Crosscut Now
Feb. 23, 2023 - What's next for Downtown Seattle?
2/24/2023 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
As Downtown recovers, Seattle reimagines what it could be.
With hybrid work here to stay, city leaders ask: Can the central business district become a residential neighborhood?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS
Crosscut Now
Feb. 23, 2023 - What's next for Downtown Seattle?
2/24/2023 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
With hybrid work here to stay, city leaders ask: Can the central business district become a residential neighborhood?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Downtown Seattle's post-pandemic recovery is uneven and far from complete.
Summer tourism numbers in the neighborhood were just shy of pre-pandemic levels.
Residents have returned as well with more people living in Greater Downtown now than there were in 2019.
However, Downtown office workers are only back to 44% of pre-pandemic levels according to the Downtown Seattle Association.
And an academic project to track how North American downtowns are bouncing back from the pandemic only ranked Seattle 56 out of 62.
As city leaders, business owners, and urbanists look to the future, they say Downtown Seattle needs to be remade into an urban village with more amenities.
Getting there will likely require redevelopment and a significant investment of private and public money.
I'm Jay Martin Jr. Find nonprofit northwest news every day on crosscut.com.
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Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS