Petula Clark was right.

Forbes magazine this week touted Denver and 14 other cities for their emerging downtowns, with workers drawn by urban neighborhoods, entertainment and shopping options.

The piece, “Downtowns: What’s Behind America’s Most Surprising Real Estate Boom,” quoted Lee Fisher, president of CEOs for Cities, as saying that “The cities that capture the mobile, college-educated ‘young and restless’ are the ones who are most likely to revitalize their downtowns and accelerate economic progress in their cities.”

Sound familiar? Downtown Denver’s transformation has been dramatic, and impressive. But it’s also a model that is in prime display in Boulder, where young entrepreneurs and professionals congregate for entertainment, work and, increasingly, living.

But back to Denver: I covered real estate at the Denver Business Journal beginning in 1990. I remember the demolition of the viaducts that formerly spanned the Central Platte Valley, and I recall watching as their removal opened up block after block of historic warehouses in Lower Downtown.

Loft projects and retail developments accelerated with the eventual construction of Coors Field at 20th and Blake streets. But, not having worked in Denver since 1995, even I am amazed when I travel downtown and see its continued transformation.

What began in LoDo is now felt throughout downtown Denver: “Take Denver,” the Forbes article states. “Civic and business leaders began work on the city’s Lower Downtown neighborhood in 1989 with the issuance of $240 million in bonds. Today LoDo is a trendy ‘hood of over 100 restored Victorian warehouses and buildings filled with art galleries, boutiques, local eateries and nightclubs. Now, Denver is in the midst of a 20-year, seven-mega project plan to expand the revitalization efforts through the rest of the downtown district.”

Not every city, obviously, has seen the success that Boulder and Denver have demonstrated, but the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado have some great examples.

• Louisville and Lafayette have seen a mix of redevelopment and new projects that have helped fill in the fabric of the downtown experience.

• Longmont is working on some ambitious plans for continued renewal of the downtown core, contributing to a fun and vibrant office, retail and residential area.

• Loveland has seen some large-scale public/private ventures, with both redevelopment of existing properties and new construction.

• Fort Collins ranks as a huge success story, with retail, restaurants, offices and nightlife. The city now is exploring options for a new hotel, and Woodward, a high-tech manufacturer, is considering an area adjacent to downtown for a new headquarters.

• Greeley, which has struggled to build a vibrant downtown, is seeing some major successes, with new restaurants such as the Greeley Chophouse breathing new life into an area that has struggled.

Downtowns work, but only with effort. Denver’s transformation, like that of Boulder before it, resulted from planning, creativity, hard work and investment — none of which can ever stop.

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-440-4950 or via email at cwood@bcbr.com.