We had two hospitals in Aurora in 1980, separated by a mile of fields. We drew patients from as far away as the Kansas-Colorado border, across a wide-open range of sparsely populated Colorado prairie. Aurora’s most prominent edifice was Fitzsim- ons Army Medical Center on Colfax Avenue; it drew patients from across the United States.
We all fervently hoped for a building boom; we wouldn’t then have to fight for patient referrals from Limon and Burlington. Our patients would come from our own backyard: Aurora.
Once a two-lane thoroughfare, Mississippi Avenue is today a six-lane traffic artery. Interstate 225 will soon boast eight lanes from I-70 to I-25. Gridlock best describes our rush-hour traffic. A bird’s-eye view of Aurora eastward from where Havana and Mississippi meet reveals a metropolis eating miles of prairie and virgin land, as far as the eye can see. Bennett and Watkins once were so far away; rural and rustic are now part of this growing megalopolis.
Like a serpent’s coils, home, business and industrial construction is slowly squeezing out the land around Denver International Airport. It’s as we hoped for, 25 years ago.
But I’ve changed my view of “growth.” Excessive, mindless construction has lost its lure. Where once I worried about the number of patients our hospitals received and treated, I’m now more concerned about how many are dying because too many of us are driving these congested streets.
I belong to that other America for whom boundless development is no longer the solution to the problems that face 21st century man. Rather, I think, we need more measured growth; a wiser approach to our general consumption.
We’ve migrated to the plains; many of us commute long distances, from Aurora to Elizabeth, Kiowa or Castle Rock, burning lakes of fuel. I keep hoping someday a gallon of gasoline will cost $6 or more. Only then will we be forced to reconsider the wisdom of living so far from our workplaces and the wisdom of driving SUVs. And then, perhaps, American consumers might insist that Detroit (like Japan and Europe) adopt fuel-saving technology and build smaller, smarter cars.
As much as I am against new construction, I must admit the new Aurora Municipal Center has a lot to commend it. Its dome, contrasting colors and long line of buildings with an open space in the foreground cry out: “This is a great city.”
I’ve watched my tax dollars at work as construction of the light-rail line proceeds along I-225 and I-25. I look forward to opening of the Aurora segment; then, perhaps, our traffic congestion will be ameliorated. That and sky- high gasoline prices should entice many of us to leave our cars behind.
Many Americans see the folly of our zeal for endless construction, and of our equating progress, culture and civilization to acres of land we cover with cement.
As Colorado dries up, many of us sing along happily. Recently a study by Rocky Mountain Climate Organization concluded that because temperatures have, on average, risen noticeably over the last five years compared to the last century, Colorado will see more droughts; the snow will melt earlier; and skiing and other businesses will gradually die. Global warming is here.
Prudence requires we build fewer roads, curb sprawl, use mass transit, drive smaller cars, use less fossil fuels, etc. More is not always better, larger not always richer. We Americans have to realize that we have much more than we can possibly ever use.
Pius Kamau of Aurora is a thoracic and general surgeon. He was born and raised in Kenya and immigrated to the U.S. in 1971. His column appears on alternate Thursdays.
