Third graders have a lot to say about where they live, where they are from, and ways their communities could improve. Through the program Growing Up Boulder, faculty and students from University of Colorado Boulder’s Program in Environmental Design, teachers, and city leaders are all ears.
Established in 2009, Growing Up Boulder is a child- and youth-friendly city initiative that provides meaningful opportunities for youth participation in urban planning and design. The program’s goals are to: make Boulder a more inclusive place for young people from all income levels, ethnicities, and abilities; ensure meaningful opportunities for participation; give partners a voice in setting the direction of the project; and disseminate lessons learned to other local, national, and international youth-friendly communities.
As the City of Boulder embarked on a major redevelopment of its civic area, Growing Up Boulder coordinators, Tori Derr and Mara Mintzer saw an opportunity to infuse youth ideas in the planning process. Boulder’s civic area is the greenway area along Boulder Creek that is just footsteps from the city’s downtown and major hubs, including the public library, municipal buildings, museums, and farmer’s market.
Throughout the school year, CU-Boulder environmental designers and city planners visited classrooms in Whittier International Elementary School, Casey Middle School, and Boulder High School where teachers incorporated civic-area-redesign projects into curriculum.
“Growing Up Boulder is a synthesis between us, the teachers, the city, and the kids,” said Derr, senior instructor of environmental design. “We bring the expertise and the framework for what participatory planning looks like, the city and the civic area make the project real, and the teachers bring their skills and know-how to make the curriculum effective. If you take any of those pieces away, it wouldn’t work.”
With support from a CU-Boulder outreach award, Growing Up Boulder students took field trips to the civic area, created personal nicho boxes — multimedia art boxes inspired by Latin American folk art — wrote persuasive letters to local officials, and built 3D models of their design ideas for the area.
Their work resulted in recommendations that incorporate nature play, active play, arts and cultural expression, affordable and diverse food options, and outdoor learning spaces. From tree houses to affordable food stands, common themes emerged throughout the age groups’ suggestions. Most of the youth ideas were practical and feasible, and all age groups took careful consideration of other children, both younger and older, in creating their designs.
Growing Up Boulder leaders were not surprised by the students’ thoughtful approach. Derr’s research focuses on the intersections of people and place and how engagement of children and youth can contribute to more resilient, vibrant, and sustainable communities. She said incorporating youth voices in urban design is common in many international communities, and as the city of Boulder incorporates these recent ideas and others, the Growing Up Boulder method could serve as a valuable model for other cities.
“We are beginning to see a shift in adults taking kids seriously,” Derr said. “Children have valuable ideas, and they can make the design process better. In essence, we are changing what it means to effectively engage with the community, not just with kids, but with the whole community.”
Jeff Dillon, the city’s parks and recreation capital investment manager, said Growing Up Boulder is enhancing the city’s design process and multigenerational community engagement efforts. He has been designing child play and nature play areas for nearly 35 years, and he said the children’s ideas are key to redeveloping the civic area.
“To make decisions about nature play without engaging children would be difficult,” Dillon said. “They are the end users. Fundamentally we are creating more engaged citizens who will enjoy the city and be more active.
“In the end, we have a much more livable community for everyone.”