Amid Building Conversion Conversations, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Releases Comprehensive Strategy to Address Livability

The newly published document outlines difficulties behind building a functional neighborhood, along with six steps to a more livable city

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (August 21, 2024) – Downtown Sacramento Partnership has published a document titled “Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy.”

The 40-page document is composed of three sections, starting with an explanation of what a neighborhood needs from the community viewpoint as well as from the perspective of developers, listing out critical items that need attention and prevent progress. The document then outlines a list of six urgent priorities that require immediate attention to create a livable, lovable downtown, before concluding with a call-to-action for elected and community leaders to take action on the items listed.

“The Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy reinforces the significant progress being made at the local level and serves as a call to action for additional measures to address both the supply and demand sides of the urban neighborhood continuum,” said Scott Ford, Deputy Director with Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “It challenges all of us to think differently about the future of downtown, to double down on the production of housing at all levels of affordability, and to achieve livable amenities which support a highly desirable and sustainable mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of California’s capital region.”

A timely release, the Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy is published following a slew of headlines and comments over the last year on housing and building conversions. U.C. Berkley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation recently published a research and policy piece on construction defect liability law and slowing California condo development.

“Amongst the many successes downtown Sacramento must be, it must also be a great urban neighborhood with a lot more housing,” said Brent Toderian, co-author of the Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy and previous State of Downtown speaker. “This strategy won’t sit on a shelf collecting dust, because Sacramento leaders and downtown champions can’t let it. It’s been crafted to tackle the toughest challenges with unusual bluntness, to ensure it provides the most important guidance in any future conversation about the downtown’s future. It’s specifically designed to be game-changing.”

Unlike similarly published documents, the Downtown Sacramento Livability Strategy is not meant to be a report. Rather, this document is intended to serve as a strategy for leaders, and shift mindsets to change the way people think about urban living. “The sole intent is to be a transformational turning point for downtown. Anything less should be considered a failure,” added Toderian.

The published report is available here. Interviews are available upon request.