Growing Up Boulder, Boulder's “child and youth-friendly city initiative,” is a program of the University of Colorado Boulder's  Community Design and Engagement Center (CEDaR).  It began in the spring of 2009 as a partnership between the University of Colorado, the City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District, former State Senator Dorothy Rupert, local non-profits and businesses, and children and youth from ages 0-18.  Growing up Boulder (GUB) works with children to include their input in local government decisions, focusing on projects such as the design of public spaces, transit systems, housing, and resilience planning.

 Child- and youth-friendly cities are locales in which children’s rights are reflected in local policies, laws, programs and budgets.  These cities work to realize children’s rights as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.