Urban Centers Planning

Why are we doing this?

Our designated Regional Centers – Downtown, Uptown, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill/First Hill, University District, and Northgate – are home to a significant share of Seattle’s residents and workers. We are beginning the process of planning for each of our centers toward becoming more equitable, vibrant, and resilient places in the future.

Our process is grounded in city wide policy of the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan and the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Regional Centers Framework.

Each planning process will include place-specific policies and the ability to focus investment and implementation tools guided by each community’s interests and visions for its own future—including and not limited to, environment, housing, transportation, economic development, capital facilities, services and public realm.

What will the process look like?

Each planning process will include place-specific policies and the ability to focus investment and implementation tools guided by each community’s interests and visions for its own future—with an approach that integrates and plans for:

• A collective 20-year vision
• Environment, Climate change and adaptation to improve health equity and ecology
• Public services to ensure facilities we plan for are consistent with growth
• Transportation to promote connectivity
• Economy to define what a thriving economy could look like long term
• Housing to meet our future needs and avoid displacement
• Land use and development patterns for long term resilience

This work will be undergirded by robust public engagement and racial equity that is centered.

Equity Centered Engagement

Our engagement will focus on those most often underrepresented in decision-making processes, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, people with low English language proficiency, youth, people with low access to technology, and those who have experienced displacement.  The vision and goals developed through engagement will inform the technical studies and evaluation methods. In turn, the results of the technical studies will allow for an informed engagement process.

For more information, email Amy.Nguyen@seattle.gov. Let us know if you need language interpretation.

Here is a list of resources to develop a shared understanding of past, present, and ongoing planning efforts.

• Livable South Downtown Executive Recommendations (2009) 
• Stadium District Concept Plan (2012) 
• South Jackson Street Connections Final Report (2016) 
• Pioneer Square Streetscape Concept Plan (2016) 
• Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan (2016) 
• SCIDpda Neighborhood Lighting Study (2018) 
• Jackson Hub Concept Plan (2019) 
• Yesler Crescent Public Life Action Plan (2019) 
• Waterfront Seattle South End 
• Jackson Hub (2022)