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THE KC SPIRIT PLAYBOOK

YOUR CITY. YOUR GAME PLAN.

KANSAS CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Approved by the City Plan Commission on 18 APRIL, 2023

Adopted by the City Council by Resolution Number #230257 on 23 APRIL, 2023

KANSAS CITY MISSOURI

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mayor The Honorable Quinton Lucas

City Manager Brian Platt

City Council Heather Hall, 1st District Kevin O’Neill, 1st District-at-Large Dan Fowler, 2nd District Teresa Loar, 2nd District-at-Large Melissa Robinson, 3rd District Brandon Ellington, 3rd District-at-Large Eric Bunch, 4th District Katheryn Shields, 4th District-at-Large Ryana Parks-Shaw, 5th District Lee Barnes Jr., 5th District-at-Large Kevin McManus, 6th District, Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Bough, 6th District-at-Large

City Plan Commission Coby Crowl, Chairman Cokethea Hill, Vice Chairwoman Bruce Allender, Commissioner James Baker, Commissioner Forestine Beasley, Commissioner Tyler Enders, Commissioner Paul Rojas, Commissioner Ashley Sadowski, Commissioner

Empowerment Committee Bobbi Baker Hughes Linda Brown Yolanda Cargile Jeannette Cowherd Coby Crowl Alicia Douglas Brandon Henderson Aly Hernandez Stacy Jackson David Kemper Abby Kinney Leigh Luna Nailah M’Biti Lora McDonald John McGurk Clyde McQueen Steve Miller Mark Moberly Vicki Noteis Stacey Paine Karry Palmer Rashida Phillips Jeron Ravin Pastor Sandy Wainright Scott Wagner Alexah Willhoite Michelle Wimes

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Public Engagement Committee

Beth Breitenstein Carrie Coogan Evie Craig Megan Crigger Chris Dahlquist Rev. Hartzfeld III Chris Hernandez Ann Holliday Jenny Johnston Tony Jones Michael Kelley Kathy Nelson Glenn North Sue Patterson Dr. Melissa Patterson Hazley Kathleen Pointer Andy Rieger Morgan Said Nicholas Segura Anna Marie Tutera Scott Wagner

City Planning and Development Staff

Jeffrey Williams, AICP, Director Diane Binckley, AICP, Principal Assistant to the Director Gerald Williams, AICP, Division Manager, Long Range Planning (Project Manager) Joe Rexwinkle, AICP, Division Manager, Development Management Morgan Pemberton, AICP (Assistant Project Manager) Andrew Bracker Noah Chapin Angela Eley, AICP Tim Esparza Megan Lanter Ryan Rambusch Marlene Torres-Pardo Brad Wolf, AICP

Past Staff Members

Kyle Elliott, AICP Beth Breitenstein John DeBauche, AICP Bobby Evans, AICP Brian Jackson, AICP Steve Lebofsky, AICP Lauren Manning Brian Wize

*AICP - American Institute of Certified Planners. See the American Planning Association website.

Consultants

1 Main Circuit Cityfi Collins Noteis Associates Hoxie Collective mySidewalk Parson + Associates Vireo WSP

This project was partially funded by a Planning Sustainable Places grant from the Mid America Regional Council.

And a special thank you to all of the Kansas Citians who generously gave their time to attend meetings, complete surveys, visit the web site, review drafts, and provide the thoughtful community input and feedback that serves as the foundation of this plan.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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WHAT IS THE PLAYBOOK?

WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

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A city’s comprehensive plan guides its decisions on development, investment, codes and standards, and much more for future years and future generations.

The KC Spirit Playbook (“Playbook”) is Kansas City’s comprehensive plan for the next 20 years. It’s our shared vision, based on your input gathered through public engagement, for the future of our city. It defines what the community wants the city to be and reflects the community’s values and priorities. It also is built on the understanding that our city is diverse and requires a diversity of solutions. The plan will also tie together and guide updates to the 18 Area Plans and other citywide plans related to trails, major streets, economic development, housing, parks, and other topics.

Look around at all the things you see – streets, buildings, houses, streams and open spaces, parks, trails, sidewalks – they’re all part of the city’s built environment. These are the design and development decisions that have been guided by past comprehensive plans. The Playbook will guide development, investment, and more for the next 20 years.

HOW IS THE PLAYBOOK ORGANIZED?

The Envisioning Statement describes how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. The Supporting Vision Statements provide additional detail on the vision for Kansas City. The Supporting Equity Statements describe what an equitable Kansas City looks like. The Vision also includes the 5 Big Ideas, which express the plan priorities and major themes.

The Goals are 10 action items we must achieve to make the Vision and the Big Ideas a reality. The Goals organize the recommendations in the plan around the community’s big aspirations.

The Topics organize the plan’s elements around broad subjects. They compile all information in the Playbook related to a specific topic, such as transportation, in one place. This is another way to use the Playbook — to see information on one subject throughout the plan in one place.

The Objectives provide the detailed recommendations (Community Supported Actions) for 21 subject areas. This is where all the recommendations of the plan reside.

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WHAT IS THE PLAYBOOK?

WHERE DOES THE NAME "KC SPIRIT PLAYBOOK" COME FROM?

The title "KC Spirit Playbook" is an ode to Norman Rockwell’s “The Kansas City Spirit” painting created to represent the city’s resilience after a major flood in Kansas City in 1951. While our imagery is a nod to the original painting, it has been updated to represent today’s Kansas City: a diverse, exciting community with a strong sense of character and tremendous pride in how far we have come.

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WHY DO WE NEED A NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN?

Missouri State Statute requires that municipalities “adopt a city plan for the physical development of the municipality. The city plan, with the accompanying maps, plats, charts, and descriptive and explanatory matter, shall show the commission’s recommendations for the physical development and uses of land, and may include, among other things, the general location, character and extent of streets and other public ways, grounds, places, and spaces; the general location and extent of public utilities and terminals, whether publicly or privately owned; the acceptance, widening, removal, extension, relocation, narrowing, vacation, abandonment or change of use of any of the foregoing; the general character, extent, and layout of the replanning of blighted districts and slum areas.”

Comprehensive plans are typically built around a 20-year time horizon. It’s important that the plan reflects the conditions and trends at the time it is written while remaining agile enough to address future known and unknown challenges. It’s also

WHAT IS THE PLAYBOOK?

critical for the plan to reflect the issues that are personally important to Kansas Citians. Much has changed in Kansas City since the previous comprehensive plan, the FOCUS Kansas City Plan, was adopted in 1997. The time has come to create a new comprehensive plan and make sure it addresses the issues and challenges Kansas City faces today and those that will arise over the next two decades.

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS TO CREATE THE PLAYBOOK?

The process to create Kansas City’s new comprehensive plan spanned more than three years, from 2019 to 2023. An extensive report on the planning process, including a summary of the public engagement conducted as a part of this process, can be found here.

KC'S PREVIOUS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Kansas City’s previous comprehensive plan was the FOCUS Plan. FOCUS stands for “Forging Our Comprehensive Urban Strategy” which was adopted in October 1997. The City of Kansas City, Missouri, and its residents partnered to develop an action plan the entire community could support. The plan set priorities and guided decision-making to make Kansas City a thriving, people-centered community and a successful model for other American cities to follow for future generations. Seven distinct but interwoven component plans were developed to detail the action steps needed to make the FOCUS vision and policy principles a reality.

The city has done a tremendous amount of planning since the FOCUS Kansas City Plan. Public feedback from the city’s area planning and citywide planning efforts from the past two decades have been incorporated into the Playbook, and built on. The Playbook process began with a detailed review of the FOCUS Kansas City Plan and the creation of a database of recommendations from every regional, citywide, and area planning document that was relevant. These recommendations helped inform and supplement the Playbook. City staff have taken care to ensure that previous planning that is still relevant is incorporated or referenced throughout the Playbook. Staff have also made recommendations about additional planning efforts to undertake or updates to previous plans that are needed to address policy gaps, emerging issues, and new best practices, and to reflect the City’s priorities.

WHAT ARE THE BIG IDEAS?

The Playbook’s vision for the future describes how Kansas Citians want their city to look, feel, and function. It emerged from the citizen-engagement process as a powerful statement of inspiration. Put simply, it says people are the priority in Kansas City and taking care of people will bring improvements in all areas of our city. Details about how to achieve this vision for Kansas City can be found in the Playbook’s citywide Goals. Specifically, the Envision statement and supporting Vision statements set the tone and overall emphasis of the plan while capturing the key themes, issues, and priorities of our communities. The vision sets the direction for future initiatives and guides the Playbook’s recommendations. It also provides a framework to evaluate changes to the plan.

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ENVISIONING STATEMENT

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“We, as Kansas Citians, envision our city as a vibrant, equitable, just, inclusive, welcoming, and thriving community where we consider people first by empowering members of the community to shape their environment. We acknowledge and will address past and current inequities by fostering equitable community and economic development that supports all residents with opportunities for a high quality of life.”

WHAT ARE THE BIG IDEAS?

VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities.

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

WHAT ARE THE BIG IDEAS?

EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity.

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

BIG IDEAS

The Playbook’s 5 Big Ideas are a part of the overall vision for Kansas City. It expresses the most important things that need to be accomplished according to the priorities expressed by Kansas Citians. These Big Ideas should be used to guide plan priorities for the next 20 years in Kansas City.

• Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.
• Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.
• Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.
• Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.
• Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

WHERE DO I START?

HOW TO USE THE PLAYBOOK

The Playbook allows the city to be proactive in achieving the community’s vision for Kansas City by providing a clear road map and to-do list for the next 20 years. It is a guide for city decisions on funding and city services, public improvements, changes to city codes and ordinances and more.

The plan also helps city partners, neighborhoods, businesses and property owners move in step with the city toward a common vision.

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SEARCHING PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS

The Implementation Matrix provides a place where all of the plan’s recommendations can be viewed in one place. It also allows users to see information about how to implement recommended actions (responsible entities, timeframes, cost categories and measures of success).

EVALUATION TOOLS AND GUIDELINES

The Playbook provides evaluation tools and guidelines as well, that can be used to evaluate whether proposed projects, initiatives, policies or developments are aligned with the city’s Vision and Goals. For example, city staff, boards and commissions can use the plan’s guidelines to help evaluate the suitability of requests for new development or public improvements. The Goal Supporting Criteria provide a quick way to determine whether a proposed project, policy, funding request is generally consistent with the Playbook. These guidelines and criteria can also be used to help support a request by demonstrating consistency with the comprehensive plan.

The following tools in the plan are used to help evaluate projects and guide the design and delivery of projects and services:

• Goal Supporting Criteria Used to determine consistency with the Playbook’s 10 Goals
• Global Design Guidelines Guidelines that apply to all areas of the city, regardless of context or setting
• Development Form and Context Guidelines More detailed and site-specific guidelines that apply to specific development form and contexts throughout the city

GOALS

The Vision describes how we want Kansas City to look, feel, and function. The Goals provide guidance on how to get there.

The Goals are the major themes and statements of philosophy that are essential for the city to achieve its vision. They are the foundation of the city's character. All city actions are measured against progress toward these Goals. Previous city area plans and the FOCUS plan were the starting point for creating these Goals, which were refined and augmented with a wealth of ideas that Kansas City residents generated during the comprehensive planning process.

The Playbook provides specific strategies and recommendations, and those strategies are identified with the specific Goals they support, as well as related Topics and Objectives. The Goals are therefore a way to access the Playbook according to your needs and interests, whether you're looking for information on cultural resources, housing, green spaces, or any other aspect of the city's future.

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Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity

Environment for People of All Ages: Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place

Healthy Environment: Promoting a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts and culture

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand a system of parks, boulevards and open spaces

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong and desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure that growth and revitalization are sustainable and equitable

Well-Designed City: Promote high quality design in public investments and development

CITYWIDE GOAL:

CONNECTED CITY

TO INCREASE MOBILITY OPTIONS AND CREATE A MORE CONNECTED CITY

Cities exist to connect people to one another economically, socially, and culturally. They are shaped by the patterns of those connections.

A connected city provides the physical infrastructure that gets people to the places they want to go in a safe, convenient, accessible, and inviting way. Connected cities promote equity by enabling connections between neighbors of different backgrounds, providing improved access to opportunities, and mitigating the harmful aspects of major barriers, such as highways, which have disproportionately displaced and disconnected low-income households and minorities in the past. A well-connected city typically has a highly connected street system with pedestrian-scale blocks that connect adjacent neighborhoods and districts (see Connected City Objective).

The city’s transportation system is a complex and connected network of streets, sidewalks, bus lines, streetcars, trails, and bicycle facilities. Parkways and boulevards are critical pieces of the overall mobility and traffic-circulation system. How the city’s transportation system is built and managed impacts how people and goods move around the city (see the Transportation Topic and the Mobility, Complete Communities, Public Transit and Access to Jobs Objectives). The transportation system also has a major influence on land use and development patterns.

After decades of public and private investment, it is exceptionally easy to get around Kansas City by car. But there has been less investment in other transportation modes, such as walking, biking, and public transit. The city’s original public streetcar system was removed and replaced with buses to make room for personal vehicles. Limited investment in public transit and increasing sprawl in the region has made getting around Kansas City increasingly difficult for people without access to a personal vehicle. This disparity in access to the region’s opportunities creates a major equity issue. The city must continue to improve multimodal mobility and safety for people walking, biking, and using public transit while also maintaining efficient traffic flow for all vehicle types (see Mobility and Vision Zero Objectives).

The Playbook aims to re-integrate diverse mobility options into Kansas City, with the understanding that mobility means more than simply moving people around. It impacts economic growth, public health, land use, and development, and ultimately quality of life for Kansas City residents.

CITYWIDE GOAL: CONNECTED CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents. A well-connected city with a variety of mobility options has improved access to housing and jobs, which gives all people choice and affordability in deciding where to live and work. Transportation investments and land use patterns that reduce dependency on vehicles can significantly reduce household monthly expenses.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments. A well-connected city with safe and convenient mobility options will help ensure these amenities are accessible. Transportation infrastructure (roadways, bridges, transit stations, etc.) should incorporate public art and contribute to vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive. Desirable places are inherently well-connected, with a diverse range of safe and convenient mobility options.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city. Transportation investments can help ensure the city grows sustainably and equitably, particularly when they improve access to daily needs, or mobility and safety for people in areas of distress and disinvestment or promote modes that help reduce greenhouse gasses. Transportation investment can also strategically direct growth and development in fiscally and environmentally sustainable patterns.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation. A well-connected city with diverse transportation options has a lower environmental impact from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and higher use of alternative transportation modes, including active transportation that incorporates walking or biking. It also encourages more compact, efficient, sustainable land use planning and development.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage. A well-connected city with safe and convenient mobility options will help ensure these resources and landmarks are accessible to all people. The city’s transportation system can also enhance its history and culture by incorporating wayfinding, interpretive markers, historic district signs, and public art that reflects its cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development. Smart mobility is a burgeoning field of innovation and technology, solving transportation problems with responsive, creative, and data-driven solutions. It is valuable, if not essential, for the city to invest in, adapt, and use technology to tackle complex issues in its transportation network.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods. The city’s system of boulevards and parkways are a highly visible aspect of Kansas City’s identity and provide important connectivity throughout the city. The city should ensure all transportation infrastructure has high-quality, attractive design that enhances Kansas City’s identity.

