Connecting the Urban Core

by Bill Johnson

Kansas City needs to make a commitment to all those who support the Urban Core by living, working and supporting the businesses that have been established here.

Sustaining a healthy Urban Core is a complex task. A thriving metropolis requires a delicate balance of places to live, things to do and a collaborative, connected workplace. Only when these elements come together does a healthy city result.

Kansas City, unfortunately, has a great many challenges. Primarily our city suffers from urban sprawl. Not to the degree of cities such as Phoenix that have experienced unprecedented growth in the last decade, but enough to destabilize the city center. Furthermore our sprawl is uniquely linear, moving in an ever lengthening north-south line due to the fact that we straddle a state line. Pockets of devel-opment are strong, like beads on a string, from the Northland through Downtown and Midtown on to Westport and the Plaza, and then continuing on to the many communities to the south. So what strategies can our civic and community leaders employ to check our sprawl and connect our Urban Core?

Rather than fill the gaps, which requires decades of sustained growth and a high degree of restrictions in planning and zoning, or provide transit to connect the dots, which has been voted down count-less times by our taxpayers,--maybe an alternative approach is required. Perhaps we should create the amenities that support urban living near the workplace, there by creating the live-work-play model not only in Downtown but in all of the hubs of development on our north-south line.

A lot can be said for the revitalization efforts of the Crossroads and the Rivermarket. First Fridays have made the Arts at the Crossroads the place to be the first Friday of each month. The River- market has begun self-sustaining itself with a plethora of loft space, restaurants, clubs and entertainment. Bringing people from their cozy homes in the suburbs to events and one-of-a-kind entertainment is vital to the health of the Urban Core. "Moving in" is actually becoming a more common phrase. One Question Remains: Where do I buy groceries, get gas and where is the dry cleaners? Services support the occupants. Occupants support the community. It is cyclical…without one, neither exists. Downtown is the biggest challenge in creating a healthy Urban Core. If one could measure the health of a city as a balanced urban center by counting the number of Starbucks, Kansas City has one, which isn't even open on Saturday morning; you get the idea. In Overland Park, by contrast, Starbucks dot the landscape. It is encouraging to see all of the residential projects under construction and on the boards, but where is the 30,000 square foot grocery store so desperately needed? The people that would consider moving to the city center are either single, empty nesters or finished raising their families. That leaves out the rest of us. What if we had a charter school Downtown? How about sports fields where kids can play ball? Let's bring families back to the city!

Downtown is trying to get in the mix. With the exciting news of H&R Block moving their world headquarters to Downtown and The Cordish Company's plans for Kansas City Live!, Downtown has a chance at being a destination. Kansas City needs to make a commitment to all those who support the Urban Core by living, working and supporting the businesses that have been established here. From the Rivermarket to

Downtown to Crossroads to Crown Center to Midtown to the Plaza, this is a great time for other corporate leaders to re-evaluate the opportunities Downtown represents in providing an exciting environment for employees, as well as join this vital and dynamic epicenter. In summary, it's okay to have hubs of growth, provided they offer the right mix of amenities to attract and retain activity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If we start small, these mini-cores will event- ually grow together to produce a vibrant, connected Kansas City.

Bill Johnson, AIA, is the Director of Design at CDFM2 Architecture. He may be reached at 816.472.2036 or by email at bjohnson@cdfm2.com.