Midtown Master Plan Envisions More Walkable Missoula

The plan envisions safer, more walkable streets, more affordable housing, and improved opportunities for small businesses.

1 minute read

July 13, 2023, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of midtown Missoula, Montana with mountains in background

Midtown Missoula, Montana. | MIssoula Midtown Association / Missoula Midtown Master Plan

“The Missoula City Council has voted to adopt the 2023 Missoula Midtown Master Plan,” reports Derek Joseph for KPAX, kicking off the city’s effort to add affordable housing and improve business opportunities in the Midtown area.

According to Midtown Master Plan Committee chair Emily Brock, “What we really found out in talking to the community is that people still want to see [the] Midtown junction fixed; they want it to be walkable.”

According to the plan’s website, “Midtown will have a strong core with vibrant activity hubs and public places for community gathering, surrounded by diverse, inclusive, and complete residential neighborhoods.  Destinations and neighborhoods throughout Midtown will be safe and convenient to navigate by any form of transportation, especially by active and public transportation modes.”

The project could be completed in 2035—“ if all goes to plan.”

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 in KPAX

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

July 14 - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press