Until the mid-1960s Boulder was a small town with a rural, conservative perspective within the shadow of its largest employer, the University of Colorado. The physical and cultural setting of Boulder seemed to have an unusual attraction for alumni and friends of the University, and many companies, recognizing the community appeal, located and/or expanded operations in Boulder. As Boulder grew and its urban pattern changed, the University expanded as well. Finally, change occured within the student-youth community. The proportion of students living off campus increased. Moreover, the desirability of the University Hill area -- formerly the highest class residential district for the city -- decreased as the student and non-student population increased in the area. Increases in crime, drug abuse, and related problems specific to the youth community fostered negative reaction within the larger community (Mason 1972: p. 526). |
William C. Callahan argued that the Hill's socioeconomic patterns contribute to crime:
No where else in Boulder is there a residential area which adjoins a small retail district which in turn adjoins the university campus. The lack of diversification of business types on the Hill coupled with poor parking facilities, high prices, and student dominance, serves to depreciate the drawing power of the district in the "eyes" of most Boulderites (Callahan 1971: p. 94). |
Lynn Staeheli and Derek Thompson explain the conflicts that occur on University Hill in terms of power relations between the city government, Hill residents, Hill business owners, and countercultural groups:
The struggles [on the Hill] reflect different visions of public space, the people who constitute the public, community, and citizenship. Driven by a desire for greater security and comfort, merchants, the city government, and neighborhood residents united to make changes to the Hill. These changes involved increasing police presence in the area and an extension of private control into public spaces. One effect of these changes has been to make the Hill business district a more closely monitored space. The changes have also resulted in a place that is less "public" in the sense of providing reduced access to space and an environment that is less accepting of a group of [countercultural] individuals that had previously relied on the Hill for services and socializing (Staeheli and Thompson 1997: p. 36-37). |
The Campus Press recently reported on how the Hill is perceived by students and business owners.
How do you feel about the problems that are part of living "on the Hill" in Boulder, CO? Each team member should contribute a response to the following two questions on the Web discussion forum:
| (1) How does your explanation of social problems on the Hill agree
or disagree with the views of Mason, Callahan, and Staeheli and Thompson? (2) Assume you are a member of a University Hill Commission formed to investigate problems on the Hill and recommend solutions to those problems. What would you recommend and why? |