As you probably noticed our site was down over the weekend (Sept 11-Sept 16) and we are still working to resolve all of the issues. Please stay tuned as we make further developments. We thank you for you patience and support.

Visit: http://boulderspace.org/for our current postings.

Contributor Shawn Coleman reports – So what has happened this year so far:

Objectively: Almost nothing. The school district still has not sold it’s asset; the private entity has not finalized a financially viable project that provides a community benefit; the neighborhood does not feel secure in the future of their neighborhood character. But the historic school building is still standing, so the city’s objective of historic preservation has so far been satisfied.

Subjectively: Quite a lot has happened. Through numerous meetings between various groups we have learned that: people on all sides of this debate are by and large, reasonable, intelligent, thoughtful and fun individuals with several valid points; as well, folks on all sides of this debate have made assumptions about which they are completely wrong.

Actually that’s all that has happened. Editorially I commend the citizen effort. Whenever people get mobilized and organized to protect their community it is a net gain for the public process. It is my hope that these citizens retain the activist spirit beyond this issue and continue to be informed and voice their opinions on city matters.

I also commend Jim Leach, his staff and the co-housing community. Whether you like the proposed project or not, it is wrong to lay blame at Mr. Leach’s feet. He is a developer, that is true. But first as a progressive community we are supposed to be above assumptions and name-calling. Being a developer, like being a teacher, politician, doctor, etc. is simply a description of employment. NOT a specific qualitative personality judgment. All professions have good and bad characters, and it is only fair to judge each individual on their merits. That said, Mr. Leach has been responsible for some of the most forward thinking, environmentally responsible residential development in the state.

You don’t have to like new urbanism or high density, and you don’t have to like it in your city or backyard. But you must remember that Mr. Leach dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” and by right should be breaking ground as we speak. So yes Mr. Leach is to be commended for his patience for this flawed city process, and commitment to his investors. Yes investors are people too. Besides Mr. Leach is not building a strip mall on wetlands. As far as developers go, Mr. Leach is “one of the good ones.” If we chase him out of town, he will be replaced; careful what you wish for.

If you still need someone to blame, well, let’s look at the only entity that has so far gotten their way. The City of Boulder entered this coal mine with several competing goals and one of them is clearly the most important, historic preservation. Boulder’s future is dependent on retaining important parts of Boulder’s past. However this pursuit must be made from a posture of practicality and rational trade offs, not borderline religious zealotry. It is still the position of this writer that the city’s role served to only handicap the dialogue between the true stakeholders, the Developer, The Neighborhood, and BVSD.

So stay tuned, and get a good book, because patience will be required to see an outcome in this process.

For more information about the Washington School: Washington Village by Shawn Coleman

There is an Electronic Arts Festival in Boulder over Earth Day weekend! Interested in learning more about it and it’s organizers (Communikey), I contacted Lauren Higgins Communikey’s Sustainability Director:

Communikey is a collective of multimedia artists, musicians and promoters, who collaborate to create forward thinking electronic arts environments, showcasing international and local talents. Communikey events provide a creative forum for the Boulder community to explore advanced electronic music and digital arts in an intimate setting, while gaining exposure to the global organism that is new media.

The Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts aims to expose new digital media to local communities and global enthusiasts alike. Seven main performances will showcase creativity in the form of visual art and music by diverse artists from around the globe. The festival unites digital arts, software workshops, panel discussions, and five interactive audio-visual installations around issues of ecological sustainability. The unique emphasis on sustainability in a technology-based culture will draw local business representatives and international innovators for in-depth discussions of positive and proactive solutions to our part in global environmental degradation. Communikey is working to ensure that the festival be made as ecologically friendly as possible through a commitment to a 7 point sustainability plan.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

• Communikey Festival presents a variety of new media installations; including ASKAA, a Photo Aleatoric Meditative Garden, from internationally renown act Skoltz_Kolgen.
• Communikey’s own Sustainable Media Lab presents CUBO, an interactive sound sculpture comprised of reclaimed materials and exploring notions of social architecture via a site-specific, locative sound track.
• Deniz Kurtel’s custom Color Kinetic intelligent lighting installation, hosted at Communikey’s home venue, Trilogy Wine Bar.

