Members of the "Partnering in an Innovative Boulder" panel at the MetroLab Summit share a funny moment on the CU Boulder Campus, Sept. 19, 2019. Photo by Nicole Leon-Molina

CU Boulder researchers and faculty, and the city of Boulder discussed how innovative partnerships between university researchers and cities are critical to mitigating climate change during a panel at the national MetroLab Summit, held at the University of Colorado Boulder campus Thursday. The city of Boulder and a group from CU Boulder led by the Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR) are hosting the high-profile conference, focusing on technology, data and design partnerships. The two-day conference ends today.

"We know climate change is accelerating," said Jonathan Koehn, regional sustainability coordinator with the city of Boulder, during the the panel, Climate Change and Research Needs of Local Governments: CU Boulder & Colorado Cases. "We can dispute whether or not there is this cliff edge that we are heading towards, but there is consensus that we need to front load our strategies to make sure we are being as effective as we can."

The Summit is the annual conference of MetroLab, a national network of 40 city-university partnerships focused on urban innovation, launched in 2015 as part of the Obama administration’s Smart Cities Initiative.  Approximately 200 people are attending from across the US, Canada and the United Kingdom, and the national event has attracted leading policy-makers, academics and relevant industry and nonprofit professionals. Terri Fiez, CU Boulder's vice chancellor for research & innovation opened the conference, and Gov. Jared Polis gave the keynote remarks. 

Paul Chinowsky, director of CU Boulder's Program in Environmental Design, left, and Jonathan Koehn, regional sustainability coordinator with the city of Boulder, right, interact during the climate change panel. Photo by Sarah Manning

The summit provides an opportunity for researchers and city staff from across the country and world to explore city-university partnerships similar to those developed between CU Boulder and surrounding cities and counties, said Brian Muller, associate professor of environmental design and CEDaR's director. As part of the Colorado partnerships, the university serves as a research and development arm while the city serves as a test bed for technologies and policies, and students benefit from a real-world experience.

"At the heart of CU Boulder's MetroLab initiative is a relationship-building philosophy," he said. "University researchers and local policymakers learn about each other’s priorities, which helps faculty tailor their research around tangible, urban issues, current policy discussions and benefits to Colorado citizens. At the same time MetroLab projects are designed to inspire student research through seminars, thesis projects and sponsored internships, which simultaneously strengthens the University's teaching mission.

With the support of CEDaR, CU Boulder has entered into MetroLab memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the cities of Denver, Boulder, and Longmont as well as Boulder County, and a number of research projects have been initiated under these MoUs. Local governments collaborate with students and faculty to do research, develop and deploy technologies and design policy approaches to address challenges within urban areas. 

Colorado MetroLab's projects are diverse, ranging from innovations in policy and spatial analysis to new uses of building materials and design. All focus on building vital and efficient cities and addressing issues of equity, affordability and community involvement. Seed funding for these projects comes from the city of Boulder, CU Boulder's Office for Outreach and Engagement, the Research & Innovation Office and the Program in Environmental Design. These efforts have led to two National Science Foundation proposals and a major foundation grant, submitted in collaboration with local governments, engineering and business faculty, Boulder Housing Partners and others.

During the climate change session, Paul Chinowsky, director of CU Boulder's Program in Environmental Design, said it's not feasible to expand infrastructures, such as storm sewers, to absorb and divert water from the increasingly intense storms experienced worldwide. He instead recommends adding green infrastructures, such as installing rain gardens, to naturally reduce excess runoff from roads and parking lots and remove pollutants. Rain gardens are one of more than 20 Colorado MetroLab projects organized by CEDaR.

"We can’t build our way out of this," Chinowky said. "Nobody can afford to tear up all of their storm sewers. We have to rethink infrastructure so its complementing the environment."

Steve Voida, assistant professor in information science, spoke about the importance of scientists sharing data and the need for citizens to get involved to fill in data gaps.

"Even if we have really good scientists with really good analytical tools–until they exchange data in ways that are meaningful–there’s information trapped in silos," he said. 

"In climate change we all have a role to play."

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As part of a Colorado MetroLab project, CU Boulder's environmental design students presented on May 1 their design ideas around enhancing downtown Longmont’s public areas to city officials and interested residents.

The city of Boulder and a group from CU Boulder led by the Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR), are hosting a high-profile conference focusing on technology, data and design partnerships.

MetroLab — a national network of 40 city-university partnerships focused on urban innovation — is holding its annual summit in Boulder Sept. 19 - 20. The national event attracts leading policy-makers, academics and relevant industry and nonprofit professionals. 

