Community-Led Design of Resilient Infrastructure
Community-led Design of Resilient Infrastructures: San Lazaro Community
The Community-led Design of Resilient Infrastructures project brought together CU Boulder’s Center for Community Engagement, Design, and Research (CEDaR), the San Lazaro mobile home community, and EcoArts Connections to co-design small-scale infrastructure that enhances community resilience.
Located just outside Boulder city limits, the San Lazaro neighborhood is home to approximately 300 mobile homes and 850 residents—many of whom identify as Latinx. For many families, San Lazaro represents one of the last affordable housing options in Boulder.
Through a Two year-long partnership (2024–2025), CEDaR faculty and students collaborated closely with residents and partners to identify and address local infrastructure challenges such as lighting, shared space amenities, and mobility connections. The process unfolded in three phases:
- Needs Assessment: Community meetings, surveys, and workshops identified priorities and mapped existing vulnerabilities in the neighborhood’s infrastructure.
- Collaborative Design: CU Environmental Design students partnered with residents through design charrettes and fieldwork, developing co-created plans and prototypes for resilient micro-infrastructure.
- Implementation and Evaluation: Prototypes were fabricated using sustainable, cost-effective materials at CU’s fabrication labs and installed on-site, followed by ongoing community evaluation.
Throughout the process, residents and students gained hands-on experience in inclusive, participatory design. The project served as a live case study for community-engaged learning, demonstrating how design education can directly support communities.
After a year of participatory workshops and design-build activities, the community chose to renovate their neighborhood gym as the project’s focus. The renovation included installing a new floor, repainting the space, and acquiring and refurbishing exercise equipment.
The collaboration between CEDaR, EcoArts, and San Lazaro continues to inspire future university-community partnerships focused on resilience, affordability, and equity in environmental design.
Partners:
- EcoArts Connections, Marda Krin
- San Lazaro Community Residents
- San Lazaro Properties
Faculty Leads:
Valeria Henao, Assistant Teaching Professor
Jota Samper, Associate Professor
Nate Jones, Assistant Director of Advising & Professional Development
Interns:
- Liam Montgomery (planning, designing, and Building)
- Arisela Canales Abarca (planning)
- Masani Salazar (planning)
- Ella Douchane (planning)
- Tamara Islas Morales (planning)
