Joy as strategy meets data as evidence inside the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center.
Mayor Bowser Joins Gerren Price for a Defining Downtown DC Moment
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District released its 2025 State of Downtown Report on May 7, 2026, drawing more than 400 stakeholders to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center!
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council member Christina Henderson, and DowntownDC BID President and CEO Gerren Price anchored a morning shaped by “partly-sunny, partly-cloudy skies.”
Cultural attendance climbed 9%. Violent crime fell nearly 70% from its 2023 peak. Foot traffic ticked up 2.5%.
Higher Education Investment Anchors the Comeback
Rayna Jordan, Director of Government Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, framed downtown as a mission-driven choice, with the 435,000-square-foot Bloomberg Center hosting the new School of Government and Policy. University expansion totaled more than 660,000 square feet across the district in 2025.
Mark Simpson of the BID walked attendees through commuter, visitor, and employment trends, showcasing the Dashboard, while Kofi Meroe of Foulger Pratt detailed the Accolade, a 186-unit office-to-residential conversion at 1425 New York Avenue NW.
Joy as Infrastructure, People as the Point
Gerren Price reframed the year through a single lens. “In moments of uncertainty, joy can become our infrastructure,” he said, urging stakeholders to make downtown a place people choose, not a place they are required to be.
Joy was treated as infrastructure throughout the program. Mayor Bowser rode shotgun with Gerren Price for Downtown DC Carpool Karaoke, a candid ride through the district set to her favorite tracks.
The mayor reaffirmed her final budget priorities, public safety investments, and incentive tools that keep DC competitive.
The Capital One Arena renovation was named her favorite recent downtown moment. Federal job losses cost downtown nearly 6,000 positions in 2025, yet hotel occupancy, museum attendance, and international visitation are being met with renewed strategy.
A Mandate for the Next Mayor
Mayor Bowser closed with a clear message to her successor and the council. “Neglecting the downtown is not an option for DC,” she said, calling downtown the golden goose that funded world-class city services and human services for years.
The next administration must keep the comeback central, she urged, because a thriving downtown fuels all eight wards!
The Washington Lobbyist champions the people, policy, and places shaping our city. Read the full 2025 State of Downtown Report, then plan your next downtown visit. Subscribe, share, and keep choosing DC.
