Boulder Arts Blueprint Accessibility and Inclusion

Across various forms of engagement – from focus groups, interviews, pop-up engagement and the community questionnaire – accessibility consistently surfaced as a paramount theme. For Boulderites, access held multiple, interconnected meanings. For many the team spoke with “access” ranging from physical accessibility of venues and events, to language access, affordability, geographic distribution and the visibility of cultural opportunities across the city.

Access to the arts and distribution of cultural amenities throughout the city was ranked near the top of community desires. It is clear that Boulderites participate in cultural experiences not only in signature venues or downtown facilities – but throughout their daily lives. The 2025 City of Boulder Venues Study reinforces this understanding of access. Nearly 70% of responding artists and arts organizations reported that space challenges in Boulder prevented them from making, teaching, or presenting work in recent years. Affordability, scheduling limitations and restrictive policies emerged as primary barriers—demonstrating that access to culture is shaped not only by geography, but by cost, flexibility and ease of use.

This goal reflects the understanding that arts and culture are already woven into the fabric of Boulder communities. Cultural expression takes place at block parties, craft markets, storefronts, places of worship, community murals, maker spaces and other neighborhood settings. Participation in arts and culture should therefore be a mix of approachable and welcoming, proximate and purposeful, spontaneous and structured. It is the responsibility of those who steward the arts to ensure they should not be limited by income, language, age, background, or physical ability.

The Office of Arts and Culture has already taken meaningful steps toward this vision. Programs such as Creative Neighborhoods and Experiments in Public Art have expanded cultural production and participation across Boulder by supporting artists, culture-bearers and neighborhood organizations through funding and technical assistance.

This goal builds on that foundation by affirming arts and culture as a public amenity that serves all community members. It commits the Office of Arts and Culture to supporting cultural life across Boulder’s neighborhoods and outlines actions to integrate cultural experiences into main streets, storefronts, parks, schools and other everyday community spaces.

Implementation of this goal should acknowledge historic barriers to access in Boulder and focus on addressing the root causes that have limited participation for some communities. Efforts should intentionally include and support diverse leadership. Progress should be measured in ways that reflect the experiences of different audiences and communities, with clear attention to who is being reached, who is getting access, who benefits and where gaps remain.

• Every Boulder community member, regardless of age, ability, income, or background will have access to creative experiences where they live
• Arts and cultural programming is embedded in neighborhoods and everyday gathering places, not limited to downtown or major institutions
• District-scale models—such as Cultural Districts, Improvement Districts and creative corridors—support vibrant, neighborhood-based cultural activity citywide
• Barriers to participation, including cost, transportation and language, are reduced, making cultural engagement welcoming and intuitive
• Community members actively shape and participate in local cultural life, strengthening neighborhood identity, connection and belonging

• Boulder County Arts Alliance
• Boulder Chamber
• Boulder Public Library
• Boulder Valley School District
• City Departments like: Climate Initiatives, Communication & Engagement, Facilities & Fleet, Office of Cultural and Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, Planning & Development Services, Transportation & Mobility
• Commercial Brokers of Boulder
• Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST)
• Create Boulder
• Downtown Boulder Partnership
• Growing Up Boulder
• Higher Education Institutions
• Impact on Education
• Latino Chamber of Commerce Boulder
• Local nonprofits, independent venues and private businesses
• NoBo Art District
• PLAY Boulder Foundation
• Private developers and commercial landlords
• Social Venture Partners Boulder County
• The Hill Boulder
• Youth Opportunities Advisory Board

• Support the North Boulder Arts District (NoBo) Cultural District designation
• Revise the city’s arts grant programs to improve accessibility, increase award amounts, streamline application and review processes and provide clear guidance on expectations and outcomes
• Open applications for “first come, first serve” grant programs one week early for first time applicants
• Continue ongoing, citywide community research on arts and cultural access—building on models such as the Experiments in Public Art: The Comprehensive Plan series—to inform program design, funding priorities and policy decisions
• Translate the Grant Program into Spanish and offer Spanish level assistance
• Sponsorships dedicated to supporting programs which are best executed in partnership with private organizations and / or other city departments

Several goals call for supporting the maintenance and development of cultural infrastructure to address affordability, strengthen the sustainability of cultural nonprofits, provide places to create work and support creative scenes as they grow and thrive.

Taken together, the Phase 1 findings of the Boulder Arts Blueprint, the 2025 Venues Study and the Cultural Asset Map consistently point to significant facilities and space needs across Boulder’s creative ecosystem. The Venues Study identifies critical gaps in affordable, well-equipped spaces for performance, rehearsal, art making, exhibitions and all-ages programming. The Cultural Asset Map shows that creative places and resources exist throughout the city but are often informal, unstable and vulnerable to rising costs and redevelopment, highlighting the need for intentional preservation and support. Phase 1 engagement for the Boulder Arts Blueprint reinforces these findings with local data showing strong community demand to address space and affordability gaps, invest in studios, rehearsal spaces and venues at a range of price points, sustain existing cultural infrastructure through maintenance and capital investment, activate underused properties for creative use, support affordable live and work opportunities for artists and better integrate arts and culture into broader planning and policy decisions. Together, these studies make clear that targeted, sustained investment in cultural infrastructure, including physical spaces, funding systems and policy frameworks, is essential for the long-term health of Boulder’s arts community.

