SALT LAKE CITY | Development Thread

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Downtown Update


Popup parks provide interactive downtown experience

By Isaac Riddle - For more information and pictures on this and other projects go to: THE SLC BLOG http://www.theslcblog.org/author/iriddle81gmail-com/



A family visiting from Italy plays cornhole at the Toss-Around Park. Photo by Isaac Riddle.

Downtown Salt Lake’s population swells twice a year as over 125,000 people gather around Temple Square for the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Downtown Alliance chose the busy conference weekend to debut its Downtown Garden Stroll, five artist-designed public “popup” parks lining sidewalks on a two block stretch of Main Street.

“It is re-imaging an urban space,” said Nick Como, Senior Director of Communication and Marketing for the Downtown Alliance.

The goal of the Garden Stroll is to build upon Downtown’s largest urban garden, the gardens at Temple Square. Conference goers tend to not venture past Temple Square or the City Creek Center. The alliance wants to use the gardens to get visitors to explore other parts of downtown.

“I really like that it allows us to interact, to be a part of the exhibit,” said Audrey Ramos, a resident of West Valley visiting the Name That Flower park in front of the Utah Arts building. “You go from visitor to participant.”

Ramos was with her parents, in town visiting from Washington State...


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