I have coworkers who are lucky in this regard. Their particular situation affords them the opportunity to live in Magnolia and takes the commuter buses which are always packed with people in the morning and evenings; these are typically commuter buses which don't run during the rest of the regular bus active times. Plenty of lunch walks and 1-on-1 walks around the city and nothing unfortunate has every happened to them, though they have seen the occasional needle and poop trail. Most of downtown is fine, the gradation of sadness increases as you walk towards Pioneer Square. The often under walked areas are the real areas of concern.

When working by the viaduct and Ferry Terminal our build slept a large number of people in the evenings on the sidewalk. One instance in particular stands out- someone had taken a shit into a 7/11 tall plastic cup, and I can only assume mixed it with some liquid adhesive, then flung the shit into a huge splatter against the sidewalk under the metal stairs down from the walking bridge. It stayed for quite a while, as the incentive to clean it up had passed- the building was being emptied to be demolished and security and other services had been stopped. But don't think this was a lone incident, as the back of the building would resemble the trope of the underside of a desk with boogers, except someone (or some group of people) were throwing shit (literally) against the back of the building.