CITYWIDE GOAL: CONNECTED CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Diverse mobility options and a well-connected city allow people to connect to jobs, education, and services with choice, safety, efficiency, and affordability.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

A well-connected city provides walkable, safe, and convenient streets, sidewalks, bike infrastructure, and transit that give people options to meet their transportation needs, whether traveling down the street or across town.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

The city's rights-of-way, roads, bridges, transit stations, and airports all present significant opportunities to improve the physical beauty of the city through aesthetic enhancements and high-quality design.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Kansas City and its regional partners are more successful when they work together rather than alone. Coordinated mobility operations will benefit commerce, freight, and movement of people regionally and provide links to markets outside the region. Some transportation improvements will require regional partners.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change. Large paved areas needed for much of the transportation infrastructure increase stormwater runoff and exacerbate flooding. Increasing the use of public transit and reducing the use of personal vehicles in Kansas City will lead to major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Reducing the number of surface parking lots and large expanses of impermeable surfaces will help the city manage stormwater runoff and improve water quality. Providing a comprehensive multimodal transportation network will improve public health by encouraging transportation that involves walking and biking.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

A thriving economy depends on the transportation system that meets the needs of a diverse range of employers, customers and employees. Robust economic activity relies on the ability of residents to reach employment, shopping and services and for businesses to ship and receive goods via truck, rail and air.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

A well-connected city has walkable, clean, safe environments that link people from their homes to their daily activities and communities.

CITYWIDE GOAL: CONNECTED CITY

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

To accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes, a community must meet the basic transportation needs of its residents by providing safe and convenient mobility options. These communities should be complete communities that meet all residents’ daily needs.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

Transportation infrastructure and rights-of-way, some of the most visible parts of the city, must be designed to be attractive and inviting and contribute to the city’s physical beauty.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Investment in transportation can steer growth and development in fiscally and environmentally sustainable patterns.

CITYWIDE GOAL: CONNECTED CITY

RELATED BIG IDEAS

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. The transportation system provides the means for physical mobility around the city. This system must support all types of transportation and be convenient and well-connected.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. Many new technologies are emerging in transportation, such as electric vehicles, autonomous cars, smart-parking technology, transportation communication systems, and data analytics. These systems will help Kansas City maintain safe and efficient mobility even as the climate, technology, resources, and society change dramatically over the coming decades.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below.

Environment and Climate Change Housing and Neighborhoods Land Use and Development Public Spaces and Amenities Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: CONNECTED CITY

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Connected City Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Connected City Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

TO ENSURE THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT STRIVES TO ELIMINATE DISPARITIES, EMBRACE DIVERSITY, AND CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

A city’s physical form and built environment can lessen disparities across diverse communities, or it can make them worse. To eliminate disparities, Kansas City must use an “equity in all policies” approach to guide its planning efforts and policy development stemming from the Playbook.

Equitable development draws on both environmental justice and smart growth and describes how to create communities and regions where residents of all incomes, races, and ethnicities participate in and benefit from decisions that shape the places where they live. Equitable development is a way to meet the needs of underserved communities, with policies and programs that reduce disparities and foster places that are healthy and vibrant. This approach aims to provide residents of all incomes, races, and ethnicities with access to their economic, social, and health needs in a safe and healthy environment. Equitable development also requires that residents are engaged and empowered in decisions that shape their neighborhood.

Where a person lives in Kansas City can have a big impact on the level of inequity they experience. (See the Equity Mapping tool for more information on disparities between different communities in Kansas City) Disparities are greater in underserved communities, predominantly populated by people with low incomes, people of color, and immigrants. Disparities result in limited access to the essentials for economic, social, and personal well-being, such as:

• Daily needs (shopping, services, recreation, etc.)
• Jobs and economic opportunities
• Education
• Amenities (parks, public gathering spaces, etc.)
• Affordable housing
• Healthy food
• Healthcare
• Transportation
• High-speed internet
• Strong social networks and opportunities for social interaction

Economic disinvestment and the resulting disparities also lead to more exposure to things that negatively impact personal health, safety, and quality of life, such as:

• Blight and abandonment
• Dangerous buildings
• Crime
• Predatory lending and other predatory financial practices
• Poor health outcomes and shorter life expectancy
• Major physical barriers such as highways that divide communities and bring noise and pollution
• Traffic deaths and injuries
• Environmental contamination and pollution
• Incompatible land uses
• Natural hazards, such as flooding

Eliminating disparities will ensure all communities – regardless of where they are or who lives there – can thrive to their fullest potential.

CITYWIDE GOAL: DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

Playbook Equity Statements

How can the KC Spirit Playbook address these disparities? Through public engagement and discussions with the Empowerment Committee, a list of “Supporting Equity Statements” were crafted (below) that describe how an equitable Kansas City would look in the built environment.

Equitable development touches all Goals and Objectives in the Playbook, and strategies related to equity issues are embedded throughout. To achieve the goal of eliminating disparities, the city will work to:

• Improve convenient, safe, and affordable mobility options, particularly to improve access to jobs, education, and daily needs (see Access to Jobs, Mobility, Public Transit, and Complete Communities Objectives)
• Improve traffic safety (see Mobility and Vision Zero Objectives)
• Improve access to amenities (see City Attractions, Public Spaces, and Parks and Open Spaces Objectives)
• Mitigate the impacts of climate change and protect areas from natural hazards (see Environmental Health and Resiliency and Development Patterns Objectives)
• Increase neighborhood organization, capacity, and partnerships and revitalize distressed areas (see Community Development and Revitalization Objective)
• Empower neighborhoods and better engage them in decisions that affect their community (see Community Development and Revitalization Objective)
• Improve physical and social connections and bridge historic divisions and barriers (see Connected City Objective)
• Ensure quality development in all areas of the city (see Quality Development Objective)
• Prevent displacement (see Displacement Mitigation Objective)
• Ensure equitable internet access for everyone (see Access to Jobs and Smart City Technology and Trends Objectives)
• Improve access to good-quality affordable housing and increase housing variety (see Housing Affordability and Diversity and Complete Communities Objectives)
• Ensure equitable distribution of public improvements and city services. Target improvements to areas most in need (see Development Patterns and Community Development and Revitalization Objectives)
• Preserve historic landmarks and buildings in underserved communities (see Historic Preservation Objective)
• Improve health outcomes and life expectancy (see Public Health Objective)
• Ensure that as the city grows, underserved communities benefit from new development (see Development Patterns Objective)
• Mitigate exposure to poor water and air quality and contamination in underserved communities (see Environmental Health and Resiliency, Public Health, and Parks and Open Spaces Objectives)
• Revitalize distressed, abandoned, and underused areas. Improve neighborhood health and maintenance, and reduce illegal dumping and trash (see Community Development and Revitalization Objective)

To measure the city’s progress toward becoming more equitable, it must create metrics that can assess policies, both existing and future ones, on how they affect social, gender, cultural, ethnic, racial, economic, and religious equity.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Diversity and Opportunity Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents.

Supporting affordable communities will create diversity and opportunity through access to housing and economic mobility, which will strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for all residents.

CITYWIDE GOAL: DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.     Cultural amenities provide a platform for community members to come together around their unique cultures, histories, and traditions. This builds community pride, promotes cultural understanding and engagement, and supports local arts.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.     An economically thriving community has employment opportunities and is rooted in a diversity of people, viewpoints, and workforces. Facilitating access to this pool of talent is key to attract and maintain employers. And developing desirable places to live is key to attract employees for these businesses.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.     Community engagement is the foundation of equitable growth. It reveals which reinvestments are needed in distressed and abandoned areas. Fiscally sustainable growth will ensure the city has adequate resources to provide maintenance and services equitably to all areas.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.     A healthy environment provides mental and physical health benefits to all Kansas Citians.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.     Preserving and enhancing a community’s culture and history is essential to equitable development.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.     Promoting access to technology and innovation for everyone improves outcomes in governance and education. Technology can also greatly improve how the city provides services and guides physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.     Increasing opportunity throughout the city will enhance the diverse neighborhoods that contribute to Kansas City’s individuality.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.     To develop and maintain livable neighborhoods, the city must support affordable communities with equitable access to work, supportive services, and educational opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.     Communities that foster equitable opportunity, sustainable development and growth, and strong social ties have diverse mobility options and safe, walkable places.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.     Improving the physical beauty and quality of development in all neighborhoods is important to removing disparities between neighborhoods.

CITYWIDE GOAL: DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

There must be a regional approach to reducing health and economic inequalities among localities. With regional collaboration, the city can improve outcomes for low-income communities while also building healthy metropolitan regions.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Improving the city’s resiliency will help protect vulnerable populations from the impacts of climate change.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Diversity in Kansas City’s workforce and businesses will promote economic growth and job creation, resulting in a growth-oriented, resilient, competitive economy. Diversity helps mitigate risk during economic downturns because with it, the city isn’t reliant on a single industry or demographic group.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

A safe, walkable environment that’s well-connected to other parts of the city supports public health and well-being by providing access to essential services, physical activity, community and social ties, and accessible infrastructure for everyone.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Diversity and Opportunity Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life Kansas City’s diverse communities require people-focused and place-based policies that are tailored to support their diverse needs. This means creating a diverse housing stock, providing a wide-range of economic opportunities, and targeting investments and services to meet a community’s needs.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements Policies and improvements to beautify Kansas City should benefit all communities.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner Equitable and fiscally sustainable development directs investment to areas where it’s most needed and ensures the city can provide high-quality maintenance and services. The result will be more livable neighborhoods citywide that are attractive to people of all ages.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system The city must ensure residents in all communities, especially in economically distressed and disinvested areas, have safe and convenient access to daily needs.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions The city must ensure vulnerable populations are not disproportionately disadvantaged by future trends and events such as climate change. The city must ensure everyone benefits equitably from new technology, by promoting inclusivity and equal access to technology and innovation.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around 5 Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those Topics directly related to the Diversity and Opportunity Goal are highlighted grey below:

Environment and Climate Change Housing and Neighborhoods Land Use and Development Public Spaces and Amenities Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific Topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that Topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Diversity and Opportunity Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Diversity and Opportunity Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL ATTRACT AND RETAIN YOUNG PEOPLE AND ALLOW RESIDENTS TO AGE IN PLACE

Policy decisions related to the built environment should be sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians. It’s anticipated that Kansas City will see significant growth in its elderly population in the future. At the same time, the city has communities filled with growing families and young professionals, plus many higher education institutions that attract students of all ages. The city must fully support all Kansas Citians so they can move through the stages of their lives with the housing, economic opportunities, and social enjoyment they need.

Kansas City must ensure it has sufficient housing stock to meet the housing needs of people in different life stages. A built environment that is sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians fosters social connections between different age groups, resulting in thriving, intergenerational communities. The city must also ensure that all people have access to healthcare, public transportation, education, life-long learning opportunities, recreational activities, and other programs that support aging in place.

Cities that are designed to cater to peoples’ needs at different life stages attract more economic development and employment opportunities by fostering a diverse workforce with a wide range of experiences and skill sets. This enables young people to put down roots in the communities where they grew up, reinvesting their energy and incomes in their neighborhoods. It also enables senior citizens to age in place in their community, comfortably and securely.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents. Affordability at a variety of ages allows people choice and security in how they organize their lives long-term.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments. Parks and open spaces offer people a variety of benefits at all ages, such as low-barrier opportunities for activity and social connections and a location for cultural expression in the form of festivals and events.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive. Kansas City must attract and retain residents throughout their lives by developing and sustaining desirable communities for people of all ages to live, work, raise their families, retire, and then continue to socially and economically benefit their communities.

CITYWIDE GOAL: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Equitable and fiscally sustainable growth will result in better maintenance and city services for neighborhoods and reinvestment in distressed areas, making all areas of the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages, incomes, and lifestyles.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

A degraded environment negatively impacts the most vulnerable populations, which typically include children and older people. These age groups are disproportionally sensitive to exposure to poor air or water quality or to extreme weather linked to climate change. Actively pursuing a healthy environment improves physical and mental health for people of all ages.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Preserving Kanas City’s historic landmarks and celebrating its culture and history contributes to the city’s authenticity and sense of place. Historic places connect people to the past and make Kansas City a more compelling, attractive place to live.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

Better access to technology, especially emerging technology, benefits all people by connecting them with helpful resources in all aspects of their lives, from education to health to employment to daily needs and services.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Kansas City is built around its midwestern heritage; blues and jazz roots; picturesque parkways and boulevards; and its agricultural and automotive origins. This heritage is preserved and embraced by Kansas Citians of all ages today, and it is important to continue to retain and celebrate the city’s character as it develops into a modern city.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic, while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

The core of a robust neighborhood is a diverse, multi-generational population of people who support each other. That’s possible when there is affordable housing in a variety of types that accommodates people of various ages and lifestyles. This allows people, throughout their lives, to support younger and older neighbors and family members.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Ensuring there are mobility options that serve people of all lifestyles, incomes, ages, and physical abilities is a core component of creating a community for all ages. A person’s mobility needs shift throughout their life. The city must plan a transportation system that accommodates those changing needs, and the needs of their caregivers, in all neighborhoods.

Physical Beauty: Our City will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

A physically beautiful city with boulevards, parkways, fountains, and historic landmarks will attract people of all ages and will help Kansas City attract and retain residents.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

As Kansas City implements strategies to make the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages and needs, it must collaborate with regional partners to share ideas and strategies.

CITYWIDE GOAL: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes. A resilient city will be better prepared to mitigate potential impacts of climate change and the disproportionate impacts it has on vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers. A local economy that provides economic opportunity for all residents is a critical component to creating a city for people of all ages.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe. Neighborhoods must first be clean and safe to accommodate people of all ages and lifestyles. Walkable communities promote active lifestyles, foster social connection, and are generally more desirable places to live for everyone.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality of life.

Ensuring Kansas City neighborhoods have housing options and mobility options that give access to daily needs, so that people of all ages, incomes, abilities and lifestyles are accommodated, is perhaps the most important Big Idea related to this goal.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

A beautiful city will be more attractive to everyone, especially those considering this factor in their decisions about where to live, work and learn.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Equitable and fiscally sustainable development directs investment to areas where it’s needed and ensures the city can provide high-quality maintenance and services. The result will be more livable neighborhoods citywide that are attractive to people of all ages.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.

