Plan Van

From where you live to how you get to work, your decisions are all influenced by planning. Many citizens do not realize the impact planning has on their daily lives. The tours highlight various projects including recent urban design winners, 1950s neighborhoods, Mountain Vista Subarea, ghost signs, South College Corridor Plan, and the evolution of neighborhood planning. This is an opportunity to recognize how planning shapes Fort Collins, and the work of planners and the planning profession in creating communities of lasting value. The City of Fort Collins encourages you to take advantage of this terrific look at planning and take one of the self-guided tours below.

What is Planning?

Planning is the process of envisioning, mapping or otherwise conceiving how a community will look, grow, and define itself—its characteristics, attributes, and identity. As our communities continue to change and grow, planners play an important role in ensuring that new developments are designed and built in harmony with existing surroundings. Planners must carefully balance the needs and desires of residents against the challenges presented by growth and change not just in the physical realm, but also economically and socially.

Planning also strives to give residents choices. From the type of home an individual lives in, such as a condominium, apartment, town home or single family, to how an individual gets around, whether taking mass transit, walking, bicycling or driving, planning helps ensure communities address the needs of everyone. The Plan Van recently received a 2008 Colorado American Planners Association award for community engagement.

From Housing to A Helping Hand: How Public Money Makes Fort Collins Better!
You'll see first hand how affordable housing is developed, who benefits, and the City's role. This self-guided tour showcases publically-funded housing projects.

From the Front Porch to the Stars: How Neighborhood Planning Has Evolved
Hop on as we travel through time from 1873 to 2007! City Planner Clark Mapes showcases the planning evolution of our neighborhoods and streets; starting in Old Town then traveling decade by decade to end at the Stargazing Observatory in Observatory Village.

Adding South College to the Mix: The South College Corridor Plan
As one of Fort Collins' recently annexed areas and a major travel corridor, the South College Corridor holds much interest for its local residents, businesses and the rest of the community. Beginning at Harmony Road and traveling south to Carpenter Road, you'll see key locations, issues, options and recommendations making up the backbone of this plan, adopted in 2009.

You Look Marvelous: Fort Collins Design Winners
Take a look at the best: The Siena (straw bale home), In-Situ, Police Services, Pads at Harmony, Burr Oak offices, Lofts at Magnolia, and Mason Corridor. This tour highlights past winners of the biennial Urban Design Awards.