Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis

Colorado faces a housing shortage requiring approximately 325,000 units to stabilize prices, which currently drives suburban sprawl and increases greenhouse gas emissions. The document proposes transit-oriented development (TOD) and 'missing middle housing' as solutions to reduce vehicle miles traveled and land consumption. Specifically, RMI estimates that upzoning and infilling along transit corridors in the Denver metro could reduce per-capita vehicle miles traveled by 13% and greenhouse gas emissions by 8% by 2040.

• Colorado's housing supply is significantly below demand, with an estimated need for 325,000 units to stabilize prices, while the average annual construction rate is fewer than 40,000 units.
• The shortage of affordable housing near urban centers drives suburban sprawl, which increases automobile dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. RMI notes that electric vehicles alone cannot meet national climate goals; a 20% reduction in per-capita vehicle miles traveled is needed in addition to 70% electrification by 2030.
• Single-family zoning contributes to higher energy use and land consumption. In Denver, 77% of residential land is zoned exclusively for single-family homes, which use 64% more energy per occupant than multifamily or attached options.
• Implementing transit-oriented development (TOD) through upzoning and infilling in the Denver metro could lead to significant environmental gains by 2040, including a 13% decrease in per-capita vehicle miles traveled, an 8% reduction in per-capita greenhouse gas emissions, and 82% conservation of developable land compared to business-as-usual.
• Colorado's 2021 Greenhouse Gas Planning Standard (GHG Rule) has already redirected billions in highway funding toward sustainable goals like bus rapid transit by requiring emissions estimates for proposed highway projects.

APA

RMI (2023). Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis. https://rmi.org/resources/solving-colorados-housing-and-climate-crisis/

Chicago

RMI. Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/solving-colorados-housing-and-climate-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis |date=2 May 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/solving-colorados-housing-and-climate-crisis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023solving, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/solving-colorados-housing-and-climate-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }