Colombia: Planning and Urban Design with Displaced Communities

Colombia Project: Planning and Urban Design with Displaced Communities

The Colombia Community Design Project, led by faculty Valeria Henao and Jota Samper, is a community-engaged design initiative that connects University of Colorado Boulder students with communities in Colombia through collaborative design, research, and hands-on construction.

A central goal of the project is to move from design to implementation. Students work directly with community members to understand local needs and priorities, develop design proposals, and collaboratively determine which project should be built. Rather than designing for a community, students design with the community, with residents playing an active role in selecting and shaping the final project.

In 2026, the students worked with community members to design and construct a community library and public park. The project provided students with the opportunity to engage in the entire design process—from community engagement and site research, through design development and decision-making, to hands-on construction and project completion.

The PACES grant supported the execution of the community-selected project, allowing the team to move from the students’ design proposals to actual construction. Grant funds supported expenses associated with implementation, including construction materials, transportation, labor, food, and other costs necessary to carry out the project in partnership with the community.

The project reflects a commitment to community-engaged environmental design education, in which students learn through direct collaboration with communities while contributing their design skills, time, and labor to projects identified as meaningful by local residents. The goal is not only to produce a built project, but to develop a reciprocal process in which community knowledge and student design expertise come together to create lasting public resources.

in the News:

Colombian neighbors guide design project that leaves students tired but inspired