The conference provides an opportunity for researchers and city staff from across the country to explore city-university partnerships similar to those developed between CU Boulder and surrounding cities and counties, says Brian Muller, associate professor of environmental design and CEDaR's director. As part of the Colorado partnerships, the university serves as a research and development arm while the city serves as a test bed for technologies and policies, and students benefit from real-world experience. 

"At the heart of CU Boulder's MetroLab initiative is a relationship-building philosophy," Muller says. "University researchers and local policymakers learn about each other’s priorities, which helps faculty tailor their research around tangible, urban issues, current policy discussions and benefits to Colorado citizens. At the same time Metrolab projects are designed to inspire student research through seminars, thesis projects and sponsored internships, which simultaneously strengthens the University's teaching mission.

Julia Richman, the City of Boulder Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, said the city is excited to co-host MetroLab Network’s annual summit.

“We are lucky to have a world-class university in our community and benefit from our partnerships with their professors and students on a regular basis," Richman said. "We cannot wait to share our successes and lessons learned on our path to making Boulder a hub for innovation.” 

Who: Leaders from local governments, universities, industries and nonprofits

What: MetroLab Annual Summit, a national convening of city-university partnerships. 

When: Sept. 19-20

Where: ), CU Boulder, 4001 Discovery Dr.,  Boulder 

Etc:  Among other panels at the summit is a Colorado-focused workshop, "Climate Change and Research Needs of Local Governments:  CU Boulder and Colorado Cases."  Participants will discuss climate change research priorities in local and state government and related research partnerships.

Colorado MetroLab

Colorado MetroLab

The national MetroLab Network, a collaborative of 45 cities, six counties, and 61 universities, was launched in 2015 by 21 founding city-university pairings as part of the Obama administration’s Smart Cities Initiative. 

With the support of CEDaR, CU Boulder has entered into MetroLab memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the cities of Denver, Boulder, and Longmont as well as Boulder County, and a number of research projects have been initiated under these MoUs. Local governments collaborate with students and faculty to do research, develop and deploy technologies and design policy approaches to address challenges within urban areas. 

Colorado MetroLab's projects are diverse, ranging from innovations in policy and spatial analysis to new uses of building materials and design, Muller says. All focus on building vital and efficient cities and addressing issues of equity, affordability and community involvement.

Through Colorado MetroLab's partnership with the city of Denver, the partners developed the Green Infrastructure Decision Tool, an innovative, data-rich forecasting and decision-making tool that assesses the effects of growth and climate change on built and natural urban surfaces.

Sarah Anderson, green infrastructure program manager for the City and County of Denver, says the collaborative effort resulted in an impervious cover forecasting model that looked at the rate of impervious cover change, the drivers and potential impacts as well as mitigation tools. 

“The partnership with CU Boulder through MetroLab has been incredibly valuable to the City and County of Denver," Anderson said. "Based on the data and recommendations from CU Boulder, Denver’s Green Infrastructure Group is moving forward with policy change recommendations that address the actual problems and drivers versus a more traditional trial and error approach."  

"I anticipate this partnership with CU Boulder and MetroLab lasting for many years to come," she adds.

The Boulder campus has a similar relationship with the city of Boulder and Boulder County around housing, including technology and policy for manufactured housing. Initially CU Boulder students performed an analysis of the sustainability of mobile home parks in Boulder County. Then environmental design (ENVD) students and faculty re-engineered an existing mobile home as a demonstration of energy efficiency. Four interdisciplinary seminars were conducted to assess strategies for retrofit of mobile home parks. Building on this experience, CU and local governments co-sponsored two statewide and regional conferences on manufactured housing.

Seed funding for these projects comes from the city of Boulder, CU Boulder's Office for Outreach and Engagement, the Research & Innovation Office and the Program in Environmental Design. These efforts have led to two National Science Foundation proposals and a major foundation grant, submitted in collaboration with local governments, engineering and business faculty, Boulder Housing Partners and others.

"This project follows CEDaR’s philosophy," Muller says. "It’s about relationships built over long periods of time that flow from project to project."

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CU Boulder environmental design students will share their ideas around enhancing downtown Longmont, including design options for alleys, breezeways and plazas at "Help Shape Downtown Longmont," a community discussion and design gallery on May 1 at the Longmont Chamber of Commerce. 

At the event, which is open to anyone interested in the future of Longmont's Main Street, students from a seminar class taught by Scott VanGenderen, ENVD lecturer, and Brian Muller, associate professor, will answer questions about class research results, including student interviews of Longmont residents.

