ULC July Partner Spotlight – Westwood Unidos
The Urban Land Conservancy celebrates the achievements of its partnerships that generate opportunities to create and preserve real estate, benefiting communities in metro Denver. ULC’s Monthly Partner Spotlight is awarded to partners who recognize and demonstrate the value of collaboration, furthering ULC’s mission and improving lives of Denver area residents through community assets.
Congratulations to our July Partner Spotlight of the Month:
Westwood Unidos!
This month’s partner epitomizes what community action and initiatives can achieve. Westwood Unidos is a collaborator in a recent ULC acquisition and their catalytic neighborhood presence is and will continue to be a key component to our success in the Westwood region.
Westwood Unidos is a resident led neighborhood collaborative that mobilizes the community through partnerships with residents and community-based organizations. The Westwood neighborhood faces many challenges that were recently outlined in a national Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel Report including: few gathering places such as parks and community centers, almost no public transportation options, unpaved alleyways used for illegal dumping, and fast roadways that are unfriendly to pedestrians. Westwood Unidos recognizes all of these issues and has five focus areas: Education, Built Environment, Safety, Food Access, and is leading the Healthy Places Westwood work funded by the Colorado Health Foundation to address these challenges. Despite the many difficulties the neighborhood experiences, Westwood Unidos is making a significant impact.
Rachel Cleaves, Coordinator for LiveWell Westwood, discusses the organizations influence in the community. “Westwood Unidos is proud of the strong collaboration between resident leaders and local organizations in the neighborhood that enable us to work on safety, walkability, food access, and educational opportunities. Westwood Unidos is able to support residents and their passion to make a positive impact the future of their community.”
Additionally, the Learning Center committee coordinates language, technical, and wellness classes at various sites in the neighborhood for little to no cost. Westwood Unidos has also hosted a design charrette and works with developers such as ULC to find solutions that will foster healthy lifestyles in their community.
ULC has been involved since the inception of Westwood Unidos and watching the organization unify its community to make improvements to their neighborhood has been incredible. We are excited to find a way to benefit the passionate area residents through transforming our recently acquired property in Westwood.
The residents and community members of Westwood Unidos are a true inspiration for how to achieve positive neighborhood impact, we are looking forward to creating beneficial real estate through their community vision!
