Occidental Park in Pioneer Square and Westlake Park to the north have become vital and welcoming spaces thanks to the Urban Parks Partnership, a public-private collaboration involving the city, the Downtown Seattle Association, the Metropolitan Improvement District, Alliance for Pioneer Square, Friends of Waterfront Seattle, and Seattle Parks Foundation. The Downtown Seattle Association, in a groundbreaking agreement with the city, is managing these public spaces.

On a sunny weekday, you might hear strains of classical piano music drift across Occidental Park and see elderly women sipping coffee at bright blue tables while a man practices tai chi under the shade of maple trees. While chess players study their moves, laborers sit and chat during their lunch break next to a lively ping-pong game, and local professionals walk past on their way to nearby food trucks. Artists sit sketching, and children build towers of oversize foam blocks. It’s rare to see an empty seat in the park.