2012 GUB and the Boulder Civic Area Project

Growing Up Boulder partnered with children, youth and youth-serving organizations to find out what Boulder's young people think about the civic area. The Boulder Civic Area is a visionary "community driven" project to rethink and evolve the downtown's most expansive public space.

In addition to city-owned properties at the core, the planning area is bounded by 9th to 17th streets and Canyon Boulevard to Arapahoe Avenue. The goal of the project was to transform this area into Boulder's social, civic, and environmental heart.

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Children and youth groups who worked with GUB in fall 2012

• Boulder High School’s 10th Grade AVID class
  
• New Vista High School’s Civic Class
  
• Casey Middle School’s Leadership Class
  
• Boulder Journey School’s Pre-Kindergarten Class
  
• I Have a Dream Foundation’s Iris Class

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​Methods of engagement

• Photogrids (photographing and analyzing the space by dividing it into sections on a map) 
• City as Play (using ordinary objects on top of an aerial map to re-imagine the space)
• Dialogues with city leaders and urban planners
• Field trips to the civic area, Boulder History Museum and partner schools
• Family interviews about great public spaces 
• Powerpoint presentations
• Sketch-up and other renderings of the space
• Citizen interviews
• Drawing on top of civic area photos

More info on Engagements:

Farmers' Market Photovoice

I Have a Dream Photovoice

Boulder Journey School Findings

Boulder High School Findings

Casey Middle School Findings

New Vista High School Findings

Eben G Fine Park Interview Findings
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