FEATURED VENUES:
ATLAS Institute, Boulder Museum of Cotemporary Art, Boulder Theater, Trilogy Wine Bar, City of Boulder Civic Plaza.

Great day at the bus!!! We’d like to thank our guest contributors today, and all who stopped by to check out the BoulderSpace double-decker bus. It was fun to connect with everyone and hear different perspectives and ideas about Boulder’s design and development.

We invite our community at large to contribute to this blog, and be part of the discussion. It is our vision to help facilitate a community-wide voice that reveals Boulder’s lifestyle and evolution. Join us in educating one another through opinions and feedback from the best observers and teachers in any community could ask for . . . the people in our neighborhoods.

We’ll back at Moto next Friday between 10 am and 2 pm, so please stop by!

Another guest contributor from the bus, Caroline Chang:

Through the University of Colorado’s Architecture and Planning school, students turned a downtrodden, unlivable trailer – located on Folsom & Valmont into one of Boulder’s architecturally advanced homes. The project, TrailerWrap, was completely designed and built by the students of CU Boulder. Resembling much of the prefabricated and modular homes seen popularly throughout the world – with styles similar to Soren Korsgaard and Santiago Calatrava, this collaborative project just received its certificate a couple months ago and now on the market. By looking at pictures, the trailer offers a very clean, modern but minimalist look. To see before/after pictures, drawings, and the finished product, please visit: TrailerWrap – http://trailerwrap.net

Blogging live from the bus, here is Chris Davis:

How fun is this? I’m sitting in a red english bus typing you a blog entry.

So we have Boulder housing currently at $400 per square foot. How can we get it cheaper for the next generation? All those gray-hairs living in boulder since the 1970s bought their houses for $100K. We’re screwed. But we’re humble and willing to compromise. We’re super interested in living efficiently and communally (up to a point). Ever heard about co-housing? You better read up about co-housing. Google it, bro. So, how about we welcome folks into Boulder if they legally promise to live car-free, less traffic, less parking, less etc etc etc. A much lower impact. Can we give them a financial break? Can we build them a space without car parking. Can Washington School be more affordable and greener with completely car free residents?? Yes. And this is something the city should be able to get behind. In the big picture, the financials work. Interested in discussing more? Send me an email at chris xyd at yahoo. Or see you at one of the boulder space events.

The Bike Rack Competition is a great idea, and I hope that it will generate some practical designs that can meet the city’s specifications. Presently, most bike racks are OK for parking one or two bikes, but don’t efficiently accommodate multiple bikes without the interlocking of handlebars and/or pedals, often resulting in some amount of damage and an unsatisfactory bike parking experience. For daily commuters to choose cycling as their main means of transportation, it is important that there is a ready availability of easy to use, tangle-proof bike racks throughout the city. For incipient cyclists, better bike racks alone would go a long way toward encouraging them to start riding to work or on errands knowing that bike parking will be safe and hassle-free.

With a newly constructed bronze plexieglass roof, sanded wood interior tables and green grass floor, this 1956 retro-finished vintage Double Decker bus is ready for you to jump on board and check it out. With electricity hook-ups, LED lights and original seating, there is much more than transportation in store for this bus. BoulderSpace is opening up the opportunity for other businesses and community groups to use the bus for events and gatherings, adopting the Community Timeshare concept. Currently located at MOTO Modern Markets on the corner of Folsom and Canyon; grab a cup of coffee and bring a book or your computer and spend some time in the bus! BoulderSpace will be setting up a blogging station here on Friday, March 7th between 10 am & 2 pm. Stop by the bus with your to-go mug for a free 12 oz. house brew of Illy’s coffee and learn more about Boulder Space.

