Mara Mintzer
Mara Mintzer (1975–) is an author, speaker, and advocate for children-friendly community design. She is the co-founder and Program Director of Growing up Boulder, based out of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Community Engagement Design and Research (CEDaR) Center.
She was previously the Director of Belle Haven Community School and Manager of the Belle Haven Family Service Program. With Victoria Derr and Louise Chawla, she co-authored Placemaking with Children and Youth: Participatory Practices for Planning Sustainable Communities (New Village Press, 2018).
Mintzer presents and writes internationally on creating inclusive community plans with young people. In 2017, her TedX Talk How kids can help design cities received 2 million views, and she continues to create innovative resources, like the first child and teen friendly city map. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.