventional drainage solution; However, these systems damage the watershed by speeding up runoff, reducing the infiltration of groundwater, and delivering pollutants further downstream.3 Pervious “Blue-Green” infrastructure, such as bioswales and rain gardens, helps to remedy these issues by slowing down runoff, recharging the water table, and filtering out pollutants before they arrive downstream.4

3 “Green Infrastructure Toolkit - Georgetown Climate Center.” Georgetownclimatecenter.org, https://www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/toolkits/green-infrastructu....

4 “Green Infrastructure for Climate Resiliency.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 2022, https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/ 

Exhibit C. Automobile Dependency & Transit Oriented Development

Looking through a metal fence, a busy urban highway is visible with heavy traffic, including trucks and cars. Buildings line the road under a partly cloudy sky.

Railway tracks leading to a city skyline under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Power lines run above, evoking a sense of journey.

The seemingly inescapable cycle of automobile dependency leads to the general degradation of cities, dominates land-use planning, increases distances, marginalizes other modes of transport, and increases car traffic, resulting in the relentless widening of highways, greater greenhouse gas emissions, and urban heat islands.5 On the other hand, transit oriented development (TOD) helps to improve public health through encouraging active lifestyles and fostering community, stimulates local economies by increasing access to destinations and attracting newcomers, and arguably the most important; TOD promotes sustainability by expanding mobility options, preserving open areas, and improving air quality.6

5 Broaddus, Andrea, et al. “Transportation Demand Management.” Transferproject.org, Apr. 2009, http://transferproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Transportation-Dem....

6 Hewitt, Patrick. “Transit-Oriented Development Zoning Study.” Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, 14 Apr. 2023, https://www.countyplanning.us/projects/tod-zoning-study/.

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