History
The Colorado Center for Community Development evolved into its present organizational location within the College of Architecture and Planning of the University of Colorado Denver via a thirty-year history under a number of different names. For 12 years it was known as the Center for Community Development and Design. This represented the consolidation of two previous University units, the Bureau of Community Services and the Community Design Center. The Bureau of Community Services was first organized in 1967 as a major off-campus program which assisted Colorado communities and institutions in addressing their local community development concerns. In 1968, the Bureau and the then College of Environmental Design jointly organized the Community Design Center to respond to community technical needs, particularly in Denver’s urban neighborhoods.
Separately, the Bureau and the Design Center assisted in establishing coordinated public service programs in higher education in Colorado. In the early 1970’s the programs were both active participants in and organizers of the Colorado Higher Education Consortium, Inc., an organization supported by Title I funds of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which promoted community service through institutions of higher education throughout the state. The Bureau and the Design Center provided leadership in community development programs conducted in Denver neighborhoods and in small towns throughout the state as well as providing training and technical assistance for the Peace Corps and Health, Prison, and Social Service agencies. Each unit responded to specific community requests for assistance such as community attitude and needs surveys, small town revitalization plans, economic feasibility studies, land use and comprehensive plans and programming and design for health and educational facilities, and housing, parks, recreation and community centers.
The developmental and participatory methods of operation and types of work of the two organizations were remarkably similar. The major difference that emerged was that the Bureau had a rural focus and the Design Center, an urban one. Therefore, in July of 1976, the organizations merged to become the Center for Community Development and Design.
The CCDD served as the focal point necessary for receiving and processing requests for community assistance within the College of Environmental Design for 12 years. These years saw the CCDD develop three off-campus neighborhood development centers and operate and major VISTA program for urban development. Professional staff increased to seven full-time people. Technical assistance was provided to communities and neighborhoods in the areas of design, planning and community development. Community development assistance was provided to over 150 Colorado communities during this period representing work on over 1,000 projects.
An average year saw the CCDD completing over 100 projects using students and faculty in supervised field experience through a variety of academic programs. Over this period, support was obtained from such entities as the City and County of Denver; Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs; and the Piton, Ford, Kellogg, Mountain Bell and US West Foundations, to mention a few.
In the Spring of 1988, the CCDD was changed to the Center for Built Environmental Studies (CBES) within the School of Architecture and Planning. During this period, the CBES primarily provided development assistance to rural communities through the Colorado Initiatives program, a concentrated technical assistance program co-sponsored by the University of Colorado, Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, and US West Communications. It also provided assistance to other rural communities through the Colorado Rural Revitalization Program, a program co-sponsored with Colorado State University, Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, and funded by the Kellogg Foundation. In addition to public service, the CBES attempted to develop a research program in environmental and building technology, landscape planning, and tourism and recreation planning and design. The urban development program of the CCDD was abolished due to the orientation of the CBES towards establishing a research agenda and reliance of contracts and grants to provide public service. All off-campus neighborhood offices were closed. However, over 50 rural communities received assistance representing the completion of some 150 projects.
In June 1989, the Chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver decided to move the public service function from the School of Architecture and Planning to the Division of Extended Studies, a unit which reports directly to the Chancellor’s Office. A primary goal was to redevelop an urban community service program similar to past efforts of the UC Denver campus with an emphasis on providing development assistance to low-income, minority communities. As part of this decision, the Colorado Center for Community Development was conceived as a way to redirect UC Denver’s public service activities to include the Denver Metropolitan area while continuing a small town assistance program.
In 2002, CCCD was returned to the College of Architecture and Planning to enhance the community service activities of the College. This was followed by the College introducing several new Centers in 2005 providing CCCD an opportunity to interact with two of the centers that have similar interests and programs these are the Historic Preservation Research Center and the Learning Landscape Alliance.