Interested to see what other people do with their busses? Check out these links below:

• Behind the Bus – Coffee Shop in Tuscon Arizona: The Bristol Coffee Bus finished with photos of staff and customers, the interior is designed with an espresso bar and open seating in the upstairs. (Formally this was a tour bus on Fisherman’s Wharf)
• Double Decker Living – London’s Buses Become Homes: Tree Hugger discusses two story housing options.
• Double Decker Hits The Road: Last December San Fransisco brought a trial Double Decker from London to service select routes.
• South East Coach Works and Double Decker Living: A company that recycles and revived double decker busses so that they continue to work with the community. This organization converts busses in effort to help improve communities that face pressing issues.
• Double Decker and Movie Theaters: A bus that brings the movies to you!

The Ideal Market, a quaint neighborhood fixture for over 65 years will be undergoing modern day changes in order to get back to their 1960’s roots. Located in the Ideal Broadway Shops and Community Plaza, Ideal Market is known nationally as an innovator for being the first to bring parking lots in close proximity to stores. Having two owners prior to the market being bought by Wild Oats and then to Whole Foods after the merger this past August, Ideal Market is ready to make building and design changes!

This August marks the 68th birthday of the market, and they will be celebrating with an Ideal grand re-opening, which will pay tribute to the 1960’s Ideal Market Décor. With original photos, fixtures, and upgrades, this will become the first modern market of the past with unique style and flare. In addition to their décor they will be upgrading the salad bar, adding two soup bars and an olive bar. The Ideal Market will also be implementing a greener mission, and will work with Eco Cycle to cut down their waste and increase their recycling program (similar to the one instilled at Whole Foods on Pearl Street). They have already begun with hiring a green mission representative for their store.

When talking with Bruce Green, Store Team Leader, he was interested in learning what the Ideal customers would like to see more of (or less of) as they are undergoing change later this summer. Many of the store’s original customers still come into Ideal Market, on a regular basis. I am excited to hear their thoughts on the Market’s renovations, and if it brings them back in time.

Whole Foods has three other store locations in addition to the Ideal Market in Boulder. These locations (Whole Foods – Pearl Street, Wild Oats – Broadway and Baseline) will be undergoing development changes over the next couple of years. Expansions, renaming and remodeling, service and environmental upgrades, expanded community space, and the customer service experience are all being discussed. As food plays such a vital role in our lives, I applaud Whole Foods for their commitment to create a community oriented, healthier, and better shopping experiences. I look forward to seeing what these changes bring!

The above are some little details that truly make the Ideal Market a unique place!

To learn more about the Ideal Broadway Shops and Community Plaza, check out the post: I like lots of neon (Ideal Market will be refurbishing and painting their neon sign found above the produce).

From organic produce and local hormone-free meats to zero waste and good taste, Café Zesta understands healthy food. Opening one year ago as Anjou Juice Bar, they underwent menu changes and shifted their focus from juice to organic allergen free foods including panini sandwiches, soups, rice dishes and other delectibles.

Café Zesta is a unique Boulder restaurant that uses only organic produce and hormone-free, grass fed animal products. Taking advantage of local and seasonal ingredients, Chef Maria carefully pairs together her menu options each week based on freshness and availability, always offering a variety of options for all sorts of picky eaters!

Outsourcing sugar and corn based to-go containers from local company Eco-Products, and participating in Eco-Cycle’s Zero Waste Services; Café Zesta strives towards a zero-waste goal. Recycling and composting nearly 90% of all restaurant bi-products, and through local company and distributor purchases, they highly emphasize the importance of responsibility.

After concentrating much of their energy on quality food and environmental pursuits, Café Zesta will be bringing their next focus on the Café elements of interior design in the upcoming months. Open to suggestions, they’d like to know what décor you see best suiting their space.

Stop by 820 Pearl Street and check it out this Thursday night for special event, Design Pump No. 1: Graphic Design. We will be discussing impacting elements of graphic design through open discussion and a sample presentation. This event is open to the public, please rsvp to Heather at hs[@]boulderdesignfestival.com.

Design Pump – Impacting Elements of Graphic Design
When: Thursday; February 28, 2008 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Where: Café Zesta at 820 Pearl St – Mediterranean Tapa Samplings, Sweet Treats, and Drinks
Contact: Heather – hs [at] boulderdesignfestival [dot] com; 303.883.0673