Ensuring safe and convenient mobility options are available for everyone is needed to create neighborhoods that support people of all ages.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

The city must ensure vulnerable populations are not disproportionately disadvantaged by future trends and events such as climate change. The city must also ensure everyone benefits equitably from new technologies by promoting inclusivity and equal access to opportunities and innovation.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted below.

Environment and Climate Change Housing and Neighborhoods Land Use and Development Public Spaces and Amenities Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

TO PROMOTE A HEALTHY CITY THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY

A healthy environment is critical to a healthy city. Natural systems clean the city’s water and air, preserve important ecological functions, manage stormwater, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. These benefits are seen in the quality of life of Kansas Citians, general public health, and in the local economy, with advantages such as lower healthcare costs and higher property values.

Kansas City faces several challenges to addressing its environmental issues. At a national and regional level, the city is responsible for doing its part to combat climate change. A more local issue is maintaining and improving air and water quality. Preventing the continued loss of crucial native habitats to urban expansion and the degradation of water systems in the region is an issue particularly tied to the city’s built environment. Kansas City has undertaken sustainability initiatives such as the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan and programs to promote sustainable development to address these challenges.

The Healthy Environment Goal aims to use environmental planning to shape land use decisions, green infrastructure development, sustainable transportation planning, waste management policies, and climate mitigation actions in a way that allows Kansas Citians to participate in the development of a more sustainable city.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Healthy Environment Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Making homes more energy-efficient can result in cost savings to families and significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Restoring and preserving natural systems and growing the city sustainably can preserve historic and cultural resources located within or adjacent to natural areas.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

A connected system of open spaces and preserved natural areas will improve the livability and desirability of all neighborhoods. Sustainable development practices will reduce impacts of climate change and protect neighborhoods from potential hazards.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Reinvestment in previously developed areas can offer opportunities to incorporate green building standards, better stormwater management, improve energy efficiency, increase clean energy production, and restore or enhance degraded natural areas.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

The built environment significantly impacts the many interconnected systems that determine the health of the natural environment. These systems must be protected and expanded to ensure Kansas City’s long-term success and the personal well-being of all Kansas Citians.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Many of the city’s historic and cultural resources are located within or adjacent to natural open spaces, rivers and streams, and sensitive environmental areas. As the city preserves and restores natural areas, it should be careful to also preserve and enhance any historic or cultural sites.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

New technologies can be used to help mitigate the effects of climate change, clean air and water, monitor environmental conditions, and restore natural areas.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

A clean and healthy environment, protected from hazards related to climate change, will be essential to preserve Kansas City’s city amenities, natural resources (e.g., rivers, streams, natural open spaces, habitats), and neighborhoods (e.g., urban, suburban, rural).

CITYWIDE GOAL: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic, while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Livable neighborhoods depend on a clean and healthy environment and protection from natural hazards and the effects of climate change.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Well-connected, efficient, and sustainable mobility options reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They reduce the need for a vehicle and reduce vehicle miles traveled due to inefficient urban sprawl..

Physical Beauty: Our City will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

A system of healthy and clean streams, open spaces, green infrastructure, street trees, and native landscaping in public spaces will help to beautify the city.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Regional solutions will be required to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to create healthy environmental systems that are not confined by municipal boundaries or state lines.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Sustainable growth balances human, societal and economic needs with environmental needs, in an effort to create thriving, resilient communities over time.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Degraded environmental conditions, pollution, contamination, severe weather, natural hazards and climate change can all have negative financial impacts on the city’s economy. Resiliency is good for a thriving economy.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean and safe.

Walkable communities promote compact development, which reduces the impact of the city’s growth on natural habitats and systems. These communities more frequently use transportation that involves walking or biking and less frequently use vehicles, resulting in less traffic congestion and carbon emissions and improved air quality.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Healthy Environment Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend..

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Healthy Environment Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

To create neighborhoods that accommodate a diverse range of lifestyles and incomes, the city must ensure that all areas benefit from a clean environment and protection from potential contamination or natural hazards.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

Natural open spaces, native landscaping, trees, and green infrastructure can clean air and water and mitigate urban heat-island effects. They also improve the appearance of the city.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Sustainable growth helps ensure the city develops in harmony with natural systems, without damaging sensitive environmental areas.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.

Natural open spaces can also facilitate increased connections through trails, and landscaped streets are inherently more walkable and interesting.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

Future proofing the city means ensuring the city is prepared for the impacts of climate change and employs new technologies to monitor and predict environmental conditions and to clean and restore sensitive environmental areas and habitats.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Healthy Environment Goal are highlighted below.

Environment and Climate Change

Housing and Neighborhoods

Land Use and Development

Public Spaces and Amenities

Transportation

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Healthy Environment Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Healthy Environment Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

TO PRESERVE AND CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY CHARACTER, HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

Kansas City’s identity is based on its history and a layering of diverse cultures, economies, and the prairie landscape from which Kansas City grew. This distinctive character fosters a sense of pride, identity, and social connection among Kansas Citians.

History, art, and culture is threaded throughout Kansas City, in public spaces such as the city’s celebrated fountains, parks, and boulevards, in museums, and in historic neighborhoods with distinctive architecture (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective). These places showcase the varied cultural, artistic, and musical traditions that make Kansas City unique, with a character all its own (see Public Spaces and City Attractions Objectives).

However, this shared history has not always included the experiences of all Kansas Citians. Certain groups and people have historically been either deprioritized or excluded from the accepted version of Kansas City’s history, and that must be remediated. The experiences and perspectives of all Kansas Citians should be recognized and respected in the city’s built environment.

The Playbook aims to preserve the city’s character in its architecture, landmarks, and districts (see Historic Preservation Objective). It is also important to preserve the art, monuments, and objects produced by the cultures and communities of the past (see Public Spaces Objective). The city must also preserve spaces that host festivals and events and foster their expansion over time (see City Attractions Objective).

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents.

The city can attract visitors, tourism spending, and business opportunities by celebrating its history. For example, by preserving landmarks that emphasize the city’s history and promoting cultural community events and attractions.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Kansas City’s diverse cultural amenities offer a variety of experiences and contribute to a vibrant environment, providing opportunity for celebration, connection, and improved well-being.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

A city with a vibrant arts and culture scene is attractive to employers and creative people, encourages community engagement, and supports economic and community development.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Fiscally sustainable growth will help ensure the city can maintain elements, such as landmarks and parks, that preserve the city’s treasured history and culture. Equitable growth will ensure everyone can access these amenities.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

Many of the city’s historic and cultural sites are in or adjacent to natural areas. As the city restores and protects natural areas, it also should preserve these historic resources.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

While commemorating this cultural heritage, the city should collaborate with the groups and organizations that this heritage pertains to. These collaborations could include public education; the maintenance and adaptive reuse of buildings or places; and securing funding for preservation efforts.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

New technologies will create new opportunities for smart city infrastructure that can preserve, enhance, and improve historic, cultural, and arts attractions.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

To retain Kansas City’s unique character, the city must first identify and preserve the elements that define that character. At the same time, the city must balance its development needs and a growing economy over the long term.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Preserving and enhancing historic resources makes all neighborhoods stronger, as does access to arts amenities, events, and other city attractions.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

As the city plans for and builds infrastructure to improve general mobility, it must consider access to historic and cultural amenities, too.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Kansas City must protect its cultural heritage through preservation, adaptive reuse of buildings, beautification efforts, and public art that highlight the city’s historic and cultural structures.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan..

Kansas City shares a history and vision for the future with other cities and municipalities in the region. This collective identity supports regional collaboration and encourages joint tourism initiatives and cultural exchange.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Kansas City can grow resiliently by using history and culture as building blocks for its long-term vision. For example, adaptive reuse of buildings and spaces can preserve the city’s character while encouraging sustainable development. For example, adaptive reuse of buildings and spaces preserves character character while encouraging sustainable development that works with today’s needs.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers. Economic and community development centered around history, arts, and culture is an important part of a thriving, diverse economy. These amenities attract visitors and make Kansas City a more attractive place to live or establish a business.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe. Historic and cultural amenities and public art make a community more walkable by providing destinations people want to walk to and by making the walk more interesting.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

Arts and cultural amenities improve quality of life for residents and make neighborhoods more attractive and complete.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

Beautiful places are often the result of art and architecture added to the landscape over time. This layering is visible in Kansas City’s high-quality design. It must be maintained and integrated in new, high-quality development.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Preserving the city’s natural resources while expanding ways to experience them, sustainably and with environmental sensitivity, will help ensure the city can maintain historic and cultural amenities and everyone can access them.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.

Infrastructure for multimodal transportation should be planned to ensure safe and convenient access to historic and cultural attractions, making neighborhoods more walkable.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

The city can use new technologies to promote historic, cultural, and arts amenities. As the impacts of climate change are better understood, the city should develop strategies to ensure the preservation and continued maintenance of these amenities.

CITYWIDE GOAL: HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal are highlighted below.

Environment and Climate Change Housing and Neighborhoods Land Use and Development Public Spaces and Amenities Transportation

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the History, Arts, and Culture City Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

TO PROTECT AND EXPAND A SYSTEM OF PARKS, BOULEVARDS, AND OPEN SPACES

An interconnected system of high-quality parks and open spaces is vital to the health of all Kansas Citians and the livability of the city's neighborhoods. Parks provide places for recreation, exercise, and community gathering, and they sustain the environment's resiliency to the effects of climate change.

Kansas City's growth historically has been guided by its beloved system of parkways and boulevards (the oldest portions of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places). These distinctive roadways not only serve a transportation function, but also beautify the city and help set the tone for adjacent development. By maintaining and expanding this network, the city creates open space while supporting a framework for orderly growth and development (see Development Patterns and Quality Development Objective).

While it grows, Kansas City must ensure that historically underserved communities have equitable access to parks and open spaces. That effort must be balanced with planning for parks in areas of new growth (see Parks and Open Spaces and Complete Communities Objectives).

Open spaces can be on public or private land. The city should connect its open spaces with its system of parks, boulevards, and trails and facilitate public access and recreation where appropriate. To solidify those connections, the city needs to create a citywide plan that defines the entire system and which can be refined during area plan updates (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective).

The physical development of the city will directly affect the health of Kansas Citians and the environment. As Kansas City grows, it can improve and protect environmental systems by preserving open spaces where needed to ensure everyone has a healthy, safe, and vibrant city to call home.

The city must preserve and enhance its existing open spaces as it develops. That means guiding development so it harmonizes with rather than harms the natural environment (see Environmental Health and Resiliency Objective).

As Kansas City grows, it must continue to invest in parks and open spaces to ensure recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, improve the resiliency of the natural environment, improve public health, and support economic development and tourism.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook's Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Parks and open spaces are desirable neighborhood amenities and help make a complete community. The city must ensure that all Kansas Citians can easily access these amenities.

CITYWIDE GOAL: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Public spaces, parks, and open spaces provide cultural and natural vibrancy. They encourage community interaction, highlight cultural diversity, and foster creativity.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Parks and open spaces improve quality of life for everyone. They promote physical health and community connection and attract residents, visitors, and employers.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Public open spaces and trails are a low-barrier, low-cost place for physical activity. To create equitable neighborhoods, the city must provide equal access to these places.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

Parks and open spaces protect ecosystems by preserving their ecological functions, such as infiltrating and cleaning stormwater, providing wildlife habitat, and cleaning the air.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City's history and cultural heritage.

Many historic and cultural resources are in or adjacent to parks and natural areas. As the city expands its system of parks and open spaces, it should preserve those historic resources.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

Kansas City can use smart city technology to track how its parks and boulevards are used and monitor the environmental conditions that affect its open spaces. The city can use data to refine plans to improve and expand these systems.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Kansas City was designed to include parks, boulevards, and open spaces, and these elements are still key to its unique identity. Preserving them while the city grows will keep Kansas City rooted in its origins and serve current and future residents.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Parks and open spaces complement and strengthen all neighborhoods and housing types by providing shared green space for recreation, community gathering, and social connection.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Well-connected mobility options – public transit, bike lanes, trails, and pedestrian pathways – boost equitable access to parks and open spaces. The system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces also physically connects communities.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

The landscaping, architecture, art, and general quality of parks and open spaces break up the monotony of urban landscapes and provide natural context for city architecture and infrastructure.

CITYWIDE GOAL: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

As the city plans for parks and open spaces, it should ensure these systems are connected to adjacent communities.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Parks and open spaces preserve natural areas, natural systems, and green infrastructure that are critical to the city’s overall resiliency to climate change.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Parkways and boulevards are a major part of the overall mobility and traffic circulation system, allowing people to access jobs and other economic opportunities. Parks and open spaces also make the city a more livable and attractive place to visit, live, or establish a business.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

Parks, trails, and open spaces, especially the city’s boulevard system, are part of the network of walkable transportation routes that connect the city.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

Parks, open spaces, and boulevards in Kansas City are important parts of complete neighborhoods. Through them, people of all ages, incomes and physical abilities can access amenities that promote personal health.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

High-quality design, construction, and maintenance of parks, open spaces, and boulevards should be evident in the city's beautiful landscapes.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

As the city develops, it must preserve its connected system of open spaces while also making needed park and boulevard improvements.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.

Parks, boulevards, and open spaces are an important part of efficient and safe mobility for residents and visitors. They often contain trails and other mobility connections, too.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

Parks and open spaces are crucial to making the city more resilient to the effects of climate change.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal are highlighted below:

Environment and Climate Change

Housing and Neighborhoods

Land Use and Development

Public Spaces and Amenities

Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Parks and Open Spaces Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

SMART CITY

TO CREATE A SMART CITY THROUGH INNOVATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGY

Smart city technology uses data-driven decision-making improve how a city functions. These technologies can be used to improve how the city provides services, designs transportation systems, protects environmental health, and much more.

By using data-driven technologies, Kansas City can become a ‘smart city’ by improving its service delivery and building infrastructure that helps the city function more efficiently and sustainably. This ‘smart’ (data-based) technology makes the most of partnerships between public and private entities, which can share data and capacity to find mutually beneficial outcomes.

Take transportation, for example. Smart technologies can use data about vehicle traffic, public transit, and bike and pedestrian traffic to improve traffic flow and safety and anticipate future needs. Data can be used to improve parking, too, or help the city adapt to emerging mobility trends such as the growth of app-based ridesharing. Mobility technologies such as autonomous vehicles may change how curb space is used and how vehicles are stored when they’re not in use.

For utility services, smart technology can improve consumption and safety in energy, water, and wastewater systems. By leveraging data, the city can foster greater efficiency in recycling, green waste practices, and waste management overall.

