Houston does it right?  You are kidding right?  I have never seen such sprawl and poor planning and zoning in a city - and building in flood prone areas.  This is not a choice between growth and decline.  Growth is not necessary for a healthy economy, just healthy real estate and development profit.  Denver and the environs are already growing excessively. People who live here now subsidize this growth,  schools and infrastructure and water availability.  There are limited water resources. The infrastructure is already inadequate for the growth we are experiencing.  Transportation costs and needs are going through the roof and command fully half the state's transportation budget (unfairly so) and now Amazon wants tax breaks and incentives for a new corporate headquarters and therefore not pay for the growth imposed by them moving here.  It is the few that benefit from this type of corporate welfare and growth and the rest of us pay (including loss of quality of life).