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Connections
Downtown and Its Neighbors

University of Utah
The University of Utah's students, faculty, staff and economic output provide critical lifeblood and energy to downtown Salt Lake. University Boulevard, the light rail corridor also known as 400 South/500 South, connects the Central Business District with the University, Research Park and the Foothill Cultural District. Salt Lake Community College's downtown location is also on University Boulevard, further strengthening this learning and economic development corridor. The University feels closer as more residents, offices and retail shops congregate along an evolving, walkable University Boulevard. Rail transports faculty and students between and through these two destinations bringing the creative vibrancy of learning to downtown and enabling downtown's wealth of culture, entertainment, retail, and housing to help the University's campus spill out and become tied in with a greater University City.

We recommend enhancing University Boulevard as a signature project of Downtown Rising. The boulevard can provide opportunities for housing and office space needed to accommodate startup firms spun off from academic research, business development and workforce training. With more than a quarter of University students being regular transit users - a number that is steadily growing - light-rail-oriented University Boulevard is a prime location to encourage higher-density development. In addition, the link with downtown can be enhanced with the creation of a Global Exchange Place, an internationally focused conference and outreach center that could include a foreign-language institute and other international programming.

State Capitol
Utah's State Capitol complex is part of downtown. Elected officials and employees from the hill eat in downtown restaurants, meet with business leaders, and enjoy the city's arts and culture. However, the hill between the Capitol and the core of downtown is just significant enough to create a physical separation between the two. As downtown continues to evolve, the distance between the Capitol and the core should be bridged with improved transit service and changes to the streets that connect it with Capitol Hill and Pioneer Memorial Museum.

As the state capital, Salt Lake City is the home for many state offices - on Capitol Hill, in downtown, and along the North Temple corridor towards the airport. We recommend that state government continue to make downtown and its environs a focal point for state government buildings, thereby strengthening downtown and solidifying it as the seat of government for the state.

Salt Lake International Airport
Just like the interstate freeway system connects Utah with other states, the Salt Lake International Airport and "skyways" connect us with the world. As a hub for a major air carrier, Salt Lake City has the potential to become an aerotropolis -- a large airport city with a concentration of aviation-related businesses. For this reason, Downtown Rising recognizes our airport as a powerful economic engine for the state and recommends steps to improve its accessibility to the region, including connecting the airport to downtown with TRAX light rail transit service.

Jordan River Parkway
As our valleys continue to urbanize, we will increasingly come to value the green corridors through our towns. The Salt Lake Valley's central green corridor is the Jordan River Parkway. The Parkway is a regional parkway and only one mile from downtown - about the same distance as City Creek Canyon - but feels far away because of the lack of a convenient, walkable connection. Connecting downtown to the Jordan River will enable downtown residents and visitors to use it as one of their playgrounds, and further strengthen its connection with the west edge of the city. The trails and boatways of the Jordan River will suddenly become a downtown amenity, creating a true Range to River recreational network. This "Green Loop" is another signature project of Downtown Rising.





Communities north, south, east and west
As the heart of the greater Salt Lake area, downtown depends on the lifeblood that residents of the surrounding cities and towns provide. Downtown and the regions suburbs have a truly symbiotic relationship - it's unlikely that one will stay healthy for long without the other. Work must continue to ensure that highway and transit links between the two keep up with population growth, that resources are available to keep both healthy and that political and business leaders foster an open and productive dialogue so that the needs of the central city and suburban communities are mutually understood.

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