The Vision for Downtown

Salt Lake City, a capital city that belongs to all of Utah. A Western city where rugged individualism meets a caring, family-oriented community. A World City where local entrepreneurship blends with a global perspective. A city close to nature where high, rugged mountains and wide open spaces meet an expanding metropolis. A city of learning that is enlivened with college students and plentiful opportunities for lifelong learning. A city on the cusp of a grand and prosperous future fed by the region's commitment to an energized urban core. Downtown Rising is this contrasting and harmonious vision.

With extraordinary investment and spirited commitment, the future of downtown Salt Lake City is bright. Downtown Rising will channel that potential by embracing those attributes that distinguish downtown like no place else and by introducing new ideas befitting a city that plays a significant role locally, nationally and globally.

These aspirations or priorities set the tone for downtown's future.

1. A bustling and dynamic place to be: We celebrate downtown as a lively, welcoming, fun and energetic place that includes downtown districts with a distinct character.
2. A necklace of green: We take advantage of Salt Lake's stunning natural setting by developing a Range to River network of parkways and trails that connect the Wasatch Mountains with the Jordan River Parkway via downtown and nearby regional parks.
3. Diverse, welcoming, affordable and urban: We establish downtown as the region's premier urban neighborhood in which to live, work, shop, play and learn. Downtown's vibrancy is directly linked to its ability to welcome, host and encourage interactions among people from all walks of life.
4. An internationally focused World City: We build on the unique language, cultural, educational and business skills and outdoor recreation opportunities to enhance Salt Lake City's reputation as a World City. 5. A model of great urban design: We re-envision Salt Lake City's iconic wide streets and spacious 10-acre blocks as public amenities that create an undeniable sense of place with green, pedestrianoriented promenades, plazas and passageways. We continue to adapt and reuse our historic buildings, while encouraging bold and contemporary architecture.
5. A model of great urban design: We re-envision Salt Lake City's iconic wide streets and spacious 10-acre blocks as public amenities that create an undeniable sense of place with green, pedestrianoriented promenades, plazas and passageways. We continue to adapt and reuse our historic buildings, while encouraging bold and contemporary architecture.
6. A transportation hub that connects the region: We solidify and enhance downtown's role as the heart of a multimodal transportation network linking the central city with the Salt Lake International Airport, the University of Utah, suburban residential and employment centers, other Utah cities and locations beyond.
7. The center for arts and entertainment: We capitalize on and grow downtown's position as the foremost center for art, entertainment and culture in the state. We provide for a new performing arts center and ensure that existing arts organizations have the resources needed to thrive.
8. A city of learning; a University City: We nurture downtown's potential both as a neighborhood enlivened with college students and as a place with ample opportunities for lifelong learning by people of all ages, backgrounds and interests. We embrace the University of Utah, LDS Business College, the Salt Lake Center of Brigham Young University and the Salt Lake Community College in a learning corridor extending through downtown, and welcome other institutions of learning.
9. A city that thinks, looks and acts green: We build on Salt Lake City's reputation as a place that respects the local and global environment and develops in ways that are healthy, sensitive and sustainable.
10. The place for business and government decision-making: We reinforce downtown's historical role as an anchor location in the Intermountain West for commerce and the state's principal venue for city, state and federal governmental functions. We recognize that an economically vibrant and growing downtown is not just good in itself, it is vital for a prosperous region. These aspirations are carried forward in a series of recommendations that start with the vision framework -- the structural elements of downtown -- including significant connections, the transportation network, green spaces and character districts -- and continue with a series of signature projects, both large and small.

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