Boulder County officials have signed a $50,000 contract with Superbloom, a Denver-based architecture firm, to create a toolkit for nature-focused urban planning, according to a news release.

“It will be a blueprint of all of the different urban landscape strategies that Boulder County and its local governments can take,” said Dede Croissant, who works in the county’s Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience.

Superbloom will focus on strategies to mitigate potential future natural disasters such as increased wildfire and flood risk.

Boulder County has dealt with several natural disasters over the last decade or so, from the 2013 flood in Boulder, which damaged or destroyed 902 homes, to the December 2021 Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in and around Superior and Louisville, according to the release.

“We’re familiar with the exhaustive list of nature-based solutions that exist … They’ve asked us to focus on things that are really specific to Boulder County,” said Superbloom cofounder Stacy Passmore.

Croissant said that the toolkit will consist of potential policies for the county and be available to the public this fall.

“This is that first step towards getting to those very specific action items we want to achieve,” Croissant said.

Superbloom’s founders have experience in urban planning and policy.

Passmore said that the firm was aware of the climate action already in place in the county and was interviewing local leaders and experts to figure out next steps.

“We’re looking at performance of landscapes — how we can change policies or regulations or create incentive programs that would encourage better environmental performance,” said Passmore.

More information, including specific strategies, can be found at content.govdelivery.com/accounts/COBOULDER/bulletins/3a257ba.