City of Boulder Urban Redevelopment
Redeveloped Intersection – Boulder Colorado
Spring 2001
In the spring of 2001 my studio class took on a different type of project then many other architecture studios. We were given the opportunity to choose what our studio project would be, and the consensus was to undertake a redevelopment project of a large part of Boulder Colorado. Many of us had been saddened by the recent decision to build a large strip mall / car oriented development in the heart of downtown boulder. We decided that we would undertake the redevelopment of the surrounding industrial area in an attempt to convert what is a very automobile oriented part of town, to a nice, pedestrian friendly, walkable set of communities. We chose a project area of over 1.5 square miles, and with little destruction of the existing fabric were able to implement a group of four unique walkable pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. We split into groups of four, and each focused on an area of our choosing. With a collaborative effort, we presented the final project to the City of Boulder planning commission, complete with a master plan, building typological studies, and neighborhood outline descriptions/goals.
I implemented ideas I had learned from Andres Duany’s Smart Code & Manual regarding the development of new towns and communities. I strive to employ the original ideas behind the evolution of our historical cities and towns, places that evolved as compact, walkable, mixed use localities, directly influenced by location and economic circumstances of the time. Avoiding the production of banal housing that consumes our existing farmlands and forests was the main priority. I proposed the design of these four communities, all with a reach of about a half mile, the distance one is willing to walk before considering getting in their car. By presenting this project to the city of boulder, we hoped that it would help to influence and possibly change existing zoning codes that separate our homes from offices, shops, churches, and schools.
This studio had a profound impact on me, on the way that I perceive the world and the future of design in an increasingly urban society. This project changed the way I view architecture, and drove me to focus my Masters schooling on sustainability and the preservation of our existing historic building fabric.
To see the project photos on Picasa click here