Smart technologies also can bolster citizen engagement, improve the city’s approach to equity and inclusion, and attract businesses and entrepreneurs in technology fields and other sectors of the economy.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Smart City Goal are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

New technologies can lower the cost of housing and transportation costs while increasing access to economic opportunities for residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Technology and innovation have the potential to enhance how the city’s cultural and public amenities are used, promoted, and accessed.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Cities that use and participate in the development of innovative technologies attract companies that work in that arena, drawing employees and business to the city and driving economic growth.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SMART CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Smart technology can help the city to evaluate potential environmental and fiscal impacts of land use plans and development proposals. Smart technology also can be an equalizer; it can help uplift communities that have been historically disadvantaged.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

Smart technology can gather data from complex, changing environmental systems. By using smart technology to track changes in these systems, the city can mitigate harms to the environment.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Technology helps us to preserve and restore historic sites and buildings, interpret and educate the public about the past, and monitor and protect spaces and places for future generations..

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

Cultivating innovation in technology and transforming Kansas City into a smart city begins with a culture that supports it. This involves public and private collaboration, strategic planning, and investment at many levels.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Smart technology can provide metrics to help the city evaluate the elements that contribute to its unique identity, like in the identification and tracking of historical assets.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Smart technology can create more sustainable infrastructure in neighborhoods. It can also help to expand vital services to Kansas Citians and make these services more accessible to all residents.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Smart technology can help create and maintain a well-connected city through real-time data collection, intelligent and responsive transportation systems, and integration of new modes of mobility into the urban fabric.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Smart technologies can amplify the city’s physical beauty by enhancing lighting, green spaces, public art, environmental monitoring, and digital displays. By leveraging these technologies, Kansas City can create more engaging and attractive public spaces that inspire residents and visitors alike. The city also can use new technologies to visualize and evaluate design alternatives that enhance the quality and functionality of designs.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Innovative technology can help Kansas City remain collaborative with its regional partners through data sharing, joint initiatives, improved communication, and shared infrastructure. By leveraging innovative technologies, Kansas City can build stronger relationships with regional partners to create a more connected, prosperous region.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SMART CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Innovative technology helps communities grow sustainably and build resiliency to changes in the natural environment by monitoring environmental conditions, improving energy and water management, enabling effective community engagement, providing innovative transportation options, improving disaster response and recovery, and promoting sustainable building design.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

The city can leverage technology to support new industries, increase economic productivity, encourage entrepreneurship, and improve access to training that propels economic growth and makes the city nationally competitive.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean and safe.

Technology use can make traffic management more efficient and improve air-quality monitoring, waste management, public safety, and access to healthy food, making communities more livable and healthier.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Smart City Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SMART CITY

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Smart City Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life. New technology and smart city infrastructure can improve access to economic opportunities and mobility and improve city services that make neighborhoods more livable.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements. Smart city technology uses data-driven decision-making to promote high quality design that is functional, visually appealing, and environmentally sustainable.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner. Innovative technologies help planners evaluate potential development scenarios to ensure outward growth is balanced with infill development. These technologies also can ensure natural resources are preserved as the city develops in an equitable, sustainable way.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. Smart technology in transportation can show the way to bridging physical barriers. For example, the city can use data-driven planning, emphasize transportation modes that incorporate walking or biking, and adopt innovations in transportation through public-private partnerships. These steps can help the city resolve past inequities caused by physical barriers that isolated specific neighborhoods from the rest of the city and from economic opportunities.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. Technology can help Kansas City anticipate and react to new and evolving conditions. By leveraging tools like open-data platforms, adaptive infrastructure, smart city ecosystems, scenario planning, and future-oriented regulations, the city can prepare for the future and better respond to new challenges and opportunities as they arise.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Smart City Goal are highlighted below.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SMART CITY

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Smart City Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Smart City Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL:

STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

TO CREATE STRONG AND DESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND ENSURE HOUSING CHOICE AND AFFORDABILITY

Kansas City’s vibrant neighborhoods are one of its treasures. Together they form the physical and social framework for the entire city, and the overall success of the city depends on the livability of each one. The importance of strong neighborhoods has been understood since before the city adopted FOCUS, its previous comprehensive plan, which stated, “In order for Kansas City to be the successful New American City, neighborhoods must be livable. Livable neighborhoods connect people physically and socially. They have an identity based on physical character, people, history, or resident involvement. They meet the housing needs and desires of people. And they are healthy in terms of housing conditions, neighborhood cleanliness, and the health of the people who live in them.” FOCUS emphasized that neighborhoods should be accessible, welcoming, affordable to live in, and convenient and safe to navigate.

People want to live in neighborhoods where they can fulfill their everyday needs, such as housing they can afford, education, and reliable transportation. Desirable neighborhoods can attract visitors, too, with entertainment and high-quality workplaces. Neighborhoods should have a unique identity, safe public spaces, an array of parks and other amenities, and opportunities for social interaction. Kansas City’s neighborhoods vary greatly in their density, land uses, culture, and architecture. Yet they all aim to be desirable places for people to live and visit (see also Housing and Neighborhoods Topic).

Historically, however, development patterns have led to economic, social, and other disparities between Kansas City neighborhoods. Therefore, this goal is closely tied to the Displacement Mitigation, Housing Affordability and Diversity, and Community Development and Revitalization Objectives, to ensure the city allocates its resources equitably, especially to neighborhoods with the greatest need.

To help make all neighborhoods in Kansas City desirable places to live, work, and visit, the Playbook makes recommendations in three broad areas. First, the city must provide high-quality infrastructure and services and ensure residents can access those resources to meet their daily needs (see the Community Development and Revitalization, Development Patterns, and Complete Communities Objectives).

Second, the city must take action to preserve the rich diversity of its neighborhoods. That means enhancing the individual character of neighborhoods by preserving historic sites, ensuring development is high-quality, and creating public spaces that can serve everyone (see the Quality Development, Historic Preservation and Public Spaces Objectives).

Housing is the third area. The city must facilitate a variety of housing choices that are affordable in neighborhoods that are safe and accessible. Tied to that is the aim of eliminating economic distress, especially when it leads to abandonment of neighborhoods (see the Housing Affordability and Diversity, Community Development and Revitalization, and Displacement Mitigation Objectives).

CITYWIDE GOAL: STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

• Smart technology in transportation can show the way to bridging physical barriers. For example, the city can use data-driven planning, emphasize transportation modes that incorporate walking or biking, and adopt innovations in transportation through public-private partnerships. These steps can help the city resolve past inequities caused by physical barriers that isolated specific neighborhoods from the rest of the city and from economic opportunities.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

• These amenities enhance the quality of life for residents, provide opportunities for social interaction and community building, and contribute to a neighborhood’s overall strength.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

• Strong and accessible neighborhoods will attract employers and new residents to the city.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

• Equitable and fiscally sustainable growth helps ensure the city has the resources it needs to provide high-quality maintenance and services to support strong neighborhoods and encourage reinvestment in distressed areas. The city must invest in infrastructure and community services that promote development in underserved areas. Those investments also should encourage sustainable development practices, so all Kansas Citians can benefit equally from capital investments, which will encourage sustained fiscal growth.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

• Strong neighborhoods require a heathy and clean environment and to be protected from potential hazards and the impacts of climate change in order to thrive and succeed.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

• Kansas City’s neighborhoods each have a distinct character, shaped by the area’s historical and cultural influences. Architectural styles, landmarks, and community events reflect the neighborhood’s unique history and cultural heritage, and connecting with this heritage builds a sense of community. By preserving historic and cultural resources, which will attract tourists, businesses, and new residents, the city can boost neighborhoods’ economic vitality.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

• Smart city infrastructure and data can help the city more efficiently deliver high-quality maintenance and services to sustain strong neighborhoods.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

• To maintain the vitality, economic strength, and unique identities of its neighborhoods, Kansas City must support local businesses, cultural events, and the diverse communities that define each neighborhood. Encouraging residents to get involved in community planning, preservation, and cultural events builds a small-town character that’s part of Kansas City’s identity.

CITYWIDE GOAL: STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities. Strong and accessible neighborhoods provide a high quality of life and uphold a sense of community while ensuring residents with various income levels have affordable choices for housing.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options. Safe and convenient mobility options help create accessible neighborhoods by providing residents with easy and reliable access to jobs, schools, food, healthcare, and other resources. This can improve overall quality of life and promote social cohesion. Public transit and other well-designed transportation options will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, which can benefit public health and the environment.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure. A well-designed built environment can improve the overall aesthetic of a neighborhood, making it more attractive to residents, businesses, and visitors. This can lead to improved economic vitality and development, community pride, social cohesion, and public safety.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan. Many of the initiatives that support strong neighborhoods require regional collaboration. For example, regional collaboration is needed to tackle large-scale aims such as combating climate change and making major transportation improvements, both of which impact neighborhood livability.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes. A resilient city will be ready to protect neighborhoods against the jolts future changes may bring, in climate change, the economy, and other areas.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers. Thriving neighborhoods support a thriving economy. Strong neighborhoods help to attract the workforce needed to support local employers and provide the rooftops to support area businesses.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean and safe. In a clean, safe, and walkable community, residents spend time outside. They interact with each other and can walk or bike to local stores, parks, and schools, which benefits their health. These behaviors reinforce a sense of community, which is a building block for strong and accessible neighborhoods.

CITYWIDE GOAL: STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

Strong and accessible neighborhoods nurture inclusive communities through equitable access to amenities, housing, and transportation options, creating a sense of belonging for diverse people of all ages, lifestyles, and incomes.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

A focus on high-quality urban design, architecture, landscape, and public art fosters community pride and investment, and neighborhoods are enhanced as a result.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Equitable and fiscally sustainable development directs investment to distressed areas where it’s needed and helps ensure the city can provide high-quality maintenance and services into the future. The result will be neighborhoods citywide that are attractive to people of all ages.

CITYWIDE GOAL: STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED BIG IDEAS

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. Accessible and affordable multimodal transportation options that bring people where they want to go is needed for livable, economically vibrant, equitable neighborhoods.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. The continued desirability and livability of Kansas City neighborhoods is dependent on preparing the city for future changes in the economy, in the technology that drives the city, and in regional climate and weather patterns.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal are highlighted below.

Environment and Climate Change

Housing and Neighborhoods

Land Use and Development

Public Spaces and Amenities

Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: STRONG AND ACCESSIBLE NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL: SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH

TO TARGET PHYSICAL INVESTMENTS STRATEGICALLY AND ENSURE THAT GROWTH AND REVITALIZATION ARE SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE

Sustainable and equitable growth means that the city grows in a way that is environmentally responsible, with policies that aim to limit the impact of development on the environment. This type of growth is also fiscally sound, ensuring the city can provide services and meet residents’ needs into the future. And it is socially equitable – all residents should share in the benefits and opportunities it creates. If it meets these three criteria, sustainable and equitable growth can support the long-term well-being of Kansas Citians and the environment, including in areas that have experienced economic distress and disinvestment (see the Development Patterns, Environmental Health and Resiliency, Displacement Mitigation, Community Development and Revitalization Objectives).

Kansas City has a variety of contexts for residents to live in and businesses to locate. This variety is one of the city’s strengths. To maintain it, Kansas City must support it with high-quality development and new investment citywide. The city must balance investments and decisions that both reaffirm and revitalize the urban core as well as advance and encourage quality suburban and rural development. Kansas City’s diverse communities are interdependent, and each must be strong for the city to attract development and grow.

Sustainable and equitable growth helps to ensure that Kansas City can capture its share of regional growth by balancing growth in new undeveloped areas with infill development. Land is a precious resource, and by promoting both infill development and strategic expansion in undeveloped areas, the city can capitalize on the potential for growth in the region. Strategic planning for new infrastructure and encouraging the reuse of existing infrastructure will help ensure the city does not outstretch its limited resources for maintenance and city services (see Development Patterns Objective). The city must support reinvestment in distressed or abandoned areas, and that development should meet the needs of existing residents and reduce economic and social inequities (see the Community Development and Revitalization Objective and Diversity and Opportunity Goal).

The physical development of the city will directly affect the health of residents and the natural environment. But Kansas City can grow in harmony with natural systems and in a way that promotes public health. Protecting environmental resources and historic sites in areas of proposed development is one way to ensure that harmony. As Kansas City grows, it can ensure all people have a healthy, safe, and vibrant city to call home. (See Environmental Health and Resiliency and Development Patterns Objectives.)

CITYWIDE GOAL: SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Equitable development reduces disparities by creating and maintaining places where residents of all incomes, races, and ethnicities can meet their housing, economic, social, and health needs and live in a clean, safe, healthy environment.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Sustainable development will help ensure the vitality and continued maintenance of all components of the city, including parks, open spaces, and cultural amenities.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

By creating and maintaining equitable, high-quality neighborhoods, the city can meet the various needs of prospective residents and employers.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Fiscal and environmental impacts of new development must be understood and evaluated. Future policies and investments should be focused on ensuring future growth is sustainable and equitable.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

New development must occur in an environmentally sustainable way, in appropriate locations, by proactively identifying and protecting sensitive natural resources and habitats.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Equitable and sustainable development includes the preservation and enhancement of historic and cultural resources and amenities.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

Smart city technology and data-driven decision-making helps the city to better use and maintain existing infrastructure and service delivery. With this technology, the city can monitor environmental and other conditions to determine how sustainably the city is growing.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

To preserve and enhance its unique identity, the city must retain that quality as it grows. To do that, Kansas City can support the traditions, history, and culture of its communities while it develops and modernizes. The city must make physical investments equitably citywide, in a way that preserves and builds on the city’s valued character.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic, while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

New development must create and sustain desirable, equitable, affordable neighborhoods citywide.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe and convenient mobility options.

Transportation investments can be used to ensure the city grows sustainably and equitably, especially when they improve safety and access to daily needs for Kansas Citians in economically distressed areas.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Fiscally sustainable development and growth will allow us to keep the city beautiful through improved maintenance. And equitable development will ensure that all areas of the city are aesthetically pleasing.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Collaborative regional planning and action improves the city’s efficiency and economic competitiveness. It addresses environmental concerns at the most effective scale, with the region working together to create a more resilient, inclusive economy that benefits everyone.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

New development must be designed to limit damage to natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New development should emphasize energy-efficient buildings and must avoid environmentally sensitive areas. The city must expand the use of transportation modes that have a small carbon footprint and should encourage reuse of existing buildings, a practice that is inherently sustainable.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Sustainable and equitable growth is dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of Kansas Citians. It helps the economy incorporate innovation, improves access to capital and resources for business owners, and creates stable economic growth, which reduces social and economic disparities.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean and safe.