Who: Anyone interested in the future of Longmont's Main Street

What: "Help Shape Downtown Longmont," presentations and stand-up poster gallery by CU Boulder's environmental design students. Students will present their research around future design options for alleys, breezeways and plazas on Longmont's Main Street.

When: May 1, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: Longmont Chamber of Commerce, 528 Main St., Longmont

Etc.: A free light lunch will be provided to those who  by April 30. Questions can be addressed to Susan at susan.glairon@colorado.edu. 

Survey: Please take this created by CU Boulder students regarding perceptions of Longmont's Main Street and surrounding areas. Your input may have a direct impact on future planning for the downtown area. 

The second part of the event will include a stand-up poster gallery where students will exhibit their design ideas and answer residents' questions.

The Downtown Longmont Praxis, under the auspices of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) considered physical solutions to contribute to the activity and vitality of a variety of open spaces along the Main Street corridor, says VanGenderen. After better understanding Longmont through surveys and GIS analysis of US Census data, the students proposed enhancements to the 6th Avenue and St. Stephen's plazas, and the alleys and breezeways that link the downtown environs.  Students additionally considered programmatic enhancements such art displays, a children's garden, and a craft beer and music tour. 

The event includes a free light lunch for those who .

"Help Shape Downtown Longmont" is a Colorado MetroLab project, which brings university research and expertise in design, engineering and community engagement to city programs. The ongoing effort is sponsored by the University of Colorado Boulder's Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR), the Program in Environmental Design and the Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA).

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For two years the University of Colorado Boulder faculty and students and the city of Boulder have partnered on projects addressing community design issues for the University Hill area.

On Feb. 1, Uni Hill residents and the Boulder community are invited to a gathering at the Boulder Public Library to learn about the students’ work and to discuss a new initiative, the Public Art and Community Engagement project.  

The project brings together teams of CU Boulder students and faculty working with the University Hill community to conceptualize, design and fabricate public art inspired by the Hill area, says Brian Muller, director of CU Boulder’s Community Engagement, Design and Research (CEDaR) Center, which has coordinated the overall community design effort on Uni Hill.

“The students will install a work of art that responds to the perspectives of community residents and enhances the life of the neighborhood,” Muller says. “This project expresses a philosophy of service that links innovative design and teaching with outreach and discussion with the community.”

During the past two years CEDaR has helped organize classes that have engaged more than 200 students in University Hill projects.  Attendees of the Feb. 1 event will have an opportunity to interact with some of these students and discuss results of a community engagement process that includes surveys and interviews students conducted with Hill residents and business owners, as well as initial public art concepts.

In the next few months, a group of 12, third-year students will be designing, fabricating and installing the piece of public/community art, while focusing on energizing the community and bringing together stakeholders, says Marcel de Lange, assistant clinical professor of environmental design. The students are participating in their praxis semester, a design class that focuses on design-build education with community partners and “real clients.”

“By keeping in touch with the community and having an art advisory board involved we hope to transform a new generation of ENVD students to be socially responsible, sustainable, “master” builders and at the same time deliver an inspirational project to the University Hill neighborhood,” de Lange says.

Who: Everyone Invited

What: Public Art and University Hill

When: Feb.1, 5-6:30 pm

Where: Boulder Public Library, Canyon Theater, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder

Etc. Refreshments will be served

​ Requested

The project is part of a broader partnership between the city and university to develop innovative design for the city of Boulder, and is affiliated with the nationwide MetroLab initiative, pairing research universities with nearby cities to solve design, technology, engineering and other community issues. This project is also the product of a continuing effort on the part of both the university and the city to discuss and develop solutions to problems of rapidly-growing neighborhoods adjoining the university.

Participating faculty include Beth Osnes, associate professor, theatre & dance; Nii Armah Sowah, senior instructor, theatre & dance; Marcel de Lange, assistant clinical professor, environmental design; Brian Muller, associate professor, environmental design; Jota Samper, assistant professor, environmental design; and Stacey Schulte, senior instructor, environmental design. The CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement and Program in Environmental Design has supported the effort. The event is free and open to the public, but online RSVPs are requested.

More information about CEDaR

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In an innovative collaboration, Boulder County, the city of Boulder and the University of Colorado Boulder have joined to teach students about careers in sustainability.   
 
Sponsored by the Community Engagement Design and Research Center (CEDaR) and offered by the Environmental Studies Program (ENVS), the sustainable communities seminar exposes students to the daily responsibilities of city and county sustainability staff, including protecting the environment while considering economic, social and cultural issues. 

