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...
by John W. Olson | Jan 27, 2013 | Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Urban Planning and Design, Urban Renewal
The question came up over the weekend regarding retrofitting suburbia, due to the anticipated arrival of speaker, author and urbanist, Ellen Dunham Jones. My friend and colleague asked where in Colorado Springs would be the places that Ellen describes in her TED Talk....
by John W. Olson | Dec 22, 2012 | Comprehensive Planning and Codes, Landscape Architecture, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
Okay, so I have assembled the following quote based upon comments that I hear about Downtown Colorado Springs often. I wish that no one actually says such things, but it is said because it is the simple band-aid to temporarily make a problem go away. We need to stop...
by John W. Olson | Nov 27, 2012 | Streetscapes, Town Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Urbanism
Better Block Pikes Peak was held in Downtown Colorado Springs over a 24-hour period, September 21-22, 2012. Better Block was put forth by a grassroots all-star team referred to as Colorado Springs Urban Intervention (CSUI). CSUI was a fund through the Colorado Springs...