Background
Downtown Seattle is the heart of Washington State’s largest city, set within a landscape that is rich with culture, history, and opportunity. Downtown is Seattle’s second largest housing center and the largest employment center. Seattle’s many economic, educational, and recreational opportunities continually attract more people each year, amplifying housing affordability challenges and the demand for livable neighborhoods. To prepare for future growth and to better support the needs of current residents, the City must address issues of housing affordability and access to necessary amenities.
Seattle's most recent comprehensive plan, One Seattle, identifies a network of Regional Centers across the city to support higher-density development, accommodating future population and employment growth. As one of the City’s identified Regional Centers, Downtown plays a critical role in the area’s job growth, livability, climate resilience, and inclusivity. By planning for equitable growth Downtown, more people will be able to affordably access employment, transit, housing, and amenities within their neighborhoods. This Plan provides a framework for policies to support sustainable growth, informed by and with respect for Downtown’s unique qualities. Through community engagement, visioning, and coordination with related planning projects, the Plan will guide the city in making Downtown a center full of vibrancy, economic opportunity, and sustainability, where all families, workers, and communities feel welcome and safe.
Plan Vision
The Downtown Regional Center Plan articulates place-specific policies and actions to ensure that the Downtown Regional Center can successfully accommodate future growth and become more equitable, vibrant, and resilient. This planning effort outlines a roadmap to achieve desired outcomes defined by community and backed by rigorous technical analysis. The plan sets out a community-informed vision for Downtown followed by goals, themes, and actions to achieve that vision.
Our working vision statement and draft themes inform our documents and engagement materials that outline our process and the organizations and stakeholders engaged so far.
In Downtown Seattle, everyone feels welcome, safe, and at home. Around each corner, we find our way to and through spaces where every square foot is full of vibrancy, economic opportunity, and beauty. Together we have found means of stewarding Downtown not just in the moment, but with dedication and consideration for the next “seven generations”.
Key Themes
The Downtown Regional Center Plan is framed by the ideas and dreams shared by neighbors, visitors, and people who study and work in Downtown, along with comprehensive research and data. Together, listening and research shaped a shared vision for the future, along with supporting goals, policy directions, and actions to help make that vision a reality long-term.
The plan and the vision are organized to pair the outcomes of engagement and technical documentation through five themes:
- Downtown is Home
- Make Everyone Feel Safe and Welcome
- Make Use of Every Square Foot
- Steward Our Home for the Next Seven Generations
- Find Our Way