"The class brings sustainability practices to life," says Susie Strife, Boulder County's sustainability coordinator who co-teaches the class with Jonathan Koehn, city of Boulder’s regional sustainability coordinator and Brian Muller from CU Boulder.  "Students come away understanding the various roles that community stakeholders, residents, the private sector and governmental organizations play in making sustainability a reality within the community."  

The popular seminar, which includes numerous guest lectures by sustainability leaders, is open to environmental design, environmental science, business and engineering students. Topics include current issues, such as whether genetically modified organisms (GMOs) should be used on public lands and preparing communities for the effects of climate change.  

Students interview local sustainability practitioners and subsequently choose a local sustainability issue, Strife says. They research various stakeholder views, attend public meetings and then based on their research, make policy and programmatic recommendations to local decision-makers.  

There is so much to learn right in our backyard about sustainability practices, technologies, programs and policies," says Strife.   

Aria Dellepiane, a teaching assistant for the class and a CEDaR staff member says making policy proposals is very relevant to students because they are about to enter the workforce.  

“It’s also beneficial for students to refine their specific sustainability interests because they can enter the workforce based on the area they want to work in,” she says. 

Julianna Bourgeois, who recently graduated with a degree in engineering physics, says that before taking the seminar she was looking at careers in the energy industry; now she’s looking at resource conservation and waste mitigation.  

“I would not have gone in that direction without taking the class,” she says. “It was absolutely my favorite class by far.”  

The class is linked to Boulder County's participation in CU MetroLab, part of the , a nationwide collection of 35 city-university partnerships focused on bringing data, analytics and innovation to local government. The local MetroLab partnership was organized by CEDaR and Boulder’s Planning, Housing and Sustainability Department as a collaboration between the county, city, students and faculty from multiple disciplines to research, develop and deploy technologies and policy approaches to address common challenges among urban areas.  

"Students in the class have learned the theory of environmental studies for four years, and this seminar gives them an opportunity to understand the real practice of local government," says Muller, who also directs CEDaR.  

As part of the class, each student led a class discussion on their assigned topics and helped collaborate solutions to sustainability challenges, says Gabriella McDonald, 26, who pursued a Program in Environmental Design (ENVD) minor and a Geographic Information Scientists (GIS) certificate at CU Boulder while working as a CEDaR research assistant. The discussions allowed students to take leadership roles and use their skill sets, depending on their majors, she says.  

"Everyone found a voice in that class," McDonald says. "I was really inspired by the participation from my peers and how much they were able to contribute. Seeing our generation motivated to make progressive change was inspiring."   

The next sustainable communities course is scheduled for Spring 2020.  

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Marufjon (Maruf) Mirakhmatov restores furniture from the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse on Aug. 20, 2018, as part of a restoration project that will also involve restoring the inside and outside of the Teahouse. Mirakhmatov is co-teaching an Program in Environmental Design class where students will learn how to perform the restoration.

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse restoration is a joint project between CEDaR, CU Boulder’s Program in Environmental Design (ENVD), the city of Boulder (Facility and Asset Management), Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities. CEDaR is also helping coordinate the university’s contributions, including bringing scholarly and student resources to the project, engaging a craftsperson to support the restoration and organizing related research initiatives.

The work, which begins in late August and is anticipated to run through January 2019, includes restoration of the Teahouse façade, interior and furniture as well as implementation of related educational, research and cultural activities. 

“The restoration is one of several urban, design-related, city-university partnerships that CEDaR has helped develop over the past few years,” says Brian Muller, an associate professor for CU Boulder’s Program in Environmental Design (ENVD) and director of CEDaR. “It’s a great example of the opportunities for effective town-gown collaboration that links research and teaching with priorities defined by the Boulder community.”

Marufjon (Maruf) Mirakhmatov, a visiting CEDaR scholar from Tajikistan and grandson of the artisan who built the Teahouse, is working with interns and students involved in facilitating the education and outreach, Muller says. In collaboration with Shawhin Roudbari, assistant professor of environmental design, Mirakhmatov is co-teaching the ENVD class, “Special Topics: History and Historiography of Environmental Design: Restoring Dushanbe Teahouse,” where students will learn and work side by side with Mirakhmatov, sanding and painting, to restore the inside and outside of the Teahouse. 

Five CEDaR interns will support the restoration effort, education and outreach. ENVD and Environmental Studies (ENVS) classes will also support the restoration as well as explore landscape and environmental design opportunities on the site surrounding the teahouse. 

