Progress is underway
When the Downtown Activation Plan launched in June 2023, it established near-term goals for the first three years and long-term strategies for the future.
The near-term goals focus on bringing people back Downtown now while designing a future Downtown Seattle that works for you — residents, working people, families with children, small business owners, visitors, and everyone who calls our city home.
Want to learn more?
If you’re interested in reading more about the Downtown Activation Plan and progress made so far, click the resources below.
Seven bold goals for Downtown Seattle
Alongside partners, the City is acting boldly to create an exciting future for Downtown. In the drop-downs below, you can see progress highlights aligned to each goal. For a full update on progress, see the 2023 Progress Report.
Downtown Activation Plan progress
Demonstrating accountability
The City created a public-facing dashboard to track progress on the seven bold goals and to stay accountable to the public. Check out the dashboard and insightful data on the Seattle Office of Economic Development’s website.
Our Downtown Activation Plan efforts aim to achieve
- Increased overall foot traffic
- Reduction in fentanyl/meth overdoses
- Reduction in emergency medical responses
- Increased housing occupancy
- 60% of people working Downtown at least three days a week
- Increased retail spend Downtown
- Increased visits to cultural institutions
- Increased public transit ridership
- Increased foot traffic outside working hours
Timeline
Launch
June 2023
Mayor Harrell announced the launch of the Downtown Activation Plan – a bold and ambitious roadmap to revitalize and transform Downtown Seattle now and for the future.
Now
Near-term goals and strategies
The City is already taking action Downtown to address urgent challenges. This includes the Executive Order on fentanyl, the expansion of the services provided by the Metropolitan Improvement District to increase cleaning efforts, and a series of policy changes to increase housing and make doing business easier.
As of December 2023, 37 of the 46 initiatives are already underway or completed. The remaining initiatives are on track to be completed by June 2026 with more Downtown investments and policy changes gaining momentum as the City shows progress.
Future
"Space Needle Thinking" ideas for the future
This plan also includes visionary ideas that will signal a transformational future for Downtown Seattle. These ideas will take over three years to strategize, secure investments, and develop.
Share Your Feedback
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.