Nurturing Community Through Food and Farming
Village FarmAurora, CO—USA
Established as a non-profit community center, Village Exchange Farm produces culturally diverse organic produce, provides mentorship for workforce development, and creates a gathering place for a diverse community all within a small urban farm on a brownfield site along the Westerly Creek in Aurora, Colorado.
Year
In Implementation
Client
Village Exchange Center
Services
Urban Design, Landscape Architecture
Project type/category
Civic/Municipal, Private/Commercial Development
Since 2017, the Village Exchange Center (VEC) has supported the community of northwest Aurora, Colorado, with programs ranging from the arts to entrepreneurship and from financial literacy to sustainable agriculture.
Headquartered in a former church in downtown Aurora, VEC operates Village Farm on a one-acre parcel of land adjacent to Aurora’s popular Stanley Marketplace—a former aviation manufacturing facility that now features over 50 local businesses including shops, restaurants and breweries.
Westerly Creek flows through the Stanley Marketplace site, and Village Farm lies within its floodplain. When the creek’s flow corridor was reconfigured to reduce flood hazards and improve open space, the Farm embraced the opportunity to make a shift and improve its facilities too, moving its operations to a different—and higher—parcel of the Stanley Marketplace site. Civitas joined the mission at this point, donating design services in support of this effort to improve equitable access to outdoor spaces and organic foods.
Civitas’ plan for the renovated site prioritizes Village Farm’s existing operations, including raised garden beds and flower patches, and lays the foundation for expanded offerings including community events and gathering space.
The land’s industrial past means the Farm is situated on a brownfield, affected by environmental contamination. Organic produce is grown safely in raised garden beds placed above the brownfield soil, while crops such as native wildflowers are grown directly in the ground in order to naturally extract contaminants and replace them with nutrients.
An expansive new deck is envisioned to improve access to the Farm’s operational hub—a renovated trailer—and provides a stage for community events. A multifunctional plaza and lawn surround the deck, ultimately supporting the Farm’s vision to bring diverse groups of people together around food. Integrated structures and furnishings are designed with flexibility in mind, empowering programming such as produce exchanges, potluck meals, seasonal festivals, as well as revenue-generating private events.
Along the creek’s edge, a landscape buffer is composed of native plants, playful log steppers, various forms of seating, and shade structures to provide a comfortable environment for children and adults alike. Additionally, the vegetated buffer will bolster the Farms’ existing bee population and support efforts to increase biodiversity along Westerly Creek.
Across the site, Civitas has specified cost-effective, environmentally-friendly design details in alignment with VEC’s community-led, non-profit status—all without compromising the goal to create an inviting place where people feel safe and welcome to gather. Furnishings and other features are site sensitive. For example, seven steel rings were found onsite and will be repurposed as shade structures with thatched roofs. Log steppers and picnic tables are made from salvaged wood. And recycled asphalt serves as the ground covering within gathering areas and service paths.
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3200pounds of produce were harvested at the farm in 2025.
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50%of food harvested goes to the Village Pantry.
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50%of food harvested is distributed equally to partner organizations.
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30000honeybees are housed in 2 beehives on the farm.
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39varieties of community-responsive crops were grown in 2024.
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250flower bouquets were sold through VEC's floral social enterprise in 2024.
