Overview

Around the world and in the United States, more and more people are moving to cities. They come for economic opportunity, the chance to find a better job. They come for vibrancy, to enjoy entertainment, diversity, and distinct experiences. And, they come for connection, a chance to free themselves from long commutes, to know their neighbors. For these reasons and more, an urban renaissance is taking place.

This urban renaissance is also occurring in the cities in the central Puget Sound region. This is significant given that many believe that downtowns are fully developed and lack the amenities needed to attract growth. Signaling a change from the 1980s, when most growth occurred in suburban areas, the region's downtowns are for the most part keeping pace. Between 1990 and 2000, the region grew by 19% in population and the region's designated growth centers grew by 21%. And, while these centers account for only 2.4% of the region's urban land area, they contained almost 29% of the jobs in the region's urban areas, having grown by more than 18% over the last 5 years.   
   "This City now doth, like a garment, wear
   The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
   Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and    temples lie
   Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
   All bright and glittering..."

William Wordsworth
Composed Upon Westminster
Bridge, September 3, 1802

Regional Growth Centers
The region's long-range growth strategy envisions growth occuring in the urban growth area (UGA) and in dense concentrations within the UGA, called centers. Centers are relatively small areas where housing, employment, shopping, and other activities are in close proximity. They range from established downtowns to emerging suburban crossroads.

Since they were first recognized in the 1995 VISION 2020 report, the Regional Council has periodically taken a quantitative look at the regional centers - there are 21 growth centers and 8 manufacturing/industrial centers in the four-county region - to report on data trends. This includes analyzing population, housing, employment and other key indicators of growth.

To complement the thorough analysis of data trends in the centers, the Development Toolkit is focused on understanding why, and how, some of the regional growth centers have been successful in attracting growth. The goal is to find common themes or strategies that might be replicable and could be shared with other jurisdictions in the region. To learn more, use the links above.