Downtown is Rising :: Vision Summary

During the next five years, investment in the central business district of downtown Salt Lake City will exceed $1.5 billion - that is more in a shorter period of time than any other investment in Salt Lake City's history.

:: Read the full Downtown Rising Vision here



Core Principles

The Downtown Rising vision is being developed based on these core principles that define the ideal downtown.

  1. Central Place: Downtown belongs to all of Utah. As the heart of Utah, downtown is the state's central gathering place, and the economic, cultural, religious and civic core of Utah.

  2. Mix of Activities: Downtown offers a complete place to live, work, shop, learn and play.

  3. Neighborhoods: Downtown living occurs in a collection of distinctive live/work neighborhoods where a diversity of people resides.

  4. Economy: Downtown functions as our region's economic center, the hub of international commerce for the region, and a great place to locate and grow businesses that benefit from urban amenities.

  5. Mobility: Downtown is accessible. Transportation coordinates with development to provide efficient pedestrian, bicycling, public transportation and auto mobility to and from and within downtown.

  6. Education, Arts & Culture: Downtown provides intellectual, scientific, artistic and cultural opportunities. Downtown is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and provides an environment for life-long learning.

  7. Sports, Entertainment, Recreation & Tourism: Downtown offers many opportunities for people to recreate and relax in a welcoming environment. Top-notch hotels, restaurants, convention facilities, sport venues, public spaces (such as parks, plazas and monuments) and other amenities combine to create a fun and lively downtown.

  8. Quality Design: Downtown presents a high-quality urban experience composed of vibrant, concentrated and beautiful places. Downtown values its historic buildings and looks forward with new and outstanding architecture.

  9. Nature: Downtown contributes to a healthy environment by striving to develop environmentally efficient buildings, districts and public spaces. Downtown absorbs growth, helping to conserve critical lands and water, and improve air quality.

  10. People: Downtown welcomes everyone and offers people the chance to meet, interact and live with others who may be different from themselves.

  11. Security: Downtown provides a safe and clean environment for everyone.

  12. Future-Minded: Downtown is a leading metropolitan center, with forward-thinking and tech-smart ideas and infrastructure that enables the city, region and state to prosper.



The Four Building Blocks of Downtown

Downtown Salt Lake City is at an exciting crossroads; now is the time to consider what its future will be. The Downtown Rising effort is grouped into four broad categories that describe downtown's desired core attributes.

1: Beautiful

With a stunning setting, downtown Salt Lake City draws in nature as a beautiful backdrop for appealing and interesting modern and historic buildings and the region's premier arts and entertainment district. The beauty of the surrounding environment is mirrored in green boulevards and other amenities that welcome visitors to downtown.

Themes:

  • Downtown is aesthetically appealing and interesting
  • Visitors and residents receive a warm welcome at they enter downtown
  • Downtown's arts and entertainment district is alive 24-7

A Big Idea

A signature building, such as a Utah World Trade Center, frames the southern end of downtown and provides an anchor for additional commercial activity and public spaces.

2: Community-Focused

Downtown is a welcoming place that is easy to navigate and has strong connections to its surrounding neighborhoods. Downtown offers a wide variety of gathering places in distinct districts. Its large blocks and wide streets provide great opportunities to establish new and unique places for people to meet, socialize, shop, work, learn and live.

Themes:

  • A resident population flourishes in housing throughout the downtown area
  • Downtown's large blocks provide opportunities to creative vibrant, interior gathering places
  • Unique wide streets are adapted to create active, people-oriented places
  • A variety of distinctive districts give downtown an interesting flair

A Big Idea

Downtown embraces cultural and ethnic districts based on historic and cultural neighborhood centers, such as a Greektown, Japantown and Little Italy.

3: Prosperous

Downtown is the commercial hub for Utah and much of the surrounding Intermountain Region. With a concentration of business services, high-tech infrastructure, transportation choices and a growing supply of housing, downtown is a logical place to shop, live and establish and grow a business.

Themes:

  • Downtown is a great place for new and existing businesses to flourish
  • Downtown supports an urban concentration of business and destinations
  • People can get to and around all parts of downtown easily

A Big Idea

A historic trolley or sleek modern streetcar connects key areas of downtown and runs frequently enough that it is easy to get around to all parts of downtown without driving.

4: Green

Downtown Salt Lake City has easy and direct access to nature with City Creek Canyon just steps from the State Capitol. It is a place that welcomes outdoor recreation and creates new opportunities such as uncovering City Creek and letting it meander in a new path downtown. Residents and businesses are mindful of and do their part to reduce their environmental impact.

Themes:

  • Capitalize on world-class scenery and close mountain proximity
  • Nature is downtown
  • Downtown is conservation-minded

A Big Idea

Bringing City Creek back above-ground provides a great opportunity to establish a calm, natural environment in the midst of the city. The "daylighting" of City Creek provides an opportunity to connect northern Main Street with the Gateway with a walking and cycling path through downtown.

We'd like to know what you think of the Vision.

Download the Downtown Rising newspaper insert.