Downtown 2.0

Downtown 2.0 is Fresno’s effort to develop the city’s historic core as a vibrant, inclusive, mixed-use neighborhood where people can live, work, and gather. Whether through walkable apartment living, the collision of innovators finding community, or entertainment and retail concentrated near transit, Downtown 2.0 is a unique place in the central San Joaquin Valley poised to unlock a healthier, more prosperous future for the entire region.

 

For decades, downtown Fresno experienced disinvestment and decline. Businesses closed, residents moved out, and development shifted north. The city’s core, once a hub of economic and civic life, was left behind. That history is still visible  in the shuttered storefronts and empty lots that dot the area. Today, though, public agencies and community partners are working together to take a different approach.

 

Fresno is investing hundreds of millions in infrastructure like updated water systems, sidewalks, and parking to support compact growth. Affordable and even market-rate housing is rising in partnership with developers like Fresno Housing, creating opportunities for more people to live near jobs, transit, and cultural amenities. Local artists and cultural leaders are helping activate public spaces like Mariposa Plaza. Longstanding ground-floor vacancies in anchor spaces are being organized for investment together rather than in isolation. At the same time, small businesses are finding new reasons to open their doors downtown, drawn by today’s opportunities and tomorrow’s potential.

 

Through the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Foundation, and planning tools like the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan, residents, business owners, and developers are helping shape what happens next. More people than ever before have engaged in the revitalization process through the Downtown Fresno Academy, annual State of Downtown event, and the newly forming Scale Up Downtown merchant accelerator, not to mention 50k+ social media followers. It’s all part of a long-term, collective effort to make downtown more livable, prosperous, and connected to our community.