What comes to mind when you think about downtown Duluth?

The Superior street reconstruction, the pandemic, homelessness, economic and political transitions? All of those issues have changed downtown Duluth over recent years. Some might say downtown Duluth has so many competing interests it has a bit of an identity crisis.

A gathering Monday night was designed to address that. The Imagine Downtown community visioning meeting is an initiative led by community supporters that imagine a vibrant, and prosperous downtown, with downtown neighborhoods filled with housing for students and young professionals, empty-nesters, retirees and families.

Community members who want to identify challenges and opportunities came together under the guidance of consulting group, MIG, Inc.

Jay Renkens is chief practice officer for MIG and he said the goal is to create a place that people like to stroll and spend a day, but also live.

“So trying to think about, is that retail? Is it housing? Is it more office? Is it additional parks and open space? Probably some combination of all that,” Renkens said, adding, “And how do we put it all together in a way that’s distinctly Duluth?”

Stakeholders include residents and business owners who want to bring renewed energy and life to Duluth’s downtown through public space improvements, mixed-use development, and home-grown activations to bring community downtown for fun, work, and community building.

Jay Walker was in attendance Monday night. He is the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Aquarium. He described Monday night’s meeting as being an opportunity to do some visioning about downtown Duluth.

“You know, obviously as a place that is part of downtown Duluth, we’re really interested to see what some of the visions are and what are some of the ways that we can make improvements,” he said. “And mostly for me, for people to get around and make downtown be a vibrant place. It’s such an important part of our community to have that as the central point and to really focus energy there.”

Organizers want as many voices as possible. I you want to share your input and missed Monday night’s meeting, you are invited and encouraged to complete the community visioning survey. Click here for the link.