Published: Sept. 19, 2018

Community members planting trees and a butterfly garden in Dunham Park (Elyria-Swansea)  in June 2018.

Community members planting trees and a butterfly garden in Dunham Park (Elyria-Swansea) in June.

Empowering neighborhoods through tree plantings and pop-up design are just a few topics to听be covered听at a university conference focusing on building resilient and innovative communities.听

On听Friday, Oct. 19, local experts will discuss sustainability, creative industries,听green infrastructure听and citizen and youth engagement in city design听at听the second听annual听Community Building Colorado-Style conference. The event, which is sponsored by听澳门开奖结果2023开奖记录's Community Engagement, Design and Research听(CEDaR) Center, The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and Downtown Colorado Inc.听is听open to the community, and is required. CEDaR is a听collaborative of faculty and students that works with cities and other local partners to build vital, equitable and sustainable communities; CNU is听an international nonprofit organization that works to build vibrant and well-designed communities.

During the conference, faculty and student work, as well as the work of many others involved in community engagement, will be presented, says Brian Muller, CEDaR director and associate professor in the Program in Environmental Design.

"The conference is听an opportunity to develop new partnerships between the university and cities, as well as听to address the changing needs of Colorado communities," he says.

Conference topics include Denver's green roof ordinance,听children and youth in community engagement, and听green and affordable sustainable communties.听 Workshops linked to the conference are also being held that week on creative districts and mobile home/manufactured housing communities.

Christopher Hawkins,听an听urban conservation program manager with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), will discuss the community-led, block-scale tree planting initiative in North Central Denver鈥檚听Globeville,听Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhoods, which are located by the highway and plagued by听environmental risks. The inclusive model allows residents to drive the agenda, he says.听听

鈥淭his is not an organization coming in and dropping off a bunch of trees,鈥 Hawkins says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of the community鈥檚 vision for itself.鈥澨

Hawkins says the model, which involves the Conservancy,听the听GES 鈥撎鼵oalition, a听community-based organization,听and the nonprofit The Park People (TPP), allows the听organizations to听learn about neighborhood issues on a block scale and听to "work听deeply鈥 with block leaders, who encourage residents to also engage in the project.听听

In another presentation,听Ken Snyder, programming director of Radian,听will discuss his听nonprofit鈥檚 work utilizing pop-up design and temporary installments to help Denver-area and rural Colorado communities visualize ways to enhance their community鈥檚 public spaces with areas that encourage biking or walking and connect people with nature.听听

The听architecture and urban design organization focuses on increasing social equity within communities by working with residents and local stakeholders to carry out their neighborhood visions.听Utilizing the 鈥淭iny Wonderful,鈥 a trailer equipped with听pop-up听design materials, landscapes are transformed from a day to a month: parking spaces become sidewalk cafes, roads expand to include protected bike lanes and playgrounds are added.听听

鈥淧op up design is a great technique for civic engagement and experimenting with听the听design听of streets and public spaces,鈥 Snyder says. 鈥淚t brings people into the discussion who would normally not be part of it. It also helps听communities听experiment with things that would be costly to install more permanently.鈥澨

For example, a few years ago Boulder residents reacted to a new bike lane constructed on Folsom Avenue, and as a result, costly modifications were later made.听

鈥淲ith pop-up design, you can experiment ahead of time and get a sense of what works and what doesn鈥檛 work,鈥 he says.听

West COlfax neighborhood

Residents in the West Colfax neighborhood of Denver enjoy pop-up features that reduce four lanes of traffic down to two lanes with pedestrian islands, colored crosswalks, bike lanes and pedestrian friendly landscaping during a street festival on Aug. 16, 2018. Photo credit: Jeremy Snyder, Radian

Community Building Colorado-Style is supported by 澳门开奖结果2023开奖记录's听Office for Outreach and Engagement, the听Program in Environmental Design, and the听Research & Innovation Office. For more information about the conference, contact Susan at susan.glairon@colorado.edu.

If you go

Who: Local government and nonprofit staff, planners and designers, faculty and researchers, students and many others.

What: Community Building Colorado-Style Conference

Where: SEEC Building, 4001 Discovery Dr., Boulder

When: Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cost: Conference is $30 and includes lunch, beverages and snacks; Scholarships are available for students, but students must pre-register to attend.听

Reception: Oct. 18, 5听to 7:30 p.m. Reception and networking opportunity celebrating the restoration of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. Network with conference attendees and speakers and听see the work of听the artisan,听a visiting CEDaR scholar from Tajikistan, who is working with听ENVD and CEDaR听interns and students to restore the inside and outside of this beautiful and popular Boulder landmark. Registration is $15 and includes appetizers, desserts, coffee, tea and soft drinks, and a cash bar will be available.听Everyone is welcome, but听听is required. Sponsored by the Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR).

Workshops will also be held on creative districts and manufactured housing. Contact the conference organizer听for more information.听susan.glairon@colorado.edu


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