Our Story

The Colorado Center for Community Development is one of a small number of design centers established within universities in the mid-sixties that remains in existence. Rural Colorado is an amazing place, with wide open spaces, fewer traffic signals and a longer walk to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor.  Proudly independent and protective of a way of life, the residents of the outlying parts of Colorado are our clients. Often a town may have a vision for a community project but face barriers to the funding and technical skills needed to pursue it. 

"Communities like La Junta don't have the ability to bring projects forward without the assistance

that a program like this offers. Thank you for this very beneficial program." 

– Rick Klein, City Manager | La Junta, CO

CCCD student employees gain real-world experience in architecture, landscape architecture, planning and other disciplines as they provide communities with the design and technical skills needed to take their projects to the next step. We believe that engaging local residents in the design and planning process is fundamental to the success of any community development project. Over our 50 year history, we have assisted hundreds of communities throughout Colorado with an estimated 3,000 projects.

"The students have far exceeded our expectations. They have easily engaged with the citizen

committee and won the respect and support of all the stakeholders... The resulting design and

probable cost has given the City the tools it needs to market the project to potential investors."

– John Sutherland, City Administrator | Lamar, CO

Our Partner

In 2002, CCCD established a partnership with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to become the official seat of their University Technical Assistance (UTA) program. DOLA founded the UTA program to provide technical assistance to rural communities that may not have access to or the resources needed for public improvement projects. 

With DOLA support, UTA employs three professionals experienced in architecture and landscape architecture to supervise projects and mentor students. Students are paid for their work, with a community typically picking up 50 percent of the project cost and UTA paying the other half. 

See our recent Annual Reports below to learn more!

FAQs