Downtown & Third Street Promenade
Downtown and the Promenade were built as the city's retail and gathering center. Shifts in retail, changes in foot traffic, and safety concerns have left a stretch of highly visible vacancies. What happens here shapes perception of the entire city, and it's the area where creative, temporary uses could have the fastest visible effect.
// the area today
The Area Today
Ground-floor vacancy rate
Placeholder — awaiting verified city data
Source: Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.
Average pedestrian counts
Placeholder — awaiting verified city data
Source: DTSM pedestrian counters
New business permits issued
Placeholder — awaiting verified city data
Source: City permitting data
Challenges
- Long-term ground-floor vacancies that dampen foot traffic
- Perceived and actual safety after dark
- High occupancy costs relative to current retail demand
- Public space that reads as transitional rather than destination
Opportunities
- Temporary, removable uses in vacant space while permanent tenants are sought
- Recurring markets and food programming to rebuild routine visits
- Housing above and adjacent to retail to create resident foot traffic
- Faster, cheaper permitting for small operators willing to take a chance
My perspective
Empty storefronts are the most solvable visible problem we have. I'd rather put something living, temporary, and removable behind those windows than wait years for the perfect tenant. Every month a space is dark, the block gets harder to revive.
Related issues
Ideas connected to this area
Vertical Gardens in Vacant Storefronts
Turn dark windows into living, productive space while the block recovers.
ConceptRecurring Open Street Markets
Low-cost programming that gives residents a reason to show up every week.
Campaign PositionRecovery-Informed Crisis Response
The right responder for the right call, with outcomes published.
ConceptUnderused Space Activation
An inventory of what's empty, and a fast path to putting something in it.
// resident input
What's happening in Downtown?
If you spend time in this part of the city, tell me what you're seeing here — the problem, the block, and what would actually help.