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Managing the city’s public spaces

In April 2021, Boulder’s City Council approved a pilot program to formulize the Safe and Managed Public Spaces (SAMPS) team. This team reflects a coordinated approach to manage camping and unsafe behavior in the city’s public spaces.

Library underpass skate area

Library underpass skate area.

Safe and Managed Public Spaces

The Safe and Managed Public Spaces team's mission is to ensure that public spaces are safe and welcoming for all. The team takes a compassionate approach with residents who are camping while ensuring that the city's ordinances are enforced.

Safe and Managed Public Spaces 2023 Action Plan PDF
SAMPS City Council Study Session Memo PDF

Ensuring Public Spaces are Safe and Available to All

SAMPS cycle of work: a cross departmental, holistic approach incorporating outreach and engagement, clean up and space maintenance, data, and safety support.

Public spaces should be available to all community members, but unsanctioned camping excludes some members of the community from enjoying these public spaces. 

Increases in unsanctioned camping have led to health and safety risks for those staying within campsites and the broader community. Campsite residents may be at risk of serious health issues or loss of life due to uncertain weather, disease and contamination, as well as being victims of crime, as campsites often attract more serious crimes such as drug distribution.

Camping creates several community issues. Campsites can increase wildfire risks and can negatively impact and endanger wetlands or other sensitive and ecologically important natural areas. Community members, visitors and city staff often feel threatened by behavior in misused public spaces and can encounter biohazards in areas such as the Boulder Creek Path, parks and open space.

Guided by compassion and a people-focused approach, the work of the SAMPS team reflects a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that leverages the expertise of community partners to manage the city’s public spaces.


Data and Analytics

Long-Term Goals

This work is guided by eight goals that achieve a compassionate approach with people who are camping while ensuring that the city’s ordinances are enforced. The team routinely evaluates the effectiveness of this approach, and adapts as needed to evolving challenges.

1: No camping in public spaces

  • Increase efficiency of clean-up operations.
  • Broaden geographic footprint of campsite clean-ups.

2: Individuals experiencing homelessness are connected to services

  • Understand barriers to accessing services.
  • Ensure connections to services are as efficient and effective as possible.
  • Mitigate impacts of service limitations resulting in staffing turnover inherent to this type of work.
  • Improve connections, data sharing and communication.

3: Access to public space and public infrastructure

  • Evaluate programs and practices that ensure access to public space and infrastructure.
  • Establish criteria for identifying areas which require immediate response due to acute life/safety issues or access to public buildings.

4: Reduction in crime and disorder in designated areas of emphasis

  • Evaluate historical patterns of crime and disorder in designated areas of emphasis.
  • Maintain police support in designated areas.

5: Visitors have access to knowledgeable resources on city services

  • Fully implement Urban Park Ranger Program.
  • Increase scope of Downtown Ambassador Program.
  • Improve knowledge base for visitor requests/questions

6: Maintenance crews can safely access critical infrastructure in public spaces

  • Ensure that crews are aware of and are monitoring critical public infrastructure.
  • Explore ways to improve measurement of barriers to safe access.
  • Identify ways to improve worker safety in parks and public spaces.

7: Waterways are free of contamination

  • Reduce trash/hazards in waterways.
  • Maintain stable or reduce E. Coli trends, especially during recreation season (May through October) while recognizing there are many sources of contamination in Boulder Creek.

8: Users of public spaces feel safe and welcoming

  • Improve information sharing on “designated areas of emphasis”, and crime/calls for service data for those areas.
  • Continue to improve site activation.
  • Investigate ways to change prioritization to highlight high visibility areas.
  • Improve compliance with debris/needle disposal.

City, County and Community Partner Resources