Safe, walkable environments are the foundation of sustainable and equitable communities. They support local economic activity and development and promote the health and general well-being of residents.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life. Inclusive and accessible neighborhoods are a key component to equitable development.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements. Equitable development ensures that all areas of the city will have high quality design.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner. This big idea is central to the Sustainable and Equitable Development goal. To grow sustainably and equitably, the city must direct investments and policies to ensure new development uses existing infrastructure, growth doesn’t outstretch the city’s limited resources, and investments are encouraged in areas that need it most. The city also must ensure development advances the city’s goals for climate and environmental health.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. A well-connected city with a robust multimodal transportation system benefits sustainability and equity by promoting modes that reduce greenhouse gasses and that provide improved access to daily needs for all areas of the city.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. New technology and innovation can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urban systems and integrate into a variety of aspects of sustainable growth and development.

CITYWIDE GOAL: SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal are highlighted below.

• Environment and Climate Change
• Housing and Neighborhoods
• Land Use and Development
• Public Spaces and Amenities
• Transportation

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal:

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CITYWIDE GOAL: WELL-DESIGNED CITY

TO PROMOTE HIGH-QUALITY DESIGN IN PUBLIC INVESTMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT

For Kansas City to offer the best possible places to live, work, and play, it must encourage development that enhances the character and quality of the surrounding area. High-quality design in private development, public spaces, and public infrastructure enhances the built environment for everyone’s benefit. It fosters communal pride in the city, which improves social cohesion and economic development (see Quality Development and Public Spaces Objective).

Both new development and improvements to existing structures and spaces citywide must aim for high-quality standards, determined by the proposed use, projected growth, and connection with surrounding development. High-quality development has visual appeal and is sustainable. It’s also highly functional because it uses efficient, sustainable materials and technologies.

With new and updated guidelines and standards, the city will establish a framework that supports residents’ desire for quality development. These standards will ensure new developments and public improvements reflect good urban design principles and contribute to the overall desirability of the communities where they are located.

The Global Design Guidelines proposed by the Playbook will be used to ensure quality development goals are incorporated into public and private development projects. These are the key development considerations that apply to development projects citywide, regardless of location or the surrounding context.

While citywide quality design is important, ensuring that public and private development also respects and enhances the existing context and character of a community is also important. New Development Form and Context Guidelines proposed in the Playbook will be created and used to ensure that development responds to the different forms and contexts within the city. (See Community Context Checklist to learn how the context of a development is determined.)

Quality design enhances neighborhood character and creates strong neighborhood identity, shared community vision, opportunities for economic development and vitality, and community interaction. The Global Design Guidelines and Development Context and Form Guidelines will together define quality development and shape the future of Kansas City’s built environment.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Well-Designed City Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Quality design can help create affordable communities by placing employment opportunities near mixed use developments and transit hubs.

CITYWIDE GOAL: WELL-DESIGNED CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Quality design is critical for cultural spaces that are engaging. Design that reflects a community's culture and includes vibrant public spaces supports diverse communities and encourages inclusivity.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

People and employers aim to live and work in locations that are comfortable, sustainable, and beautiful. Quality development encourages people visit, invest, and stay in our communities.

Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Kansas City must require the same level of quality design in all areas of the city, particularly in communities that have lacked equitable investment.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

Quality design is inherently sustainable. It harmonizes with natural systems and helps people live more sustainably, with a smaller impact on the natural environment.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Quality design requires that historic or culturally important buildings and places are preserved or enhanced. Development that proudly highlights Kansas City’s past will solidify the city’s unique identity.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

The city can use new technologies to evaluate design alternatives and enhance the quality and functionality of design.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Contextual sensitivity in design and development highlights Kansas City’s unique identity. It enhances diverse environments and neighborhoods, focusing on the authenticity of place.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic, while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Quality design in housing and neighborhoods enhances community character and ensures that the scale and architectural design of development is compatible with the neighborhood. Sustainable design features and materials lower costs and improve livability for a variety of family types and incomes.

Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Quality design in well-connected communities takes the form of pedestrian and bike-friendly design, transit-oriented development, public gathering spaces, smart growth, and sustainability. By prioritizing these elements, the city can create vibrant communities that promote social interaction, walkability, and sustainable transportation.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

To give Kansas Citians the best possible places to live, work, and play, the city must require that development projects and public improvements use high-quality design to improve the character and quality of the surrounding area.

CITYWIDE GOAL: WELL-DESIGNED CITY

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan. Effective collaboration between partners helps ensure design solutions are appropriate and responsive to the needs of the region.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes. Using principles of sustainability and resiliency in the quality design of infrastructure, buildings, and spaces will help the city develop a built environment that can withstand future stresses.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers. Quality design attracts investment, business, and residents. It helps create a sustainable, diverse, and equitable city that is nationally competitive, with a robust economy.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean and safe. Quality design promotes walkability, reduces pollution, improves safety, creates access to green space, and supports transportation that requires walking or biking. All of these improve public health.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Well-Designed City Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

CITYWIDE GOAL: WELL-DESIGNED CITY

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Well-Designed City Goal are highlighted below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

Quality design creates enduring communities through attractive spaces that reflect and are supported by the people who use them.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

Quality design pays attention to detail and aesthetics, uses natural features and materials, encourages innovative design techniques and sustainable building practices, and ensures cohesion among design elements. It can promote a visually appealing, functional environment that enhances the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Development in harmony with the natural environment is key to quality design and influences where and how the city develops.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system.

Quality design is key to building a strong, long-lasting multimodal transportation system with maximum connections and options for everyone.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions.

Quality design must respond to new technologies and trends that may influence the design and use of the built environment.

RELATED TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Well-Designed City Goal are highlighted below.

• Environment and Climate Change
• Housing and Neighborhoods
• Land Use and Development
• Public Spaces and Amenities
• Transportation

CITYWIDE GOAL: WELL-DESIGNED CITY

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Well-Designed City Goal:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Well-Designed City Goal:

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TOPICS

The Topics organize the plan’s elements around broad subjects. They compile all information in the Playbook related to a specific topic, such as transportation, in one place. This is another way to use the Playbook - to see information on one subject throughout the plan in one place.

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ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

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HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

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LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

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PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

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TRANSPORTATION

TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Kansas City’s prosperity depends on the health of its environment, from the health of local and regional natural resources and ecosystems – air, water, soil and wildlife habitats – to the city’s resilience in the face of climate change. The city must ensure it grows and develops in harmony with the natural environment, without degrading natural resources and systems.

Severe weather is expected to strike more often, with more intensity, in the coming years. Climate change can disrupt food systems and regional biodiversity and ecosystems. Although one person or one municipality has only limited direct influence over the many factors that cause climate change, efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change start at the local level.

The city must improve and enhance the health of its environment and ecosystems, making it more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Of particular importance is the effective management of stormwater systems with a focus on reducing floods and improving stream health and water quality. This means preserving open spaces, encouraging contiguous development, adequately investing in levee maintenance, and avoiding stream corridors. Stormwater management practices can also have the added bonus of enhancing public spaces, reducing the urban heat island effect, improving air quality, and beautifying the city.

For a more resilient and future-proofed city, the city must track climate change and other shifts in weather trends to ensure the city is prepared. Kansas City must develop regularly updated emergency action plans so it can respond appropriately to natural disasters and other events. The city must also pursue clean clean energy sources, construct buildings with smaller carbon footprints, and develop transit options that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the city’s impact on the climate.

The city needs regionally oriented approaches, formed through collaboration with regional partners, to meet its climate goals. The city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan provides a clear, equitable roadmap to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals and adapt to flooding, extreme heat, and other climate change impacts.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has fifteen Vision Statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend..

RELATED BIG IDEAS

There are five Big Ideas for Kansas City in the Playbook. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those that are closely related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic are bolded below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life. Kansas Citians of all ages need healthy built and natural environments to thrive.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements. Parks and green spaces must be thoughtfully designed and protected to enhance the city’s beauty.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner. Kansas City must prudently manage how it uses previously undeveloped land, and a system of open spaces and stream corridors must be preserved as growth happens. Natural environments are places that are hard to restore once developed or disturbed. Kansas City must focus on infill development, strategic development in new areas, restoring damaged critical environments, and preserving habitat and natural space wherever possible.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. Increasing multimodal transportation is key to reducing the city’s carbon footprint and thereby helping to slow climate change. Transportation is currently the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and is a significant contributor to air pollution. By expanding transportation systems, the city can encourage development density, which will help the city balance urban growth with preservation of natural systems. Natural ecosystems have other benefits, too, such as stormwater retention, stormwater filtration, recreation, and connecting residents to their enironment.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. Kansas City must embrace new technologies, policies, and practices to stay current with the fast pace of a changing climate and the resulting impacts.

TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RELATED GOALS

The Playbook identifies 10 Citywide Goals for Kansas City. Those that are directly related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic are highlighted below:

Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city

Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. That includes emission of greenhouse gases from vehicles. But another big part of transportation’s impact is poor decisions about land use that end up requiring more resources and utilities to support and that spread out cities, making people more reliant on longer, single-person trips. The city must develop and promote solutions to reduce, maybe even eliminate, transportation’s impact on the environment. The Plan will meet this goal through strategies like thoughtful, equitable transit and transitoriented development (TOD); creating safe, walkable, mixed-use environments where people can live, work, and play in proximity and focusing on renewable energy for a variety of transportation options, such as buses, transit, and electric vehicles.

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity

Vulnerable populations often are more directly affected by changes and deficiencies in environmental health. For example, when severe storms hit, disinvested neighborhoods in locations prone to flooding are most impacted. These effects can be long-lasting and can contribute to long-term intergenerational disparities in health and wealth. People with diverse needs can grow and thrive in a built environment that repairs these inequities and has solid foundations for health and physical safety.

Environment for People of All Ages: Create an environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age in place

Climate change will have detrimental impacts on Kansas Citians of all ages, with more vulnerable groups being particularly at risk. Focusing on environmental sustainability and resiliency helps ensure future generations will have access to healthy, safe places to live and that seniors are safe and can connect to their natural environment. Ensuring access to clean air and water; encouraging active transportation to reduce carbon emissions; investing in clean energy and energy-efficient infrastructure and programs; and ensuring everyone can access green spaces for outdoor recreation and health are all needed to plan for the future and address environmental challenges now.

Healthy Environment: Promoting a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency

A healthy city develops in ways that promote the well-being of citizens and the health of the ecological systems that support them. The preservation of important ecological systems and lands (e.g., wetlands and riparian environments) must be a priority. Development must happen in harmony with these spaces, not just by mitigating impact to them. Reducing pollutants and other contaminants in the air, water, and soils is also part of achieving that harmony. The city can build more resiliency against climate impacts by developing systems and policies that can predict and adapt to change. For example, green infrastructure can be designed to cushion the blow from adverse events like storms, flooding, drought or invasive plants. Community education and organization will bolster this resiliency, especially in emergencies.

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture

Historic sites that are found in open spaces and natural habitats must be preserved and enhanced. The effects of climate change on public art and architecture that showcase Kansas City’s history and define community character should be monitored closely.

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand a system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces

Parks and open spaces are the metaphorical lungs of cities. If developed to retain their natural systems, they can absorb and filter stormwater, grow native plants that don’t need much extra water or added nutrients, and provide habitat for wildlife. During severe storms, which are becoming more common with climate change, they mitigate damage from flooding. Trees provide cooling shade, filter out pollutants in the air, and provide a chance to experience nature in the city.

TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RELATED GOALS

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

Smart cities use technology and data to make transportation, energy, waste management, and other urban systems more efficient and sustainable. With more efficient systems, they can reduce their environmental impact. For example, smart traffic systems can reduce congestion and air pollution, while smart grid technology can deliver more efficient energy use and increased use of renewable energy sources. Smart waste management systems can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and increase recycling rates.

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong, desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Strong neighborhoods depend on a clean, healthy environment, with attractive green spaces and without hazards or exposure to contamination.

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure sustainable, equitable growth, and revitalization

How and where the city grows can have serious repercussions for the natural environment and the city’s contributions to climate change. City investments and development decisions must anticipate the impacts of climate change and prevent climate change from exacerbating social or economic disparities. They must also create sustainable revitalization over time, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air and water quality.

Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development

As the climate changes, the built environment must flex and adapt to new needs, mitigate the damage done by stronger storms, and try to lessen the detrimental effects of these weather events on delicate ecosystems. Quality design must include these considerations.

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic:

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TOPIC: ENVIONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RELATED OBJECTIVES

Objectives secondarily related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic:

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MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of action items related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic will result in:

• Future growth and development that is in harmony with natural systems.
• Clean soils, air, and water reduced exposure to pollutants, improved health outcomes, and reduced environmental justice disparities.
• Healthy natural habitats and stream corridors created and preserved.
• Green infrastructure in public spaces that manage stormwater, improve water quality, reduce the urban heat island effect, and beautify the city.
• Improved preparedness for natural disasters and other hazards will reduce exposure to potential threats and improve neighborhood liability.
• Mitigation of the effects of climate change will reduce harmful impacts, particularly for populations that are most vulnerable to those impacts.
• A system of open spaces that are equitably distributed across the city and increased opportunities for better physical and mental health.
• A robust and interconnected trail system that links all parks and open spaces, allowing for greater access and more mobility for all Kansas Citians.

The Playbook identifies Measures of Success that help the city gauge whether it is meeting the goals and objectives of the plan. The following are metrics related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic:

• Greenhouse gas emissions (by sector) - (Decrease)
• Share of population in complete community areas (minority and low-income populations) - (Increase)
• Total vehicle miles traveled (Decrease)
• Urban tree canopy coverage (Increase)

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

Housing, the most essential need for citizens, is a core component of any city. In Kansas City, there are rural neighborhoods, areas with low-density single-family housing, dense urban development, and variations in between. It’s critical that the city’s housing and neighborhood initiatives accommodate a variety of housing types (single family, multi-family, apartments, etc.), and affordability in rent and property value. Housing policies should help ensure equitable access to housing choice, desirable neighborhoods, employment opportunities, and transportation options. By considering these factors, Kansas City will be able to provide adequate housing to people of all income levels, races, and ages in a way that strengthens the community fabric of all regions in the city.

Neighborhoods form the physical and social framework of the entire city, and the overall success of the city is linked to the livability of each neighborhood. The city’s unique, desirable, accessible neighborhoods are perhaps the biggest reason for the excellent quality of life Kansas City is known for. The value of successful neighborhoods has been understood since before the adoption of FOCUS, the previous comprehensive plan. FOCUS stated, “In order for Kansas City to be the successful New American City, neighborhoods must be livable. Livable neighborhoods connect people physically and socially. They have an identity based on physical character, people, history, or resident involvement. They meet the housing needs and desires of people. And they are healthy in terms of housing conditions, neighborhood cleanliness, and the health of the people who live in them. Neighborhood identity, connectedness, health, and meeting the housing needs of all are essential to building the New American City.”

