by John W. Olson | Feb 12, 2017 | Business
There has been too much ado lately regarding safety sizing the streets in Colorado Springs — removing lanes from roads downtown to create bike lanes, slow traffic and decrease congestion. Our city has been condemned to wasting money on infrastructure for decades —...
by John W. Olson | Jun 16, 2014 | Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
This almost didn’t happen, but luck would have it, I had some time to drive around Deadwood while the little man napped in his car seat. My observations: First impression of course was that it was a lot like Cripple Creek, Colorado. A lot of old historic...
by John W. Olson | Mar 11, 2014 | Landscape Architecture, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
Everyone likes a great park. Parks, like the remainder of the built environment, range by how they are experienced and how they function. The classification of parks has been something that I have been thinking about over the past few years, and especially over this...
by John W. Olson | Jan 10, 2014 | Events, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
I hope to see you at Rocky Mountain Green, April 17-18, 2014 in Denver! I will be co-presenting with Conor Merrigan of C2 Sustainability, Cliff Lind of Otak, and Steven Chester with the City of Denver: Cutting Edge Community Sustainability; LEED-ND to Tactical...
by John W. Olson | Oct 1, 2013 | Landscape Architecture, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design
Recently I was honored to have been asked to provide a rendering for Bancroft Park as a visual aid to raise money for the improvements to the park. It was used for the Taste of OCC in April, 2013 and again this past weekend for the first “Harvest in the...
by John W. Olson | Sep 24, 2013 | Landscape Architecture, Streetscapes, Urban Interventions, Urbanism
A little over a year ago, many of my fellow interventionists from Colorado Springs Urban Intervention and I participated in Better Block Pikes Peak. (See Additional Photos of Better Block Here:...
by John W. Olson | Aug 18, 2013 | Streetscapes, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
In the past year, my Collaborative Design Group colleague, Mark Tremmel, and I have given multiple presentations on Gold Hill Mesa. In this time, we have started what has turned into somewhat of a routine as a part of the presentation. The bit starts in the middle of...
by John W. Olson | Aug 13, 2013 | Business
The following post was written over three years ago today. As school starts back up across the nation, it is important to consider how our kids get to school. Safety has to always come first as a parent, but the hidden safety factor of our children’s health must...
by John W. Olson | Jul 4, 2013 | Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Urban Planning and Design, Urban Renewal, Urbanism
The question for cities is often: What is the silver bullet for the revitalization of a Downtown? There are always answers, but often, they are misguided and wrong. There is not one single universal answer. As a matter of fact, the idea of a silver bullet is pure...
by John W. Olson | Jun 23, 2013 | Urban Interventions, Urbanism
Curbside Cuisine in Downtown Colorado Springs is a result of a goal to increase vitality in Downtown Colorado Springs, through Colorado Springs Urban Intervention. In the process of implementing Better Block Pikes Peak in September of 2012, several of the dedicated...
