IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Downtown Tacoma represents the cultural center of the city and the headquarters for many companies, which are all connected to the Port of Tacoma. Despite the existence of many attraction points such as the Washington State History Museum, the Museum of Glass, the Bridge of Glass, the Tacoma Dome, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, Tacoma is described as a quiet city by many Tacomans. My goal in this paper is to examine how to revitalize downtown Tacoma to create a vibrant livable city, while maintaining its unique character and preserving its historic buildings to keep the residents’ sense of belonging. In downtown Tacoma, there are not many activities that can be done even during the Holiday season, and the city seems the same as any time of year, whereas other places have streets filled with Christmas lights and other decorations. And instead of celebrating in their own town, many Tacomans prefer to drive 3 to 4 hours to other Bavarian cities where festivals are held. During the summer when the Pacific Northwest (PNW) becomes an attractive destination to many people, Tacoma downtown is still quiet, and few pedestrians can be seen enjoying the beautiful weather. Due to this, many families have started to go to Point Ruston, which has recently been established as a new attraction center with restaurants and activities along the water. Many questions will be raised in this paper to discuss the factors that affect downtown Tacoma and how it can be more livable and approachable like surrounding cities such as Seattle. The objective is to contribute to a better understanding of the built environment of downtown Tacoma from the architectural and urban form, specifically an area in downtown Tacoma starting from the Stadium District and ending at S 21st St., and taking into consideration its historic characteristics, to create a vibrant livable center.