Please join us for a conversation with CU Boulder students about ideas for urban design and planning and the redevelopment of the Alpine Balsam Community Hospital site. There will be an open house and celebration with the Community Engagement Design & Research Center and students from Environmental Design, Environmental Studies and other CU Boulder programs. Food and soft drinks will be provided. Cash bar.

EVITE RSVP: http://evite.me/azPdBUd552

Event marks anniversary of collaboration between CU Boulder and city  

University of Colorado Boulder students and faculty, city of Boulder officials and local residents plan to come together to celebrate city/university collaborations and to present student research and design work inspired by a local redevelopment project.

The students’ final design projects for the Alpine-Balsam redevelopment project near Alpine Street and Broadway (former site of the Boulder Community Health – Broadway Campus) in Boulder, will be on display at an open house/party – free and open to the public –  Monday, May 1 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at eTown Hall.  Light food will be provided, and there will be a cash bar. RSVPs are requested. 

The event marks the first year anniversary of the national Metrolab partnership announced in spring 2016 between CU Boulder and the city of Boulder. The aim of the partnership is to include the community, faculty, staff and students in sustainable urban design and to broaden the discussion about design by introducing student ideas and research.

"This partnership between the city and university brings more people into planning discussions and adds creativity and innovation," said Brian Muller, faculty director of CU Boulder’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR), which connects the university's design research to city projects.  "The students genuinely contributed new ideas that others had not thought of."

Jim Robertson, the chief urban designer for the city of Boulder, said the MetroLab partnership provided city staff with an opportunity to engage with students about their ideas and to be inspired by the students’ creative design proposals.

“Although it will be several years before actual design choices are made for the site, the student projects provide insights and energy to ensure innovation is a key consideration as area planning begins,” he said.

How it started

In 2015, the City of Boulder purchased for $40 million the 8.8-acre property known as “Alpine-Balsam,” which includes the entire hospital campus site at 1100 Balsam Ave. (the corner of Balsam and Broadway Street), as well as two properties on Alpine Avenue and two small properties on North Street. The city’s idea was to maintain and enhance the character of surrounding neighborhoods and to align redevelopment of the site with the community’s visions and goals. 

Funded through a CU Boulder Outreach Award, CU Boulder’s role in the Alpine-Balsam project, with CEDaR support, has over the past year involved more than 200 environmental design, environmental studies and Masters of the Environment students in researching the site history, mapping the site, interviewing neighborhood residents and creating ideas. The project was led by environmental design professors Brian Muller and Shawhin Roudbari and environmental studies professor Joel Harter. Instructors included Stacey Schulte and Paul Glasgow.

This spring 30 students from environmental design, environmental studies and CU-Engage programs were involved in team projects to address redevelopment of the area.  Student projects addressed current debates such as the height ordinance, affordable housing and transportation and topics include food retailing, accessible transportation, engagement of the LGBTQ community, stormwater and flood management, among others. 

Stacey Schulte, an instructor in the Program in Environmental Design, said the project provided an opportunity for her students to participate in a highly visible, real-life experience.

"Our students learned from hearing many perspectives from the different stakeholders, including city staff, professional designers, local residents and university faculty," Schulte said. "The students learned that there are many different viewpoints and not a single "right" design for the site."


If You Go

What: CU Boulder City Design Workshop Open House/Party 

           ~ Celebration of CU Boulder and city of Boulder design collaborations for the

             redevelopment of the old Boulder Community Hospital area;

Who: Open to the public 

Where: eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St, Boulder

When: May 1, 4-6:30 p.m. 

Registration: www.colorado.edu/cedar

Information Etc.: Free food, cash bar