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Colorado MetroLab, a partnership of the University of Colorado Boulder, and Colorado cities and counties, launched its first Denver project with $98,000 in funding from the city of Denver. Under this project, CU Boulder researchers will forecast the effect of urban growth on flooding and water quality.

"It's an important new relationship," said Brian Muller, associate professor and director of the Community, Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR). "This is an opportunity for CU Boulder to support the city of Denver in addressing its critical infrastructure needs." The project is funded through Denver’s Water Quality Program in the Public Works Department.

MetroLab was founded in 2016 through an MOU signed between Russel Moore, CU Boulder Provost, and Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver. The agreement paved the way for Colorado cities and communities to collaborate with CU Boulder.

The MetroLab partnership also benefits students in the Environmental Design, Environmental Studies, Civil Engineering and other programs by providing opportunities to solve real-world issues.

"Through MetroLab, students will not just become abstract thinkers, but also know how to work in communities and affect positive change," he said.

91ÖÆƬ³§ 50 students and four faculty members are involved in the Denver project, including doctoral students performing spatial analyses, master's students writing professional theses and undergraduates learning about infrastructure needs in classroom settings. Colorado MetroLab is a member of the national MetroLab Network , a nationwide collection of 35 city-university partnerships focused on bringing data, analytics and innovation to local government. The MetroLab Network was launched in September 2015 by 21 founding city-university pairings as part of the Obama Administration’s Smart Cities Initiative.

This project explores opportunities for innovation in stormwater management by assessment of patterns of urban change in Denver, and development of models that forecast impervious cover change and the impact to storm water runoff volumes and pollutant loads.

The MetroLab partnership with the City of Denver and the City of Boulder is administered by CEDaR in collaboration with CU-Boulder’s Office of Outreach and Engagement, Environmental Design Program, CU Engage, the ATLAS Institute and other university entities.

"It’s a commitment of CU Boulder to Colorado communities," Muller said. "We will work closely with the city of Denver to design new solutions to stormwater management problems and resilient infrastructure opportunities. We also hope that this serves a model for future collaborations between the city and the university around technology, data analytics and design."