“The downtown is the only part of the city that belongs to everybody. It doesn’t matter where you may find your home; the downtown is yours, too. Investing in the downtown of a city is the only place-based way to benefit all of its citizens at once.“ — Jeff Speck, Walkable City

“Investing in the downtown of a city is the only place-based way to benefit all of its citizens at once.” — @jeffspeck.bsky.social

Remember that the next time politicians or suburban voters try to challenge the value of investing in strong downtowns and successful urban places. #UrbanTruth

WATCH: When I spoke to Downtown Sacramento in 2023, I quoted my friend @jeffspeck.bsky.social, & quoted him again in our Sacramento Downtown Livability Strategy (link in Jeff’s post below).

As this year’s excellent speaker, Jeff kindly returned the favor (sort of)!

GREAT stuff on street design etc

Reminder! If you’re working on, or just interested in, HOW DOWNTOWNS CAN BE more successful, strong & strategic, especially post-pandemic, explore the Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy @scottford.bsky.social & I co-authored for the Downtown Sacramento Parnership this past year.

Game-changer!

Sacramento leads the nation with first-ever bus-mounted technology for automated bike lane enforcement - Sacramento City Express Automated bike lane enforcement is launching in Sacramento, making it the first city in California — and in the United States — to enforce bike lanes using technology installed on transit buses, throu...

Prioritizing obstruction-free bicycle lanes enhances road safety for all users, sending a clear message that saving lives is more important than enabling speed.

Dynamic curb management strategies help build and sustain strong neighborhood fundamentals.

sacramentocityexpress.com/2025/04/17/s...

Traffic congestion is alleviated through investment in quality, high frequency transit service, not by widening highways. Inspiring to see so many daily users on Sacramento Regional Transit, many of them representing the next generation of mobility champions and community leaders.

Thank you — endless ways to help advance smart growth initiatives. Attending public meetings, communicating to local, state, and federal representatives that healthy downtown neighborhoods, multimodal streets, and reducing self-imposed barriers to housing production are very helpful in advancement.

Building upon key recommendations from 2024’s ULI Technical Advisory Panel, @downtownsac.bsky.social partnered with Capitol Mall stakeholders & the City of Sacramento to enhance a GREEN linear parkway connecting Capitol Park to the Sacramento Riverfront. www.downtownsac.org/wp-content/u...

Delivering housing types at ALL levels of affordability, not just “affordable” housing, is a critical component of a healthy downtown neighborhood and serves as a natural rent stabilizer — even in high-demand areas.
Read more here: www.downtownsac.org/about/report... @brenttoderian.bsky.social

Adding to the growing body of evidence showing that OPENING STREETS and PRIORITIZING PEOPLE over cars helps to create a destination worth arriving at —last year, our historic district saw an 8% increase in pedestrian activity in places designed to facilitate social interactions over vehicle storage.

Q&A with Scott Ford of Downtown Sacramento Partnership Downtown Sacramento Partnership deputy director Scott Ford talks urban housing, how to build a more walkable and bike-friendly environment, and more.

Always an inspiring dialogue with Rob Turner and the @sactownmagazine.bsky.social team on ways to improve our built environment, concentrate investments at location-efficient sites, and facilitate enhanced community development in our regional nucleus. www.sactownmag.com/qa-with-scot...

Honored to collaborate with @brenttoderian.bsky.social as we help to recalibrate out-dated, single-dimensional development patterns into mixed-use and stronger urban mosaics 🏙️

Great to have urbanist @scottford.bsky.social join us on Bluesky, my collaborator & client in the recently released (and game-changing) Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy we co-wrote. Watch Scott’s new series of videos on the Strategy, & follow him here! #UrbanistShoutOut youtu.be/lpI2z37Q8KE

Office-to-Hotel Conversion for 700 J Street in Downtown Sacramento - San Francisco YIMBY New renderings have been released following the property sale of the historic Bank building at 700 J Street in Downtown Sacramento. The plans first...

sfyimby.com/2024/12/offi...

Great example of a STRATEGIC office conversion — historic building eligible for incentives, reasonably small floor plate with natural light bays, and a prime location. The Eleanor Hotel project will remove obsolete office supply, activate a key corner, and deliver much-needed hotel room inventory.