From the Foothills to Pearl Street: Boulder’s Growth Journey
The City of Boulder, nestled in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies is home to 105,175 residents as of 2021. Founded in 1871 close to mining and gold, it had a slow start to population growth until the 1950s. By 2000, Boulder had a population of about 94,000. Today, Boulder is bustling with outdoor enthusiasts, big science, and over 36,000 University students. It’s a city renowned for its blend of urban living and natural beauty, the evolution of residential and commercial spaces reflects broader societal changes.
Boulder’s Rich Past and Present
Boulder meticulously records each building permit submitted in a dataset of over 60,000. Some of the first data dates back to the 1980s but it did not experience uniformity until the 2000s. Over the last 23 years, the city has averaged 1,680.71 constructions annually, with an average building size of 1,626.23 square feet. Since the 1980’s the most popular constructions have been Single Family Detached Dwellings with 14,124 instances, followed by Deck-Residential with 2,477 instances, Multifamily Dwellings with 1,900 instances, Commercial/Retail with 1,313 instances, and Porch-Residential with 1,284 instances. Deck Residential and Porch Residential construction remain prominent in the most recent years, suggesting an emphasis on outdoor living spaces in residential construction. Office construction shows up occasionally, indicating commercial development in the area. Similarly, “Multifamily Dwellings” construction appears consistently, reflecting the demand for multi-unit housing solutions. Most of the top ten ‘BuildingUseType’ have stayed consistent over the past 23 years. One occurrence of Single Family Detached Dwellings with finished basements peaked between 2010–2019, indicating a trend in home refurbishments and expansions during this time range.
Square Footage Details
The square footage data of a city’s buildings can reveal several important aspects of its characteristics, trends, and future direction. The size of homes and other buildings often reflects the standard of living, financial capability, and preferences of the residents. Fluctuations in average square footage can be indicators of economic prosperity or downturns. Boulder’s preservation of green spaces, the university’s campus, and property values have created a trend of smaller homes comparatively to sprawling suburban or rural areas.
The two line graphs provided below show the average square footage of single-family homes and offices in Boulder, Colorado, throughout 2000–2023. The graph for single-family homes presents a somewhat changing pattern with significant peaks and valleys. The first peak is around 2002 and the second in 2007 until it significantly drops below an average of 600 sqft in 2010. This could be due to the economic collapse in 2008. There is a gradual increase in 2014 where it fluctuates again til 2020 when an upward trend starts. This could suggest a period of experimentation in housing size or irregular reporting of data. The line graph for offices shows a dramatic fluctuation in square footage over the years, with extreme peaks around 2002, 2011, and the biggest being 2015. This could be indicative of occasional large-scale commercial projects or changes in commercial construction standards. The data suggest periods of significant investment in commercial space, which could correlate with economic cycles or a reaction to market demands for office space. The significant spikes in 2002 for both single-family homes and offices suggest a boom in population growth for the city.
The ‘BuildingUseType’ with the largest average square footage is ‘Sitework,’ averaging approximately 46,928 square feet. This category typically involves large-scale land development projects, which may include infrastructure for utilities, foundational work for future constructions, or landscaping. The substantial square footage suggests significant development activities, possibly for new neighborhoods or commercial areas. ‘Parking Garages’ come in next with an average of 26,881 square feet, reflecting the need for substantial space to accommodate vehicles, a crucial aspect of urban planning in a city that balances residential and commercial growth. ‘Motel Hotel Bed Breakfast’ and ‘Motel/Hotel/Bed & Breakfast’ categories, though listed separately, both signify the importance of hospitality in Boulder, with averages around 22,690 and 12,237 square feet, respectively. These figures indicate Boulder’s status as a destination that caters to tourists and visitors, which is consistent with the city’s appeal as a hub for outdoor activities and a vibrant cultural scene. Public Works Utilities, Prison, Assisted Living, Wholesale, Office Technical, and Hospitals make up the next six largest average sqft facilities.
