About Livable Telluride

Our Mission

In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam documented what happens when people stop showing up to civic life. Local governments grow less accountable. Decisions on budgets, land use, debt, and zoning move forward with little public scrutiny. The voices that stay at the table are typically those with a direct financial stake in the outcome — not because anyone is acting in bad faith, but because everyone else has tuned out.

Livable Telluride exists to close that gap. We are a civic information hub for the whole county — West End to Mountain Village, across the full political spectrum — bringing government meetings, local news, and community information together in one place, always linked back to original sources. As an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, we will never charge for access and rely solely on tax-deductible donations.

Our Story

Livable Telluride grew out of a recurring concern about civic life in our community: residents care deeply about the future of the region, but often learn about major decisions late — through fragments, rumors, or social media arguments — after much of the important planning work is already done.

The Society Turn PUD was a clear example. Most residents knew about the planned hospital at the site. Far fewer understood that it was only one part of a much larger development proposal, including roughly 300,000 square feet of free-market commercial space and a 125-room hotel. The question was not what people should think about it. The question was more basic: how can residents meaningfully participate if they do not know what is actually being proposed?

Livable Telluride is our ongoing answer to that question.