Salt Lake City is calling on its residents to have a say in the transformation of a key downtown block, looking to connect Library Square with Washington Square. According to the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office, Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressed the significance of this development, saying, "This area is our City’s front yard and a place where we already come together for some of our biggest gatherings." She added, "When we share public space, we strengthen our community."
To bring these plans to fruition, Salt Lake City has teamed up with GGN, a well-respected landscape architecture firm. To involve the community in the design process, GGN has set up a "memory box" at the Salt Lake City Main Library for sharing stories and ideas until August 31. These contributions, alongside an online survey, will direct early design choices to ensure that the new space resonates with residents. An article from the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office highlights how these insights will inform improvements, focused on making the Main Library's plaza more accessible and accommodating.
The development of the Green Loop block is also seen as a chance to breathe new life into the Main Library’s aging plaza. Nancy Monteith, the project manager, told the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office, "This is an opportunity to reinvent what one of our most beloved downtown blocks feels like." Plans may include fixing uneven pavers, increasing the tree canopy, and adding amenities to invite daily community engagement.
A major element of the Green Loop, the Library-Washington block, will exemplify Salt Lake City's ambition to convert wide downtown streets into verdant, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares. The inclusion of green space has been widely supported by the public, as seen by the favorable response to a pop-up park on 200 East in 2023 and a resident survey in 2024, which identified downtown as a top priority for open space. Monteith added insight into these efforts by stating, "Once we add tree canopy to that corridor, it could become the first completed section of the Green Loop—but the block at Library and Washington Squares will be the most activated civic space within the project," as per Salt Lake City Mayor's Office.
