Norris Design Celebrates Park(ing) Day in Fort Collins

This past summer, our intern Jordan Clugston embraced the challenge of transforming an underutilized streetscape right outside our Fort Collins office.

Located at the busy intersection of College Avenue and Riverside in Old Town Fort Collins, the space is a hub of pedestrian and vehicle activity. Jordan was tasked with crafting a proposal that outlined the project scope and timeline, which she navigated with skill and creativity. Throughout the process, she developed multiple design concepts and led several in-office design reviews, engaging the team every step of the way.

Her final concept invites us, as placemakers, to explore the question, “What Makes a Great Place?”—a thoughtful prompt that encourages public feedback while breathing new life into our local streetscape.

Before wrapping up her internship and returning for her final year of school, Jordan facilitated a connection between Norris Design and the Colorado State University Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (CSU SCASLA). This collaboration culminated in a charrette at our Fort Collins office, where we worked together to source materials and, with a budget of $0 (save for a few screws), built a vibrant new parklet.

In the end, the project not only strengthened our ties with CSU’s landscape architecture program but also allowed us to celebrate Park(ing) Day—a perfect example of turning small spaces into meaningful places.