A five-part series written and reported by Allen Best, publisher of Big Pivots, in collaboration with Aspen Journalism, examining evolving norms in how Colorado uses water in urban landscapes. This shift will likely never be absolute, but the dominance of Kentucky bluegrass and other thirsty cool-weather grasses as the default landscapes of homes and businesses has started to fade. Why now? What are the catalysts? And exactly how far will this go? Best’s reporting on this topic took him from headwaters communities on the Western Slope that have started rethinking their use of water for landscaping, to the suburban and exurban expanse of the Front Range, where cities face existential questions about growth and sustainability. Water is the fundamental issue here. This is a story found in virtually every town and city in Colorado.