Recognizing that some neighborhoods historically have experienced disinvestment and abandonment, this plan must work to eliminate those practices, mitigate past inequities, and prevent future inequities. The Playbook provides strategies to strengthen and revitalize distressed and abandoned neighborhoods, while preventing displacement of residents as reinvestment occurs.

To be successful, Kansas City’s neighborhoods must meet the housing needs of the diverse people and families that live in them. To do so requires equitable access to affordable, safe, and sustainable housing. Stable housing creates and reinforces strong, enduring neighborhoods and communities, which benefits the city overall. Residents in these neighborhoods also must be able to meet their daily needs near their homes, which means neighborhoods need to provide access to job opportunities, schools, health care, shopping, food access, and recreation, resulting in a complete community.

The city must continue to build community capacity and strengthen its partnerships with community leaders to solve problems and improve neighborhoods. The city must ensure new development reinforces and enhances existing and desired neighborhood character. Lastly, the city must balance future infill development and investment in existing neighborhoods with outward growth.

Strong and desirable neighborhoods need high-quality infrastructure and city services, enhancements to neighborhood identity, access to public amenities, well-maintained homes and properties, and a safe environment. Investment and attention toward each of these will further solidify Kansas City as a high-quality, engaging, safe, and desirable city.

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Housing and Neighborhoods are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Goal are highlighted below.

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life.

Unique neighborhoods in Kansas City should develop with a diversity of housing and services can meet the needs of current residents and open the doors to future residents. In a rich community, people can invest in their public spaces, private homes, and businesses, and express their unique identity.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements.

Aesthetic elements, whether new or historic, delineate the boundaries and character of a neighborhood, which fosters a unique sense of place and anchors communities in their locations. New investment in existing communities should build on existing character, and projects in newer areas of the city should help create new, unique character.

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED BIG IDEAS

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner. Equitable, sustainable development will bring reinvestment in existing neighborhoods where it is needed and also create high-quality new neighborhoods. Sustainable development will help ensure the city can provide reliable services to neighborhoods while also improving the health and resiliency of our environment.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system. Providing mobility options that give residents safe, affordable, and convenient access to their daily needs is essential to strong, equitable, and desirable neighborhoods.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions. Future-proofing Kansas City will better prepare all neighborhoods for coming events, trends, and new technologies.

RELATED GOALS

The Playbook identifies 10 citywide Goals for Kansas City. Those that are directly related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic are bolded below:

Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city Walkable neighborhoods with good sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transportation are the physical and social foundation of a connected community. Neighborhoods should provide mobility options that reduce reliance on automobiles and give all citizens equal means to move around the city, regardless of economic constraints or physical ability. A land-use framework in neighborhoods that supports a mix of housing options and of uses designed to accommodate walking and biking is also important in creating connected communities. Neighborhoods should be complete communities that provide safe, convenient access to residents’ daily needs. Coordinating housing and transit access with job centers improves equitable access to employment and reduces long commutes.

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity Housing can either perpetuate or reduce disparities. Done well, housing can help create strong neighborhoods that embrace diversity and promote economic opportunity. Housing that puts people near resources, jobs and services and meets the needs of a diverse community is key to the health of a neighborhood.

Environment for People of All Ages: Create an environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age in place Successful neighborhoods support people through all stages of their lives. They have public infrastructure, housing, services, and programs to sustain and reinforce residents’ ability to live and thrive over time. Vibrant mixed-use environments, walkable and accessible streets, and public-realm infrastructure build these places. Affordable, mixed-age housing promotes social cohesion and community engagement.

Healthy Environment: Promoting a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency A healthy environment is the foundation of healthy neighborhoods. Clean air, high-quality water, and energy-efficient housing benefits residents’ health and pocketbooks. Access to green space and nature benefit residents’ mental and physical health.

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED GOALS

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture

Kansas City’s history and cultural legacy was born in its diverse neighborhoods. Preserving and interpreting significant historic districts districts, streets, buildings, and sites can protect and promote this legacy. Planning development with community input will help ensure that future housing and commercial spaces reflect the character and cultural heritage of a neighborhood. Public art also can reflect this history and culture, especially if it’s done with or by residents. Cultural districts can designate and promote a neighborhood’s cultural identity. However, the city should also consider that such a designation could spur gentrification and lessen housing affordability. To address that risk, the city could enact measures to support a neighborhood’s existing culture and community, such as community land trusts or organizations to preserve affordable spaces for community uses. Programming such as community festivals and events also helps foster community cohesion and celebration.

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand a system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces

Parks and open spaces are neighborhoods’ play areas, gathering spaces, and outdoor gyms. They are essential to creating and sustaining healthy neighborhoods and communities.

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

Smart City innovation and technology uses data generated by residents and communities to optimize city functions that serve residents and communities. These technologies can provide economic growth and improve residents’ quality-of-life.

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong, desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Equitable access to affordable and diverse housing types is the cornerstone of strong, accessible neighborhoods. This begins with allowing higher density and diversity of housing that can be integrated into existing neighborhoods and help build the framework of strong, new neighborhoods. Requirements and incentives for affordable housing improve equitable access to housing for people at a diversity of income levels. This is particularly important in areas that already have high housing costs. Ensuring a mix of types, sizes, and prices of housing helps people of all ages and means enter the housing market, build wealth, and invest financially in their neighborhoods.

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure sustainable, equitable growth, and revitalization

The city must develop, support, and encourage strategic policies and investments for sustainable, equitable housing and neighborhood development development. That means directing investment to established and distressed neighborhoods and accommodating the development of new neighborhoods in previously undeveloped areas in a fiscally and environmentally sustainable way. Community engagement – asking what residents and communities value and need in their neighborhoods - is also critical to equitable growth. Supporting local economic development continues to give agency to residents and business owners, which will promote sustainable, enduring growth and revitalization.

Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development

As the climate changes, the built environment must flex and adapt to new needs, mitigate the damage done by stronger storms, and try to lessen the detrimental effects of these weather events on delicate ecosystems. Quality design must include these considerations.

TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic:

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TOPIC: HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of action items related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic will result in:

• Housing access, options, and affordability will be equitably available in all neighborhoods in Kansas City.
• Funds for capital projects (i.e., infrastructure) will be equitably invested across the city.
• Livable neighborhoods that increase community connections and neighborhood and overall community resilience.
• Diverse housing stock that provides options for various housing types and prices to accommodate varied lifestyle preferences and income.
• Individual neighborhoods will be able to highlight what is unique about their community while staying connected to and having pride in the broader community.

The Playbook identifies Measures of Success that help the city gauge whether it is meeting the goals and objectives of the plan. The following metrics relate to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic:

• At-risk affordable housing units (Decrease)
• Broadband access (Increase)
• Displacement risk ratio (Decrease)
• Evictions (Decrease)
• Land use entropy index (mixed-use development) - (Increase)
• Life expectancy (Increase)
• Low-income cost-burdened renter households (Decrease)
• New housing permits (infill vs. greenfield areas) (Increase)
• New income-restricted affordable housing units (Increase)
• Number of bedrooms per unit entropy score (Increase)
• Population with access to a park (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - (Increase)
• Population with access to a trail (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - (Increase)
• Residential building size entropy score (Increase)
• Share of population in complete community areas (minority and low-income populations) - (Increase)
• Vacant lots (continually distressed vs. elsewhere) - (Decrease)

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

Land use and development relates to how different types of land uses are arranged throughout the city, as well as the design, character and scale of buildings and other site improvements. The Playbook advocates for the creation of a beautiful city, and quality design in new buildings and development is critical to achieve that aspiration.

The Global Design Guidelines and the Development Form and Context Guidelines are new tools proposed in the Playbook to ensure basic quality design standards are met citywide while also taking into consideration the specific form and context that the project is situated in. In addition to these guidelines, the Playbook also outlines how and where growth should occur and how the city can shape development through transportation and infrastructure investments and new policies. Public investments and new developments must occur in a fiscally sustainable, environmentally sustainable, and equitable way. Additionally, there must be a balance between ensuring new investments and development benefit established areas and revitalize distressed areas, while also accommodating new growth in previously undeveloped areas.

Importance of land use planning

Cities are a complex mix of social, environmental, and economic needs and forces. That’s why land use planning is needed - to balance diverse needs to meet the greatest good. Land use planning needs to be driven by communities in all parts of Kansas City. In the past, some communities, such as communities of people of color, have often not been fully represented in discussions about land use in the city. Considerate land use planning guides responsible development for everyone, and it can give people in under-represented communities agency and opportunity (see Community Development and Revitalization Objective and Diversity and Opportunity Goal for more).

To grow strategically and meet the goals of the Playbook, thoughtful land use planning is required. For example, with deliberate land use planning, the city can create complete communities in which people can meet all of their basic needs within their community. It can also work towards revitalizing specific areas to generate more equity, public engagement, diversity, affordable housing, and mitigating the displacement that can come with rapid redevelopment. Thoughtful land use planning will create attractive, diverse, community-focused neighborhoods where citizens feel empowered to invest their time and build their lives without fear of displacement (see Displacement Mitigation Objective for more).

Land use and development decisions that are coordinated with transportation and transit decision will help Kansas City residents and visitors efficiently and safely move around the city and give businesses and employers access to goods, customers and employees (see Transportation Topic and the Business Attraction and Retention and Community Development and Revitalization Objectives for more). If done right, thoughtful land use planning and the resulting development can attract and retain businesses and jobs and build resilient economic districts. It will guide – and limit - public improvements such as roads and utilities, so the city doesn’t outstretch its ability to meet service and maintenance needs today and in the future (see Development Patterns Objective for more). Considerate land use planning will also build on the city’s outstanding open space network so everyone can access parks and green spaces and protect natural ecosystems and the benefits derived from those ecosystems (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective for more).

Much of the city’s land use planning occurs in the area plan process. Kansas City is divided into eighteen Area Plans, and each has a completed plan that was created with extensive community input. These area plans address an array of issues such as transportation, public spaces, and housing, in addition to land uses. Land use recommendations in area plans should be used to evaluate and guide future development and zoning changes. Area plans should be updated regularly, in line with the goals of the Playbook, especially in areas undergoing abundant development.

Creating Quality Development

One of the five Big Ideas of the comprehensive plan is to “Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high quality design in public spaces and buildings, private development, and capital improvements.” To achieve this vision for the city, the Playbook lays out three tools that should be used together in the development review process and in decision-making related to public investments and improvements.

The Goal Supporting Criteria is a set of questions that help to determine if a project or initiative is in line with the comprehensive plan and its goals.

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

The Global Design Guidelines relate to quality design characteristics that are wanted everywhere, regardless of the community context of a particular site. Development Form and Context Guidelines describe how the built environment should look, feel, and function (independent of the type of land use) in a particular area. These guidelines should be applied in both a reactive way (used to evaluate individual development proposals) and in a proactive way (to incorporate relevant components into the city's development code and apply new zoning tools). The city's most-recently updated area plans have Development Form Maps and Guidelines. Those Development Form Guidelines are incorporated into the Playbook and will now be applied citywide.

The Development Form Guidelines provide design guidance that is specific to the form (corridor, node, district, neighborhood, downtown) that a project site is located in. Development form generally describes the typical physical character of an area. These guidelines are intended to help ensure that new development is compatible with the existing and desired form of an area.

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Neighborhoods are areas for household living featuring primarily residential land uses but occasionally supported by related civic or institutional uses (parks, community centers, schools). There are a variety of neighborhoods that differ primarily by: the mix of building types; the design character of buildings and public spaces; the road patterns and civic space (parks, boulevards, etc.)

Corridors are linear land use patterns typically along major roadways that quickly transition to different patterns – either at nodes or off of side streets (1/2 to 1 block depth of corridor pattern is typical). Corridors are generally Residential or Mixed-Use. Corridors are typically major roadways that connect districts, nodes, and neighborhoods featuring a greater density of commercial and/or residential uses. Corridors represent more than mere physical connections. They also link history, culture, and ideas. Like all cities, Kansas City is made up of many corridors. In all their varieties, they provide an overlapping web, which gives the city form and enriches the lives of its residents. Corridors link areas within and outside the city, provide settings for important amenities, and establish a series of landmarks by which to navigate.

Nodes are small, compact areas that diverge from the surrounding patterns, but due to scale and design complement both the function and character of the area. Nodes typically occur at or adjacent to the intersection of major corridors. Nodes can have different intensities of use and building scale.

Districts are regional destinations that are a distinct place (i.e., different from surrounding areas) with common activities or themes among uses, the intensity of building patterns, the design characteristics of buildings and civic spaces. Districts typically have a defined 'center' and recognized edges or transitions to surrounding areas.

Downtown form typology is for Kansas City's regional center for culture, entertainment, employment, government, and transportation. The downtown context generally has the highest land use densities and intensities. Transit, bike, and pedestrian-oriented design is very important in these areas.

The Development Form Guidelines contain specific guidelines across several categories that are related to development. These development form categories including: architectural character, site arrangement, transitions and screening, public and semi-public spaces, access and circulation, and sustainability.

In the Quality Development objective, CSA QD-2 recommends that the Development Form Guidelines be revised to include Context guidelines as well that take into consideration the typical land uses and the overall character of an area. Contexts seen in Kansas City include a diverse range from rural to suburban to urban.

The Development Form and Context Guidelines should be used in conjunction with the Global Design Guidelines (see CSA

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

QD-1 for more) to ensure that quality development is happening citywide, but that the development is still sensitive to the existing form and context of an area. City staff and development applicants should use these tools to guide decision making for any development project or capital improvement. For example, any property that requires a rezoning, a special use permit, receives tax incentives, or requires a development plan should be subject to these guidelines.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Land Use and Development Topic are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Land Use and Development Topic are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Connected City Goal are highlighted below.

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life

• Land use planning can shape zoning and regulations governing development to encourage a variety of uses and housing types. Area Planning processes can identify places and strategies to build walkable mixed-use development and more housing variety.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements

• Thoughtful land use planning and development guidelines are the foundation for beautiful public and private spaces. Development that reinforces city goals, meets community needs, and creates complete communities will look attractive and be positively experienced as a whole.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner

• Land use planning directs where to develop, but also where not to develop. The city can reinforce its development goals by preserving natural spaces for habitat and for the advantages these spaces bring, such as benefits for human health and well-being. Effective land use planning will ensure development patterns are fiscally and environmentally sustainable and that new growth is equitable.

