What if someone didn’t have to be in downtown Boulder to be 15 minutes from a school, park, clinic or grocery store?
That topic — 15-minute neighborhoods — is one of many being tackled in the ongoing update of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, or BVCP. That’s essentially a document that guides governmental decisions for municipalities in the county. The BVCP is updated every 10 years.
Boulder’s 15-minute neighborhoods are derived from 15-minute cities, an urban planning concept that focuses on creating a living area in which residents are a 15-minute bike ride or walk from key necessities. That can include schools, medical care, grocery stores and shopping areas.
About 48 Boulder residents are meeting seven times this year as a community assembly to learn and discuss 15-minute neighborhoods in the city. The city mailed invitations to hundreds of Boulderites, asking if they wanted to be a part of the process. From there, they had invitees send in their demographic information and whittled down the list of participants. The assembly is composed of people of a swath of identities, ages and backgrounds. The assembly members get a stipend throughout the process, which comes out to about $1,000…