Do urban centers support regional goals? An assessment of regional planning in Denver

•Regional organizations use urban centers to incentivize local governments to align land use and transportation.•Denver, Colorado promotes local adoption of centers; to date, 103 centers have been designated.•Analysis reveals five center types: historic town centers, greenfield, industrial, commercial, and suburban mixed use.•Existing conditions and future plans evaluated against objectives to examine whether centers support regional goals.•Planning should consider characteristics of centers to align land use with transportation to achieve regional goals.