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

RELATED BIG IDEAS

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system When done effectively, new development can bridge physical barriers and create connections where there were few or none (see Global Design Guidelines). Diverse modes of transportation and thoughtful, equitable transportation planning can support new and revitalized development. Transportation infrastructure can determine where growth happens and what type of land use fits a site. Land use and transportation systems reinforce each other, which is why they need to be planned together to ensure new development can accommodate multimodal transportation and increase connectivity.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions Land use and development patterns have a significant impact on the environment, climate, and the city’s resiliency in the face of climate change. The city should evaluate emerging trends and technologies to determine how they can influence shifts in land use patterns.

RELATED GOALS

The Playbook identifies 10 citywide Goals for Kansas City. Those that are directly related to the Land Use and Development Topic are bolded below:

Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city To create a well-connected city, land use and transportation must be planned in tandem (see “Maximizing Connections” in the Big Ideas). Creating complete streets builds the bones of compact, walkable development with safe, multimodal streets and transit that can access diverse destinations. The focus is on making safe, convenient, and equitable connections that link development thoughtfully and proactively.

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity Land use decisions can support diversity and create equitable opportunities in Kansas City. Thoughtfully planned land use and development patterns can encourage new investment in distressed areas. Land use planning, especially coordinated with transportation planning, can also improve access to jobs and support more diversified and dense housing closer to mixed-use and employment areas. One of the city’s most pressing issues is a lack of affordable housing. Land use policies can help reduce this scarcity, reduce concentrated poverty and increase economic growth.

Environment for People of All Ages: Create an environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age in place Sustainable land use and development practices create livable, walkable communities with a mix of affordable and diverse housing, transportation options, recreational and cultural amenities, and access to employment and daily needs, all which accommodate a diverse range of and lifestyles.

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

RELATED GOALS

Healthy Environment: Promoting a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency

Decisions about land use and development have significant impact on the environment and native ecology and habitat. When done correctly, development can occur in harmony with natural systems, improve air and water quality, and help make Kansas City more resilient to climate change. Urbanization increases the demand for energy and transportation and consumes land that may be used for food production and habitat. But thoughtfully planned land use and development patterns can preserve open spaces, help reduce vehicle trips and greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce energy consumption. Preserving green spaces also supports environmental and human health by improving air and water quality while promoting physical and mental health. Strategies that support the goal of a healthy environment also bolster compact development, active transportation and transit, and preservation of open spaces and sensitive environments. Sustainable building methods and materials encourage energy-efficient construction and lower utility costs over time.

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture

Land use and development practices can preserve historic and cultural resources by incorporating them into the design of new developments. As development occurs it is important to ensure historic buildings are preserved and reused, historic sites are protected, and the community’s character and culture is reflected in the design.

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand a system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces

Land use and development plays a critical role in protecting Kansas City’s system of parks and open spaces. Area plans and other citywide plans should identify these spaces, so they are integrated and preserved as new development occurs.

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

Smart city technologies can be a useful tool in land use and development. They can help evaluate the fiscal and environmental impacts impacts of future land use plans or proposed investments in transportation and infrastructure. A digital twin model can illustrate and evaluate development proposals. The city should monitor and evaluate emerging trends and technologies for land use implications.

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong, desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Land use planning can shape zoning and regulations to encourage development with a diversity of uses and housing types. Area planning processes can identify areas where there is an opportunity for more walkable, mixed-use development and more housing diversity. Land use and development policies are key in establishing and bolstering accessible neighborhoods (see the “Fostering Neighborhoods” Big Idea). Strategies to attract and retain a diverse community of people and equitable access to affordable housing, jobs, recreation, and services will result in enduring, livable neighborhoods.

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure sustainable, equitable growth, and revitalization

Targeted investments in public infrastructure (for example, roads, and sewers) will guide growth and development patterns in previously undeveloped areas. Public investments and policies can encourage new private investment in areas that need it, too. These two types of growth must be balanced, but the overall development pattern should be equitable and sustainable. The city’s development pattern and growth should be environmentally and fiscally sustainable and must not outstretch limited funds for services and maintenance. Land use and development strategies can steer physical investments to ensure growth and revitalization are sustainable and equitable. Compact, walkable, mixed-use development will conserve natural resources and reduce transportation costs. Transit-oriented development, which focuses development on land near public transportation, promotes sustainability and reduces dependence on cars. Targeting the redevelopment of brownfields and vacant or underused sites promotes growth and revitalization while protecting the environment and public health. Underpinning all efforts, community involvement in the development process can help ensure the needs and priorities of all Kansas Citians, including low-income and marginalized communities, are considered.

TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

RELATED GOALS

Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development Land use and development standards, guidelines, and processes help both private development and public investments be cohesive in character and high in quality (see also “Create a physically beautiful city” Big Idea). These standards ensure new buildings and public spaces are functional, attractive, and contextually appropriate. The Global Design Guidelines and Development Form and Context Guidelines should be used to evaluate new development and public investments to ensure proposed projects meet design standards and potential design problems are identified and addressed early in the development process. Urban design plans and regulations guide the overall form and design of an area and help ensure new development enhances the existing character of the neighborhood. Public participation in the design process helps ensure new development meets community needs and priorities and responds to the local context. Protecting and enhancing the city’s heritage and historic sites during development encourages the conservation and adaptive reuse of important cultural resources and promotes high-quality design with a sense of place.

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Land Use and Development Topic:

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TOPIC: LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT

RELATED OBJECTIVES

Objectives secondarily related to the Land Use and Development Topic:

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MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of action items related to the Housing and Neighborhoods Topic will result in:

• Sustainable, equitable growth in Kansas City
• New development and redevelopment in development priority areas
• Denser population and employment in areas prioritized for redevelopment
• Cohesion of zoning and land use so city regulations establish the long-range goals of the comprehensive plan
• Transportation systems, from transit, to highways, to parking lots and curb spaces, will work with land use planning to achieve the city’s vision.
• Preservation of natural spaces that balances the economic value and growth with the benefits to the environment and communities.

The Playbook identifies Measures of Success that help the city gauge whether it is meeting the goals and objectives of the Plan. The following metrics relate to the Land Use and Development Topic:

• Infrastructure lifecycle costs (infill vs. greenfield areas) - (Decrease)
• Jobs accessible by 30-minute transit trip (Increase)
• Land use entropy index (mixed-use development) - (Increase)
• New housing permits (infill vs. greenfield areas) - (Increase)
• Number of bedrooms per unit entropy score (Increase)
• Permit construction value (infill vs. greenfield areas) - (Increase)
• Public garage, lot, and curb subsidy (by area type) - (Decrease)
• Share of population in complete community areas (minority and low-income populations) - (Increase)
• Surface parking lot area (by area type) - (Decrease)
• Vacant lots (Decrease)

TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

Public spaces and amenities are areas that are accessible to everyone. They can be privately owned locations, too, that are open to public use. Typical public spaces are parks, streets and curbs, sidewalks, plazas, public gathering places, public facilities, and green spaces. Their design reflects and is shaped by the people who use them. Public spaces help define neighborhoods and give them identity. If they are designed well, with various ways for people to use them, these areas can become important civic gathering places for community events. Because public spaces can play such an important role in community life, the city must plan for them at the start of new capital improvement and development projects rather than retrofitting them into existing areas.

Parks and open spaces, including boulevards, parkways, and trails that connect green spaces, are vital vital to the physical health and wellbeing of Kansas Citians. They are part of healthy, livable neighborhoods (see also Complete Communities and Environmental Health and Resiliency Objectives). A major aim of the KC Spirit Playbook is to expand the parks system into all areas of the city.

In addition to parks, the city’s cultural, recreational, shopping, entertainment, outdoor destinations make it inviting and attractive and support a high quality of life. Amenities only found in Kansas City draw people from all over the region and give it an identity as a fun, eventful place to be. To maintain that identity, the city should strive to expand and support cultural and entertainment districts, festivals, and community events. Ensuring equitable access to these amenities adds to the desirability of neighborhoods and the city overall.

Quality public spaces can make it easier to get around the city for all modes of transportation. Landscaping and green infrastructure should be maximally used to help manage stormwater runoff, improve air and water quality, and reduce urban heat islands.

Public spaces and amenities are necessary for a strong, complete, community-focused society. Because public space is such a valuable resource, the city should avoid converting these spaces to private use, a transition that’s difficult to reverse. The city must improve the appearance, accessibility, programming, and use of parks, public spaces, and other amenities for people at all income levels and in a diversity of contexts across the city.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has 15 Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic are highlighted below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced longterm disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

RELATED BIG IDEAS

There are 5 Big Ideas for Kansas City in the Playbook. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those that are closely related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic are highlighted in grey below.

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life Public spaces are most vital and most used when there is a diversity of users. This means creating space for people of all ages and incomes that can be used throughout the day and year. Public spaces offer flexibility for pop-up commercial or community events that can add to amenities that create complete communities. These shouldn’t replace permanent spaces, but they can quickly add vitality to a community.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements Public spaces should reflect the character of a neighborhood or city. Through high-quality design, developers connect to that character and promote civic pride. These spaces often spark adjacent residential and retail development, which means there is a financial incentive to create attractive public spaces and maintain them over time.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner Public spaces include open, undeveloped green spaces that have many benefits for the city. To protect natural resources and environmental systems, the city needs to identify spaces that should remain undeveloped and undisturbed.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system How easily all Kansas Citians can access a public space is tied to the quality of that space. Parks and other public spaces intended for active use and public gatherings must be equally accessible by walking, biking, transit, or other transportation.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions Changes in climate and weather patterns are expected to bring significant shifts to the natural systems and infrastructure the city depends on. Planning for and protecting open, undeveloped spaces is vital for a more resilient city.

TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

RELATED GOALS

The Playbook identifies 10 citywide Goals for Kansas City. Those that are directly related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic are bolded below:

Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city

Functional, vital public spaces are those everyone can access, easily and equally. Having a variety of mobility options supports that access.

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity

Strong public spaces and amenities generate and support healthy public environments, and those environments create economic opportunity and support diversity.

Environment for People of All Ages: Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place

Public spaces can give people opportunities for social interaction, income, and physical activity.

Healthy Environment: Promote a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency

Public spaces are key in a healthy city. They promote active mobility, such as walking and cycling, which can reduce the number of cars on the road, reduce air pollution, and improve public health. In well-designed public spaces, people can exercise, play, and connect with nature, which promotes physical and mental health. Public spaces also contain green infrastructure such as trees and waterways, with benefits such as better air quality, water retention, and shade that can mitigate urban heat islands. They can also provide habitat for wildlife, helping to maintain biodiversity in urban areas. Spaces can be designed to be resilient to climate change effects by using sustainable design principles and materials, such as permeable surfaces, green roofs, and rain gardens, and by planting species adaptable to changing climate conditions.

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture

Art can be displayed, and culture and community celebrated in public spaces. Making public spaces that can accommodate these uses reinforces community.

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand our system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces

By zoning land as parkland or open space, the city can block development in these areas and guide planning for adjacent development in line with open spaces. Additionally, the city can require private developers to include parks, open spaces, and other types of public spaces as part of new development projects. With public-private partnerships, the city can leverage private funds to expand and maintain its system of parks, boulevards and open spaces. These may be partnerships between local government and private organizations, as well as partnerships between local government, businesses, and community groups. A strong funding mechanism, such as a parks bond or a park district, should be established as a steady source of funding to protect, improve, and expand the system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces.

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

The city should use smart city technology in public spaces to gather data and better understand urban patterns and service provision. These are opportunities to reach diverse populations on a regular basis.

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong and desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Public spaces are the glue of strong neighborhoods. They promote community engagement, social cohesion and a sense of place. People use them to reach work, school, services, shopping. They also are where people meet and build relationships that become the foundation of a robust, tolerant, and enduring community. They support affordability by providing access to transit, jobs, essential services, and public recreation. Diversity and affordability of housing allow Kansas Citians of all income levels to have a stake in their community, increasing civic participation and public safety, and fostering a greater sense of community pride.

TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

RELATED GOALS

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure that growth and revitalization are sustainable and equitable Public spaces become familiar and stable elements of all communities. They endure and, as people and businesses change around them, they continue to reflect their community.

Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development High-quality development in public spaces promotes community pride and private-sector investment. Design standards encourage private developers to create buildings and spaces that visually and functionally suit the public space. Quality public space design also improves the economic outcomes for a community by, for example, raising property values and promoting tourism.

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic:

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TOPIC: PUBLIC SPACES AND AMENITIES

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of the Playbook on issues related to Public Spaces and Amenities would result in:

• A city where neighborhoods are anchored by safe, attractive, vibrant public spaces. These spaces, from public paths like sidewalks to nodes like parks and plazas, are a forum for public connection and economic vitality.
• Economic development in and around public spaces, from big (such as large employers and retailers) to small (such as micro-businesses in smaller spaces or public spaces).
• Convenient access to parks, and safe and accessible places to walk. These promote positive public health outcomes. Walking is a low-cost form of exercise with few barriers, and public spaces are a place to do it.
• Public spaces that are well-used and active will increase public safety.
• Robust, healthy environmental systems and open spaces that help mitigate anticipated impacts of a changing climate.

The Playbook identifies Measures of Success that help the city gauge whether it is meeting the goals and objectives of the plan. The following metrics relate to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic:

• 1% for Art Locations (Increase)
• Annual visitors to Kansas City (Increase)
• Historic (or eligible for historic register listing) resources demolition (Decrease)
• Hotel tax revenue (Increase)
• Life expectancy (Increase)
• Miles of new sidewalks (Increase)
• Miles of protected bicycle facilities (Increase)
• Miles of repaired sidewalks (Increase)
• Pedestrian crossing distance between major barriers (Decrease)
• Population with access to a park (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - (Increase)
• Population with access to a trail (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - (Increase)
• Public transit access; half-mile radius by level of service (total jobs, total for minorities and low-income populations, zero-car households, affordable housing units) - (Increase)
• Share of population in complete community areas (minority and low-income populations) - (Increase)
• Urban tree canopy coverage (Increase)

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

Transportation at its most basic level is the movement of people and goods. The transportation system is an interconnected network of streets and sidewalks, bus and streetcar lines, trails, bicycle facilities, highways, railroads, major waterways, and airports. Kansas Citians need to be able to move throughout the city safely and conveniently for work, healthcare, errands, food, recreation, and socializing. Kansas City's employers and businesses need to be able to ship and receive goods and have access to customers and workers.

For decades, the public and private sectors made car transportation a priority for the city. That's why today, it's exceptionally easy to get around Kansas City by car, with limited traffic congestion. But there has been less investment in other modes of transportation, like walking, biking, and public transit. Limited investment plus increasing sprawl in the region has made moving around Kansas City increasingly difficult for people who don't have automobile, which is more common in lower-in-come households. This is an issue of equity: equal access for everyone to safe transportation means equal access for everyone to the region's opportunities.

