CCCD to Engage in "Healthy Places" Project
Colorado Center for Community Development’s LiveWell Westwood program has been selected to participate in a $4.5-million initiative sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation. Westwood was one of three communities chosen to engage in “Healthy Places: Designing an Active Colorado,” a five-year project that will help this Denver neighborhood become a healthier place to live, work and play through an urban design process. Healthy Places aims to reduce and prevent obesity by fostering a built environment where it is easier to engage in daily activities that encourage movement and connection. Specific land-use issues that will be explored in Westwood include walk-ability, alley safety, a shortage of bike amenities, pedestrian-level lighting, and transit access.
Starting May 5, Westwood will participate in an advisory panel with the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The ULI panel will spend a week assessing Westwood’s needs, interviewing stakeholders and making recommendations on designing communities that promote active living. After the panel process, Westwood will have the opportunity to apply for up to $1 million from the Foundation to implement their plans. Rachel Cleaves (MURP 2006), LiveWell Coordinator, wrote the winning project proposal and will coordinate the initiative. Carolyn McAndrews, Assistant Professor of Planning, will be the Principal Investigator.
CAP Students on Study Tour in Thailand
Seven College of Architecture and Planning students participated with Associate Professor and Chair of Architecture Taisto Mäkelä on an international workshop and study tour in central and northern Thailand January 8-16, 2013. Also involved in the project was CAP alumnus Koompong (Joey) Noobanjong (PhD, Design and Planning), who is Associate Professor in the Division of Architectural Education at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. The CAP students and students from KMITL teamed up to explore several topics of the built environment ranging from the vernacular to urbanism, from temples and palaces of Sukhothaiand Chiang Mai to the hectic pace of urban Bangkok. The CAP students were Master of Architecture students Catherine Brown, Maruek Chandavimol, Kenyon Duncan, Sun Ha, Emelia Jost, and Korey White, and Master of Urban and Regional Planning student Amy Wilson.
Historic Preservation Students Tackle Four Current Preservation Issues
For their final projects in the Introduction to Historic Preservation Class, students in the fall 2012 class taught by Jim Lindberg, Lecturer in Architecture and Field Director of the National Trust and Professor, focused on four current preservation issues across the state: Elkhorn Lodge in Estes Park, Louisville Grain Elevator, Sullivan Gateway at City Park Esplanade and East High School, and the Big Top Auto Marts in the Denver Metro area. Colorado Preservation, Inc. thinks they came up with some pretty interesting ideas.
Students Win National Competition to Promote Energy-Efficient Buildings
Master of Architecture students Meg Sheff-Atteberry, LEED AP BD+C (middle), and Jessica Weyandt (second from right), a dual-degree student also pursuing a master’s in engineering, are pictured at left with U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu and their University of Colorado Denver teammates in the Better Building Case Competition 2012. The team won "Most Innovative" in the national competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy for its proposal to boost energy efficiency in hotels without spending money. Their faculty advisor was Fred Andreas, Assistant Professor Adjunct of Architecture.