The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake demolished over half of Santa Cruz, California’s downtown, including almost 470,000 square feet of building space. Polarized stakeholders from the public, private and government sectors were forced to unite to collaborate on developing a new vision for downtown, with a particular emphasis on street vitality, pedestrian flow and nighttime entertainment. Nearly two decades later, downtown Santa Cruz currently supports a vibrant mix of daytime and evening retail, dining and entertainment with 18/7 street life enjoyed by visitors and residents of all ages.