Out & About: “Taking it to the Streets” Urban Design Festival in Old Town Clovis

Fifteen “parklets” popped up in parking spaces throughout Old Town Clovis last weekend for visitors to enjoy. Amateur and professional engineers designed and built parking space-sized outdoor spaces as part of the inaugural Taking it to the Streets Urban Design Festival sponsored by the City of Clovis.

The competition was the brainchild of city planning director Dwight Kroll, who said he was pleased with the turnout.

“We got 15 people, which is great,” he said. “The quality of the displays are just awesome. We’re just so tickled.”

Each parklet was judged by the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association and a member of the Business Organization of Old Town.

The Earth Builders won in the professional category with its “Superfunction” parklet featuring several seating areas and drought-tolerant plants.

CART Reconnect, a team of high school students at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, won the amateur category with its “Urban Escape” parklet.

Festival attendees were given a “passport” to visit each parklet and were required to jot down a secret code found at each one. If they visited every location, they were allowed to vote on their favorite.

The People’s Choice award winner was SIM Architects with its comfortable benches and colorful plants.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Out & About: “Taking it to the Streets” Urban Design Festival in Old Town Clovis."