• Improve Safety: Address homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance abuse while enhancing public safety.

• Enhance Coordination and Collaboration: Connect key districts like the Historic Arts and Theatre District and Canal Park with walkable, well-designed spaces that unify downtown and make it accessible to all.

• Duluthin’ It Up! Establish a unique brand that captures Duluth’s character. Improve wayfinding so residents and visitors can easily discover downtown’s local businesses, events, and attractions.

• Activate Public Spaces:
  Invigorate public spaces with year-round programming, including winter activities at Gichi-ode’ Akiing Park, the Lake Superior Plaza, and commercial clusters.

• Identify Redevelopment Opportunities: Revitalize underutilized buildings and spaces, turning them into housing and mixed-use developments that add vibrancy to the area and help address housing shortages.

Imagine Downtown is a vision for Duluth’s downtown. We imagine a welcoming, vibrant, and prosperous district, where everyone feels at home. By 2030, we envision downtown neighborhoods filled with opportunities, community connections, and housing for students, young people, and families of all shapes. This plan intends to bring energy and life to downtown through public space improvements, mixed-use development, and exciting, home-grown activations to bring community downtown for fun, work, and community building.

Here are the main goals we’re working toward:

The nationally recognized consulting team, MIG, is guiding our work. MIG is comprised of planners, designers, urban strategists, and storytellers who have helped revitalize downtowns across the country.