El Paso Downtown + Uptown Plan

Does your city have an uptown or a downtown? El Paso, Texas, has both. However, El Paso’s uptown and downtown have not experienced the commercial and housing growth that is bringing prosperity, economic diversification, and vitality to other cities. The City of El Paso Capital Improvement Department (CID) sought our urban planning and public consultation expertise to explore opportunities to add mixed-income housing, improve streetscapes, attract investment and small businesses, better connect the commercial downtown and residential uptown areas, and celebrate the city’s diverse living culture across all of downtown and uptown.

Creating the actionable plan is a highly collaborative process. It began with online surveys, data gathering, and analysis of demographics in the defined project area. We also gained significant input from the community through several public and stakeholder meetings. This process is revealing the wants and needs of stakeholders and avoiding the “top-down” way of previous, abortive, revitalization proposals. Our team is developing goals that include attracting employment, promoting equity and inclusivity, encouraging adaptive reuse of existing structures, diversifying housing, promoting commercial vibrancy, expanding mobility, enhancing walkability, and providing dynamic public spaces.

The plan looks to improve synergies between uptown and downtown and identify public projects for future investments. It also leverages existing and new cultural and entertainment events and venues to expand economic activity, enhance overall quality of life for residents, and attract more visitors.