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What Is the Partnership for
Community Design?
The Partnership for Community Design is a nonprofit organization, serving the
Colorado Springs area. The mission of the Partnership is to enhance
the appearance and livability of the Colorado Springs area thru cooperative
initiatives which establish long range design goals, preserve existing
amenities, promote public awareness, and implement projects that demonstrate a
quality community.
Our vision:
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Aesthetics and beautification will be community values
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The Partnership will be healthy and self sustaining
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The Partnership will lead public education about aesthetics
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The Partnership will facilitate joint ventures
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Advocate for quality design and planning
HISTORY OF PCD
As a result of the work of Citizens’ Goals Project 2000 Task Force and the
residents of the Pikes Peak region, urban design was identified in late 1986 as
one of two major concerns of the citizenry of the Colorado Springs community.
Citizens’ Goals Project 2000 began work with the existing Urban Design Group, a
volunteer committee, and the City of Colorado Springs, to develop a way to
raise community awareness of the importance of good design, to provide
information and to set community design priorities. A Community
Design Forum was held in February 1987 as an initial step to focus community
interest. Over 350 citizens representing diverse groups gathered to
hear experts, including Robert McNulty, President of Partners in Livable
Places, discuss ideal components of urban design, and linkage of design with
livability and economic health of a community. Brainstorming groups
prioritized the most important urban design programs and projects specifically
for Colorado Springs. Next procedural steps were suggested for the
urban design process and at the top of that list was the formation of a strong
coalition/committee to lead the issue of design and implementation of projects.
This strong consensus brought the public and private sectors together in a
partnership organization -- the Partnership for Community
Design. Co-chairs Mary Lou Makepeace and Nolan E. Schriner from the
public and private sectors were recruited and fifty leaders representing a
broad range of economic, enviromental, and design groups in the community were
invited to serve on the Board of Directors. Subcommittees were
formed to address design issues: The Community-Wide Design Committee, the
Downtown Design Committee, the I-25 Corridor Committee, and the Long Range
Goals and Strategies Committee.
PROJECTS OF PCD
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One of the first projects of PCD was a downtown demonstration
project. Pikes Peak and Tejon was born. With a lot of
support from then City Manager Larry Blick, public officials and private design
professional volunteered to design a highly visible intersection to serve as a
demonstration project to encourage improvements to our downtown, and was funded
by the City.
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We were most concerned about the way the I-25 corridor looked as it rolled
through Colorado Springs. We spoke to everyone who would listen, but
that was the early 1990’s and no money was available. With continued
dialogue with CDOT, designer noise barriers and landscaping are part of the
design for the reconstructed I-25 plans.
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PCD planned for four entryways to Colorado Springs and raised funds, all
private, for the entryway feature on North I-25. Many agencies
collaborate on this -- the City of Colorado Springs, the Air Force Academy, the
Colorado Department of Transportation, Shepard’s/McGraw Hill, and many
corporate and private citizens. It’s a great welcoming statement, a
front door as you enter Colorado Springs. We are currently working
on funding for a similar entryway as you come into Colorado Springs on South
I-25.
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Drainageways - specifically Monument Creek. In the early 1990’s the
Partnership had persuaded both the City of Colorado Springs and the El Pomar
Foundation to fund a greenway along Monument Creek as it flowed through
Colorado Springs. But, in 1991, tax limitation passed in Colorado
Springs caused the new City Council to cut the budget, eliminating
the funding for the greenway. With no City funds, the El Pomar
marching funds also were lost.
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The Tejon Street Wetlands Demonstration Project was born. We wanted
to show what a tremendous asset Monument Creek was and could be to our
community. Very Quickly it became an outdoor classroom visited by
school children to view wildlife in the center of the City adjacent to an
interstate.
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GreenSprings was started in 1988, and is an annual planting project, initiated
to give a visual lift to major community traffic corridors, has improved
highway, roadway, and trailway aesthetics, contributed to improving the
environment and attracts an increasing number of enthusiastic volunteers each
year. To date over 50,000 trees and shrubs have been planted by
5,000 volunteers.
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