Mirpulat Mirakhmatov, left, grandfather of Marufjon (Maruf) Mirakhmatov, installs artistic panels during the construction of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse in 1997 or 1998.

Nate Jones' strong interest in connecting the Teahouse and its cultural legacy with ENVD designers and architects, led to bringing Mirakhmatov here, Muller said.  Jones, an ENVD academic advising coordinator and a member of Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities, wanted to bring an artisan in from Tajikistan who could not only restore the building's artwork, but also train ENVD students in the artistic craft the Teahouse exemplified. 

Related educational, research and cultural activities include internships, demonstrations and events to stimulate on-going research and discussion about opportunities to apply Central Asian design ideas and environmental management concepts to Boulder and Colorado.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities (BDSC), the 20^th anniversary of the Teahouse, and the 10^th anniversary of BDSC’s reciprocal gift to Dushanbe, the Friendship Center. Public events and demonstrations are being organized for mid-late fall.

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“Parking lots could save the bees,” says Danielle Bilot, a nationally-known pollinator consultant who is passionate about the idea. She has spoken about it in magazine articles. She has promoted her research in and She even was a member of the White House Pollinator Action Plan task force.

Bilot’s first parking lot test site will be constructed in Boulder by CU Boulder students. She recently became a Program in Environmental Design (ENVD) instructor, and students in her “Native Bee Praxis: Forgotten Hive," class are building and will maintain a bee habitat near the Boulder County Farmers Market. The project was made possible through support from the university's Community Engagement Design and Research Center (CEDaR), in conjunction with MetroLab Network, a city of Boulder/CU Boulder research and technology partnership.

"These students are involved in a project that can literally 'save the world' by increasing the population and diversity of bees," says Bilot, who met in mid-June with state Senate policy leaders about bee preservation. "Boulder could serve as a national model for urban parking lots."

Bilot says she specializes in the lesser-known native bees because they are better pollinators, more plentiful and not as prone to colony collapse disorder as honey bees. And, the majority of native bees do not sting.

"Native bees have genetic diversity and can bounce back from environmental pressures,” Bilot says. “With honey bees, everyone wants the same thing—high reproduction rates and stable queens–creating more of a genetic monoculture. If one problem comes along, such as colony collapse disorder, it can wipe them all out.”

Bilot says the best way to solve the worldwide decrease in pollinators is to broaden the focus from a single species, honey bees, to the much larger native population; Boulder alone supports more than 550 native bee species. She adds that native bees travel more than honey bees and need to eat frequently, hence the need for increasing bee habitats.

Her vision is to transform underutilized grassy parking lot perimeters into flowery native bee habitats, providing bees places to eat, rest and move on to pollinate other plants. Increasing urban bee habitats will not necessitate changing land-use regulations, she says, and will combat the decline of native bees, who have suffered due to climate change, habitat loss, disease and food shortages.

"Parking lots generally have planting requirements that are not pollinator-friendly, " Bilot says. "I hope to change that."

Bilot’s students are building the habitat in an area that borders a parking lot at 14th Street and Canyon Boulevard and will subsequently collect bee population data, helping to determine optimal plant combinations for native pollinators as well as bee abundance and diversity.

"For the first time in my college education, I feel like I am truly making a difference in something greater," says ENVD senior Emily Brady, who is enrolled in the course.

Rella Abernathy, integrated pest management coordinator for the city of Boulder, says Bilot’s pilot project is part of a wider city pollinator effort, where , such as the CU Museum of Natural History, local nonprofits and CEDaR are working together to expand and enhance pollinators throughout the city.

The city hopes Bilot’s project draws attention to pollinator conservation and pollinator decline issues, she says.

“We’re really excited to do this joint project with CU Boulder and hope the project can be replicated throughout the city,” Abernathy says. “It’s a great example that shows what people can do in their own yards or businesses – they can take underused spaces and turn them into spaces that are beautiful while addressing an urgent biological concern.”

Stay tuned for more information about an upcoming Native Bee Farmers Market Habitat Celebration in the parking lot behind the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, 14th Street and Canyon Boulevard, Boulder. Originally scheduled for July 6, 12 p.m., the event will likely happen in late August. At the event, visitors will be able to visit Boulder’s native bee habitat and learn how it will help native bees pollinate urban agriculture and parks! Snacks will be served, and visitors can pick up a free “How-To Guide” containing tips and tactics of how homeowners and others can attract native pollinators to their backyards. Updated information will be posted here and on the .

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