February 12, 2026 – Today, the coalition of city, state, county, community and business leaders led by the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and City of Harrisburg, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, announced the launch of the Downtown Harrisburg Perception Survey. Members of the public are encouraged to participate and help guide the focus of a revitalization planning strategy. The survey is the first in a planned series of public engagement efforts related to downtown planning to be announced soon. It is now open to the public at HBGSurvey.com.
“This process starts with, continues with, and ends with the community,” said Ryan Unger, President and CEO of Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. “This is your city and engaging now is critical to remaking the downtown that you want.”
“Downtown Harrisburg belongs to everyone who lives, works, visits, and invests here,” said Mayor Wanda R.D. Williams. “This survey gives our residents and business community a direct voice in shaping the next chapter of our downtown. Revitalization is not something that happens to a community. It happens with a community. I encourage everyone to participate and help us build a stronger, more vibrant Capital City together.”
City residents, downtown workforce, business owners, and visitors of Downtown Harrisburg are encouraged to offer their opinion on a series of standard perceptual questions about the community.
The primary focus area will be Front to 7th Street and Mulberry to Forster Street. The purpose of this survey tool is to get a better idea of how people feel about common attributes that contribute to a “sense of place” within the focus area and to guide the city in their revitalization strategies. The survey should take approximately 7-8 minutes.
“Harrisburg is the heart of our region, and we look forward to hearing this community input so that we can align economic investments with the stated needs of our residents and workforce in conjunction with our critical partners at all levels of government and in the private sector,” said Dauphin County Commissioners Justin Douglas, Mike Pries, and George P. Hartwick, III.
“This is just the very start of engaging the public,” said State Senator Patty Kim, speaking on behalf of the City state legislative delegation. “Revitalizing downtown Harrisburg is a challenge, but also an enormous opportunity for the community to reimagine what it will be. I look forward to learning what city residents want in our downtown.”
“This survey is an important first step in aligning our revitalization efforts to reflect the actual needs of our city and region. Central Pennsylvania has always been a great place to live, start a business, and raise a family, and I am excited about the direction of our community,” said State Representative Nate Davidson.
“This is just the beginning,” said State Representative Dave Madsen. “We have never been so united in our goal and we are going to do this the right way – rooted in the community.”
The survey, created by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, is the standard used by other communities that have successfully revitalized across the Commonwealth.
The survey can be found at: Downtown Harrisburg Perception Survey – Fill out form or by visiting HBGsurvey.com.