David Driskell

David Driskell was appointed Executive Director of Community Planning and Sustainability in July 2009. This expanded department incorporates the city's long-range planning and land use review functions with historic preservation, ecological planning, economic vitality, regional sustainability, and local environmental action, including the city's climate action and waste reduction programs.

Prior to coming to Boulder, Driskell served as the UNESCO Chair for "Growing Up in Cities" at Cornell University and as principal in the firm of Baird+Driskell Community Planning, leading comprehensive planning, affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects. He has led and managed planning projects in dozens of cities in California, Oregon, New York, and New Jersey, as well as in the countries of Qatar, India and Kenya. His work has been recognized by awards from the California Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Environmental Design Research Association/PLACES Magazine, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.  

Driskell has a strong and long-standing commitment to community participation in planning, with a particular interest in the participation of young people. He authored the book Creating Better Cities with Children and Youth: A Manual for Participation (Earthscan/UNESCO, 2002) and has written numerous articles on the topic. He is a research affiliate at the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design at CU-Boulder, serves on the steering committee for the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement at CU-Boulder, and is an advisor to UN-HABITAT's youth-led development program.

He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA '86) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MCP '91).

E-mail Mr. Driskell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Last Updated on Thursday, 11 October 2012 09:35