Boulder County hires architecture firm to incorporate nature into landscaping

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Boulder County is partnering with Superbloom, a Denver architecture firm, to help build sustainable landscapes. The firm is tasked with developing a toolkit for integrating nature into urban planning.

The county signed a $50,000 contract with Superbloom to help the county mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

“It creates more climate adaptation and more resiliency," said Boulder County spokesperson Tim Broderick.

The firm's toolkit will craft policies that the county can use to implement its nature-based strategy in the future. Currently, the plan is to finish the toolkit by the fall.

In a press release, the county said the strategy was devised due to several natural disasters:

Boulder County’s landscape spans diverse climate zones, from the Rocky Mountain foothills in Boulder and Lyons to the high plains of Erie, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, and Superior, and up to the mountainous regions of Jamestown, Nederland, and Ward, with elevations in the county reaching up to 14,259 feet. This variety exposes the area to a wide range of environmental risks, including extreme heat, wildfires, biodiversity loss, drought, flooding, and poor air quality—all intensified by the climate crisis. Notably, 91% of the county's population resides in urban areas, which have faced significant disasters, like the 2013 flood that damaged or destroyed 902 homes and the 2021 Marshall Fire, which claimed 1,084 homes during winter.

Superbloom’s founders cited recent successes in Colombia, Singapore and Paris as influences for the strategy. Co-founder Stacy Passmore said a large focus on their plan is to help low-income communities.

"Low-income areas are most vulnerable to climate risks, which includes flooding, heat and wildfire," said Passmore.

Additionally, Passmore argued that the strategy could serve as a blueprint for more counties to follow suit.

Boulder County hires architecture firm to create guide for incorporating nature into landscaping

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