An audiovisual installation by Becky Wareing Steele and Shannon Geis

2025

Over the course of six months we were invited to observe the convening of Boulder’s first ever Community Assembly. The assembly consisted of 43 individuals, selected to represent the diversity of cultures, ages, and lived experiences that make up the larger Boulder community.

They were brought together as part of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Update to explore 15-minute neighborhoods, a concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit ride.

The group thoughtfully assessed the feasibility of 15-minute neighborhoods in the City of Boulder and what considerations should be made in planning for them, including who should be involved, what types of transportation should be focused on, and what features should be prioritized. After months of listening, learning, and animated discussion, the assembly came to consensus on a final recommendation regarding 15-minute neighborhoods, which they presented to the Boulder City Council on December 11th, 2025.

This audiovisual installation aims to convey the experience of observing this unique process, brought to life through conversations with assembly members. The artwork before you is not the layout for a planned, future 15-minute neighborhood. Rather, it is the collective vision of a possible future that expresses the shared values this assembly used as they defined not only what a 15-minute neighborhood is, but whether it would work in Boulder.

As viewers interact with the artwork, they are invited to listen to the audio segments to hear assembly members’ thoughts on the process directly, including the nuances and contradictions that they grappled with throughout. Specifically, how do we create diverse neighborhoods that support the needs of all in an equitable way?

Thank you to the City of Boulder and the Community Assembly Planning Team for their enthusiasm and support throughout the process. And most of all, thank you to the Community Assembly members who welcomed us into this space, lent their voices, and trusted us to tell this story.

This project was funded through the City of Boulder’s Experiments in Public Art Program. This audio visual installation entitled Building Connections is currently on view at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building in Boulder, Colorado through the Spring of 2026.

Select images courtesy of Lan Vo Photography.