Downtown Colorado Springs receives international recognition and awards

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Downtown Colorado Springs recently received international recognition.

The International Downtown Association awarded Colorado Springs with two Downtown Achievement Awards.

One was for public space management. The other was for urban place marketing, communications, and events.

The first recognizes the Downtown Colorado Springs gateway initiative, which aims to create a distinct arrival experience through signage, landscaping, and lighting.

The second award commends the virtual First Friday program launched in April of 2020 in response to several local businesses closing due to the pandemic.

That program ended up generating more than $90,000 in sales to galleries through five virtual First Friday events.