To address these systemic space and affordability gaps, the city will proactively leverage major redevelopment opportunities, public-private partnerships and other economic development tools. This includes utilizing the full range of municipal financing tools such as general and business improvement districts, tax increment financing (TIF) and the strategic sale or lease of city-owned assets to attract and sustain the integration of cultural infrastructure into the built environment. By aligning arts and culture with broader economic development strategies and civic site transformations, the city ensures that the creative sector is a central to long-term urban resilience and economic vibrancy.

The “15-minute neighborhood” is an urban planning concept for developing communities centered around “walkability.” In such a community, community members can access the majority of their daily needs – groceries, childcare, parks, schools, employment -- within a 15- minute walk from where they live. While often framed around essential services and mobility, the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Community Assembly emphasized that truly successful 15-minute neighborhoods are diverse, inclusive and connected communities that foster belonging and everyday interaction, not just proximity. (2)

What this model frequently omits is the essential role of artistic and cultural amenities in a complete neighborhood. The Boulder Arts Blueprint encourages rethinking arts and culture as essential services included in a “15 minute Neighborhood”, where art and cultural amenities are placed within and integral to local neighborhoods; be they embedded in parks, schools, senior centers, main streets, or as standalone assets.

Embedding arts and culture into neighborhood-scale commercial and civic spaces also supports an inclusive local economy by activating underutilized spaces, enabling creative micro-enterprises and encouraging neighborhood events and festivals that strengthen local businesses and social ties. The neighborhood - centric strategy reinforces the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan’s emphasis on connected communities, inclusive local economies and accessible gathering spaces, positioning arts and culture as core infrastructure that supports equitable, livable and resilient neighborhoods.

The Colorado Creative Districts program recognizes neighborhoods or commercial corridors that already show a strong concentration of arts, culture and creative businesses — certifying them as official “creative districts.” Being designated brings clear benefits: eligible districts receive a one-time cash award (up to $10,000), access to technical assistance and statewide marketing support, specialized data tools, highway signage and help in attracting tourism and investment.

The North Boulder (NoBo) Arts District received this designation in October 2025, unlocking a powerful lever to grow the district. As one of Boulder’s most vibrant neighborhood-based cultural ecosystems— the district is an intimate, small-scale gathering place where artists, creative entrepreneurs and community members connect in a uniquely local way. Anchored by studios, maker spaces and community-focused events, NoBo demonstrates how neighborhood-scale creativity can fuel economic vitality, providing a model for what Boulder aims to achieve across its main streets and commercial corridors. It is a place where emerging artists launch their careers, small creative businesses thrive and the community experiences art as part of daily life—amplifying the city’s broader goals for walkable, people-centered cultural districts.

State-backed recognition as a Creative District allows NoBo to unlock new funding, grow support channels and amplify the visibility of local artists, nonprofits and creative businesses. The Arts Blueprint supports establishing additional Creative Districts, reinforcing the city’s plan to build walkable, vibrant main streets and neighborhood corridors — helping transform cultural ambition into economic and civic reality.

Commercial leasing is a delicate balance of finding tenants which are both financially reliable but offer something unique. For early entrepreneurs, signing long term leases can be prohibitive and landlords may see their enterprise as too risky. For property owners, it can take patience to investigate, recruit and secure "the right” tenant.

While vacancies are realistic, prolonged empty spaces can instill a sense of neglect and frustration from locals. Temporary creative uses of vacant storefronts has become a popular way to intervene at this tension point. Yet in many places, local legislation and bureaucracy has yet to catch up – making these partnerships difficult and possibly even “illegal.” There are also limited mechanisms for municipalities to intervene in areas of private property. However, some examples of municipal actions to curb vacancies include:

• Rewriting zoning, permitting and licensing to make temporary / meanwhile uses easier to execute.
• Expanding rental assistance programs to include short term commercial rents and commercial rent defaults
• Encourage and educate property owners about alternative lease structures, such as offering low to no cost space or providing the temporary tenant with the “first right” to eventually rent the space long term.

Lakewood, Colorado. In Lakewood, Colorado property owners are charged fees when non-residential buildings are vacant for more than 30 days. After this period, property owners are required to “re-register” their buildings as vacant every 6 months and pay $700 each time. (3)

Meantime, Philadelphia. Meantime is a 501c3 nonprofit born from ISA, an architecture and design firm. Meantime matchmakes creatives, artists and entrepreneurs with building owners. The organization serves as the go-between, navigating project management and event execution. Property owners can be actively involved in the temporary activation or simply hand over the keys. Meantime can execute small scale renovations a building might require. The organization has practical know-how in zoning, licensing, permitting, advocacy, events and momentum building. Meantime compensates for utilities and adds the property owner under the organization’s insurance policy. While they do not offer rent subsidies, activations show potential tenants what is possible while bringing vivacity to their block. As of 2025, Meantime has executed six activations across Philadelphia, drawing in more than 5,000 visitors. An estimated 300 vendors have participated, cumulatively making $20,000 in sales across all events to date.