Whether you’ve seen the movies, played with them or —if you’re a dad like me — had the opportunity to step on one of them, most people have interacted with the colorful and entertaining Lego building bricks.

And now that list includes future city planners.

On June 24, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science hosted the start of the ninth annual “Building Community Block by Block” competition. The competition takes place over four days spread across four weeks and it encourages youth, ages 8-16, to participate in a challenge that combines community planning, art and Legos.

City officials, architects, city planners, and yes, even water experts attend the annual event to provide advice and guide teams during planning, development and building stages.

Sheryl Horton, youth education coordinator for Denver Water, was on hand to supply the water perspective during the development and planning phase of the challenge.

Denver Water has a vested interest in land-use decisions and land development. Decisions made when building new developments or redevelopments have decades-long impacts on water use. Landscapes, indoor water fixtures and even building types will influence the amount of water used by properties.

Just like in this Lego land, a coordinated approach to land-use and water planning benefits cities and their residents by ensuring that investments in infrastructure are cost-effective, well-planned and efficiently designed.