Revamps to Expansions: Boulder’s Building Scope
Scope of projects often refers to the type of construction the project is. The City of Boulder recognizes 11 different types: Additions, All, Alteration, Basement Finish, Basement Unfinish, Core Shell, Core and Shell, New, Remodel, Repair, and Tenant Finish. The bar graphs depict these scope counts in various ranges: 0–99, 100–199, and 200–499. From these visuals, there is a significant focus on remodeling existing structures as opposed to constructing new ones. This trend suggests the city is reinvesting in its current infrastructure rather than expanding. Emphasis on remodels aligns with sustainable development practices which is a significant focus for Boulder. The data also shows that additions are a common scope of work for particularly office and commercial spaces, indicating a need for businesses to expand their operational areas. This could signify the growth of established companies or new businesses requiring more space.
Alterations and repairs across various building types reveal continuous maintenance and upgrading of the city’s buildings. It’s noteworthy that residential spaces frequently do finishing work, such as basement finishes, which could reflect homeowners’ desires to maximize their living space without increasing square footage. Projects labeled as ‘New’ are somewhat frequent across the years. This could be due to several factors, such as limited available land, zoning laws, a push for density, or a preference for upgrading existing structures rather than building new ones. Not shown are the biggest construction types: single-family detached dwellings and deck residential. Deck residential is more likely to be a new project while Single Family Detached Dwelling are often remodeled.
Mapping Boulder’s Landscape
The City of Boulder has prominent areas of separated residential and commercial areas. City zoning typically does this to prevent conflict between business owners and homeowners as well as to keep downtown areas more busy than residential. The geographical distribution of Boulder’s construction projects indicates an established city with a stable residential footprint. The map through the years does not show significant signs of new residential neighborhoods emerging on the outskirts, which would be indicative of urban sprawl. Instead, Boulder appears to be maintaining its existing boundaries, with residential and commercial developments remaining within the established core. These areas are primarily: The Hill, Chautauqua, Martin Acres, and North Boulder. The density map shows clear divisions of these territories. The University is the white spot in the middle while the top left leaves a space for Pearl Street. This suggests that Boulder is a city that has been conscious of its growth and likely has development policies to preserve surrounding nature and prevent the encroachment on Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, which are defining features of the city.
Another way to visualize Boulder's residential sprawl is through swimming pools — residential vs warehouses — low hazard. The blue markers represent residential swimming pools that are dispersed throughout the city, suggesting that recreational amenities are a common feature in many Boulder neighborhoods. This widespread distribution of swimming pools could reflect Boulder’s lifestyle which values leisure and outdoor activity, consistent with the city’s reputation for high quality of life and outdoor recreation. There also happens to be a gap of swimming pools in the Martin Acres neighborhood. This could be due to different regulations or less expensive housing. The red markers, denoting warehouses, are primarily concentrated on the right side of the city. This clustering of warehouses could be indicative of a dedicated industrial district. These zoning practices are typical in urban planning to separate residential areas from commercial and industrial activities due to noise, traffic, and aesthetics. The commercial buildings, which are not individually marked on this map but are around Pearl Street are likely to be part of Boulder’s central business district. This centralized commercial development supports a walkable city built on community and outdoor recreation.
The building and development patterns of Boulder tell the story of a city that is deeply connected to its natural environment and committed to sustainable growth. The data reveals a preference for preserving and enhancing existing structures, reflecting a respect for the city’s history and a conscientious approach to urban development. The commonness of outdoor living spaces like decks and porches highlights Boulder’s culture of embracing the outdoors, even in residential design. Boulder has an expensive housing market with the median listing home price in Boulder, CO being $1.3M in November 2023 according to Realtor.com. The consistent presence of multifamily and commercial constructions speaks to a community that is adapting to the needs of its growing population and high housing costs.
The commitment to this development strategy is likely to preserve the quality of life for residents, maintain the city’s charm for visitors, and ensure the sustainability of its growth for future generations.
