On Tuesday night The Capitol Creative Collective in partnership with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership hosted their first Idea Fair.

The event, which was hosted at The Mix at 16th and L streets, provided a forum for local architects to showcase their vision for future downtown development.

Several dozen architects and interested individuals attended the intimate event which was held on The Mix's second-floor patio.

“We wanted to give people an opportunity to get excited about their city,” said Lisa Martinez of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “The projects are more of a show and tell. This forum is a great place for people to learn and get inspired.”

Projects ranging from the creation of observational towers along the the downtown riverfront to the development of an architecture-themed charter school in Sacramento were discussed at the fair.

Sacramento-based architects Jeff Walker and Requel Apodaca presented their vision for an urban transformation of Discovery Park.

Modeled after Central Park in Manhattan, the project would directly integrate the new urban park to both the rail-yards project and future urban development north of the American River.

“The park would connect the city to the river as it grows,” Walker said.

According to Jake Favour, founder of the the Capitol Creative Collective, the Idea Fair was also designed to provide a cross-pollination of ideas before the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's annual State of Downtown breakfast on Jan. 19, 2010.

“We've been working [at the Capitol Creative Collective] to incubate and showcase a few new designers and designs,” Favour said.

The State of Downtown breakfast will provide forum to present many of the ideas showcased at the Idea Fair to major decision-makers, Favour said.

Although the economic downturn has limited sources of financing, it also has presented opportunities for the local architects of the Capitol Creative Collective.

“When the city is hard up for ideas, they cannot hire an architect for $50,000,” Favour said. “They can turn to up and coming architects [of the Capitol Creative Collective] who pitch their ideas for free.”