This is Colorado.

Now, go outside and play.

Colorado Springs gets more than 250 days of sunshine a year. The average high in summer is 79º. The average high in winter is 45º. We have four spectacular seasons. And the world-famous "purple mountain majesties" line the western horizon. So making nature one of the cornerstone values of Banning Lewis Ranch, and planning for an extensive network of parks, trails and open space was only … natural.

For example, in our first village, Northtree, almost every home will be no more than a block or two from a trail. Some of these are internal greenbelt trails and are called pasillos (pronounced pah-SEE-ohs) designed for a leisurely walk or an exhilarating jog. These trails will lead you to a series of distinctive parks located throughout the village.

We're doing something with these outdoor spaces that we believe will make them unique and give them more purpose. The trails will lead to real places, like the neighborhood schools, the community centers and eventually a variety of shops and restaurants. And the parks will be enhanced by something we call "adventure play" to bring a whole new level of fun to outdoor recreation.

As with many of the design concepts of Banning Lewis Ranch, the idea is to get people outside and let them rediscover the pleasure of going places on foot. To give them more ways to encounter nature and their neighbors. What could be more Colorado than that?