Also, the number of downtown residences under construction saw a sixfold increase in 2021 from 214 to 1,330 and the amount of vacant land around the city is getting smaller due to infill development.
The city has made progress toward many of the other goals tracked as part of its plan. That includes decreases in unemployment rates and the number of people experiencing homelessness. It's also raised median hourly wages as well as added trails and increased access to parks.
Creative jobs and earnings were down substantially in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the creative vitality index, which compares the region to the U.S. average, rose that year. The report suggests that this higher index number could be due to a pandemic-related increase in non-profit activity that year, as non-profit activity is one of the variables included in the total score.