Equity and a connected city

An important aim of the KC Spirit Playbook is to create a physically connected city that has the infrastructure people need to go where they want to go, safely and conveniently, through accessible, inviting modes of transportation. Unsafe conditions across the city's transportation system need to be fixed. The city's Vision Zero approach refuses to accept that fatalities and serious injuries are inevitable. Vision Zero aims to create a transportation system in which no one is killed or seriously injured on Kansas City streets.

In physically connected cities, neighbors from different backgrounds can meet and connect, which can bring more equal access to employment and recreational opportunities, another way to promote equity. Historically, major physical and social barriers, such as highways cutting through neighborhoods, have displaced and disconnected low-income households and minorities more than other groups. To create a well-connected city, the city needs to understand and mitigate those adverse impacts.

It's not just the means of transportation but how transportation systems are designed that determines how vital, equitable, and complete individual communities can become. In a complete community, people can access most of their daily needs within a convenient travel time from home. That means employment, shopping, services, education, and other social and recreational activities ideally can be reached within a 15-minute walk or bike ride or a short drive or ride on public transit.

Through developing complete communities, the city can promote equal access to economic opportunities and resources for everyone, regardless of where they live. Providing reliable, frequent, and seamless public transportation is key to that access. Transit is interlinked with other equity issues, too, such as sustainability, access to jobs, and affordable housing.

Land Use

Transportation systems and land use systems are interdependent. How the transportation network is designed and used depends on the density and design of adjacent land uses. Conversely, transportation systems help determine how land is used. A well-designed transportation system has adequate access and also meets the needs of all types of development. Investments in new transportation facilities have a big impact on how and where the city grows. Those investments should be used to guide sustainable development patterns.

Building, operating, and maintaining the transportation system requires an enormous public investment. Without proper planning, a transportation system can outgrow the municipality's means to pay for it. Such a situation would have long-lasting financial and societal implications. To avoid it, the city must use emerging technologies and smart city data to better monitor how transit systems are performing and to plan for future system improvements. New trends in transportation technology and more frequent remote work arrangements will impact travel patterns and demand new policies and practices.

Parking and curb management may seem like a minor consideration, but they area a key part of the transportation system.

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

It covers off-street parking, including in public and private lots and garages, and curb or on-street parking. It also includes other uses of the curb, such as pick-up/drop-off, loading, parklets, outdoor dining, bike/scooter parking, street landscaping and other amenities. Regulation of private development, management of on-street and curb parking, management of city-owned parking lots or garages, and coordination with private sector parking garage/lot owners are all tools the city can use to address parking and curb use.

Transportation and Economy

On a larger scale, transportation systems impact the city’s and the region’s economy. Kansas City is a massive hub of freight activity. Numerous geographical and physical attributes give us advantage when it comes to moving goods. The multimodal freight network facilitates that movement not just for residents but for the region and the United States as a whole. This has been the case for centuries. Kansas City’s location as the most centrally situated city in the United States has, over time, reinforced its importance as a cargo hub, particularly for rail freight.

Safely moving people and goods is essential for Kansas City. An efficient, accessible, and safe transportation system will improve Kansas Citians’ quality of life, the environment, and the economy. Kansas City must continue to maintain and improve its interconnected, multimodal transportation systems. The Playbook charts a path forward for transportation that is equitable, safe, efficient, and multimodal.

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has fifteen Vision Statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Transportation Topic are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at livable wages for our residents.

Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.

Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.

Equitable and Fiscal Sustainability: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.

Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.

History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.

Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.

KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.

Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

Mobility Options: Our well connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.

Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.

Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.

Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.

Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Environment and Climate Change Topic are highlighted below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.

Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.

Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.

Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.

Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.

Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.

Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.

Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.

Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

RELATED BIG IDEAS

There are five Big Ideas for Kansas City in the Playbook. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those that are closely related to the Public Spaces and Amenities Topic are highlighted in grey below.

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life

Transit-oriented development is crucial to the goal of providing diverse housing choices, ranging from single-family homes to duplexes to multifamily apartment complexes. Creating dense, affordable housing along public transit routes reduces the transportation burden on low-income households, increases equal access to transit, and provides ridership support to transit systems.

Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements

Much of the city’s transportation systems operate in public spaces. These spaces are designed, equitable access to all transportation options should be ensured while also creating attractive, inviting streetscapes.

Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner

By providing reliable, fast public transit, the city can reduce the number of individual vehicles on the road. Reduced emissions and stormwater runoff will improve the quality of air and water systems.

Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system

Our transportation system gives us physical mobility around the city. This system must support all means of mobility and eliminate barriers to easy, convenient transportation.

Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions

New technologies are emerging in the transportation realm, such as electric vehicles, autonomous cars, smart parking, transportation communication systems, and data analytics). These systems will help Kansas City maintain safe and efficient mobility even as the climate, technology, resources, and society change dramatically over the coming decades.

RELATED GOALS

The Playbook identifies ten Citywide Goals for Kansas City. Those that are directly related to the Transportation Topic are highlighted in grey below:

Connected City: Increase mobility options and create a more connected city

The city is connected physically, socially, and culturally through public spaces. Public rights-of-way account for the largest portion of these spaces. A variety of transportation options in the rights-of-way (such as driving, transit, walking, and biking) provides people with more opportunities for connecting with each other and for recreational activities in a safe, convenient, and enjoyable environment.

Diversity and Opportunity: Ensure the built environment strives to eliminate disparities, embrace diversity, and create economic opportunity

Transportation has significant equity and economic implications. Prioritizing improvements to the transportation system in areas of distress and disinvestment would greatly improve safety, quality of life, and mobility for the city’s most vulnerable residents. This will give residents greater connections between jobs, essential services, recreation, and affordable housing. Additionally, sectors of the economy are highly dependent on transportation,

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

RELATED GOALS

from manufacturing, shipping and logistics to receiving goods at offices and stores. Supporting the movement of goods through the transportation system will support economic and job growth for the city.

Environment for People of All Ages: Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place

Housing and transportation preferences are changing for people of all ages. More people are choosing to live in walkable, bikeable areas with good access to transit. The cost of buying and maintaining a vehicle may be one reason for this trend. Or a physical disability might make driving difficult. Or people may be seeking a more active, sustainable lifestyle. Safe, convenient, and efficient transportation options will attract young people to Kansas City and give residents the means to age in place, even if they don’t have access to a personal vehicle.

Healthy Environment: Promote a healthy city through environmental sustainability and resiliency

Transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to air pollution and climate change. Air pollution, in turn, leads to chronic diseases such as asthma and hypertension. If residents use public transit more often and personal vehicles less, there will be fewer greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality. Another environmental challenge that accompanies transportation infrastructure is stormwater runoff, a result of the large, paved areas needed for that infrastructure. Reducing the number of surface parking lots and large expanses of impermeable, paved surfaces will lead to less stormwater runoff and a lower risk of flash floods. Moreover, a comprehensive multimodal network will improve public health by encouraging people to walk and bike as part of their travel.

History, Arts, and Culture: Preserve and celebrate our community character, history, arts, and culture

Transportation is part of Kansas City’s history. Streetcars and the boulevard system are unique to the city and to the character of distinct communities and should be preserved and interpreted as part of the city’s legacy.

Parks and Open Spaces: Protect and expand our system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces

Transportation in Kansas City can be both a mode of movement and an experience. Thoughtful, equitable transportation links communities to parks and open spaces, and boulevards are valued elements of the transportation and green space networks.

Smart City: Create a smart city through innovation and new technology

Many of the most-used smart technologies apply to city transportation. Data, innovation, tools, and applications span all aspects of the transportation network. It is important that the city continues to invest in, adapt to, and use new technology to tackle complex issues in the transportation network.

Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods: Create strong and desirable neighborhoods and ensure housing choice and affordability

Transportation networks are the circulatory system of neighborhoods, and last-mile transportation within them is a key consideration for their design. At the same time, neighborhoods need to connected to destinations that are farther away to effectively move goods and connect people with jobs.

Sustainable and Equitable Growth: Target physical investments strategically and ensure that growth and revitalization are sustainable and equitable

Transportation and growth are closely linked. Growth can be spurred by thoughtfully and deliberately investing in transportation. That means planning, from the start, the right type of transportation investment in the right place, given the high upfront and long-term maintenance costs of transportation infrastructure. The development of the transportation system helps determine what land uses and developments are viable. The reverse is also true: the density and type of land use helps determine what transportation system is needed to serve the neighborhood. Well-planned transportation investments can drive equitable, sustainable growth without the city incurring a cost that outweighs the tax revenue to pay for these systems.

TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

RELATED GOALS

Well-Designed City: Promote high-quality design in public investments and development Transportation networks are a critical public investment. They can catalyze development and strongly influence how communities grow. Thoughtful transportation development goes hand-in-hand with high-quality, equitable, enduring, and responsible public investment and development.

RELATED OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies 21 Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Transportation Topic:

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Objectives secondarily related to the Transportation Topic:

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TOPIC: TRANSPORTATION

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of action items related to the Transportation Topic will result in:

• Equal, convenient, safe, and efficient travel by car, public transit, walking, or biking
• Freight movement supported at the regional level, including for deliveries to homes and businesses
• Investments targeted to the areas of greatest need
• Parking assets effectively used and managed
• Fewer vehicle miles traveled, which will improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate climate change. Fewer vehicle miles traveled also will mean fewer deaths and serious injuries on city streets, a thriving local economy, and streets that can be universally accessed and enjoyed by all.
• Transportation that connects people physically, culturally, socially, and economically.

The Playbook identifies Measures of Success that help the city gauge whether it is meeting the goals and objectives of the plan. The following metrics relate to the Transportation Topic:

• Greenhouse gas emissions (by sector) - Decrease
• Infrastructure lifecycle costs (infill vs. greenfield areas) - Decrease
• Jobs accessible by 30-minute transit trip - Increase
• Miles of new sidewalks - Increase
• Miles of protected bicycle facilities - Increase
• Miles of reduced speed limit - Increase
• Miles of repaired sidewalks - Increase
• Miles of roadway capital projects on high-injury network completed - Increase
• Number of systemic improvements completed - Increase
• Pedestrian crossing distance between major barriers - Decrease
• People killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes on city streets (equity areas) - Decrease
• Population with access to a park (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - Increase
• Population with access to a trail (minority, low-income, senior, children, zero-car households) - Increase
• Public garage, lot and curb subsidy (by area type) - Decrease
• Pubic transit access; half-mile radius by level of service (total jobs, total population, minority, population, low-income population, zero-car households, affordable housing units - Increase
• Ratio of transit commutes to drive-alone commute times - Decrease
• Share of population in complete community areas (minority and low-income populations) - Increase
• Surface parking lot area (by area type) - Decrease
• Total vehicle miles traveled - Decrease
• Transit funding per capita - Increase
• Transit ridership (unlinked passenger trips) - Increase
• Truck travel time reliability - Increase
• Value of freight throughput - Increase
• Vehicle-light households (by income; by transit access) - Increase

OBJECTIVES

The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each Objective contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction of the plan. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics; you'll see links back to these other plan elements.

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OBJECTIVE:

ACCESS TO JOBS

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To build a thriving, equitable, sustainable economy, Kansas City needs to make it easy for people to obtain and retain employment, within Kansas City and the Kansas City metro area. To support access to jobs, the city must provide a variety of transportation options for commuters and access to reliable internet for those who work remotely.

Access to jobs and job opportunities is both an equity issue and an economic development issue. If employment opportunities are primarily reachable only by personal vehicle, job opportunities and economic mobility will be more limited for lower-income workers without a car. Also, to own and maintain a car, lower-income workers spend a larger proportion of their income than higher-income workers do, which cuts into their household savings and adds to economic disparity.

Providing alternatives to commuting by car can grow the labor pool because workers are more able to access and retain employment. Alternative transit options also benefit the environment by reducing air pollution. Shorter commute times and a variety of transit options will enhance Kansas City's reputation as a desirable place to work and live, which will help businesses attract job seekers.

It's just as important that the city has the infrastructure needed to expand opportunities for remote work. That means ensuring all households in Kansas City have reliable internet. Changing preferences in where people want to work and changes in available technology can be harnessed to increase remote work and home-based businesses. The city's labor pool will grow if more residents are able to learn about, get, and retain remote work opportunities through reliable internet.

To accomplish the Access to Jobs Objective, the city must employ planning tools for land use, economic development, technology, and transportation. Collaboration with economic development and transportation partner agencies and private employers is also important.t.

By using development form guidelines and land use policies, the city should concentrate jobs and economic activity in areas well-served by public transit and other mobility infrastructure. Also, the city should prioritize upgrades to transportation access in economic corridors. Together, these strategies will improve employment access by adding jobs in existing economic hubs while increasing ways for job seekers to easily access those hubs.

OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

CONTEXT

This Objective has been impacted by many changes during the last two decades. Job sprawl, business and civic leadership, changing technology, and the COVID-19 pandemic all have changed the way planners are addressing jobs access. A key factor in creating a more equitable city, job access allows more people to access opportunities closer to where they live. Planning and Innovative Solutions: Smart Moves 3.0’s primary focus was addressing jobs access.

RECENT HISTORY

Job sprawl: During the last 20 years, jobs have continued to locate further and further away from the urban core. This makes those jobs less accessible to transit, causing workers to incur higher transportation costs and employers to incur higher business costs.

Acknowledging the problem: A 2011 study by the Brookings Institution found that fewer than 9%¹ of jobs in our region were accessible by a 60-minute transit trip. In 2018, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce adopted Transportation and Jobs Access as one of its strategic Big 5 initiatives.

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OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

CONTEXT

Planning and Innovative Solutions: Smart Moves 3.0’s primary focus was addressing jobs access. The proposed network of Fast-and-Frequent corridors, supporting bus services, and mobility hubs and flex zones would support jobs access. Because there is limited regional funding for transit operations, few of these services have been implemented.

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Pandemic Realities: Remote work has been a reality for many since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. This has made commuting less common and has opened many more job opportunities to a broad swath of Kansas City residents. Yet not every industry or occupation can support remote work, and not every household is equipped for remote work, creating inequitable outcomes in our city. In addition, a competitive labor market has made it difficult for transit agencies to retain or hire vehicle operators (drivers), which are essential for transit service.

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OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

CONTEXT

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Jobs access is an important issue for people who do not have access to a car or cannot drive for other reasons. Job sprawl hurts lower-income workers, limiting job opportunities and diminishing the available workforce. There is a strong correlation between zero-vehicle households and lower-income populations in Kansas City.

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The pandemic also revealed inequities in who can work from home, and whose homes are equipped for remote work and learning. While digital equity is an important part of jobs access, there is the large share of workers whose jobs require in-person work, which cannot be overlooked.

Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here.

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OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Jobs accessible by 30-minute transit trip (increase)
• Ratio of transit commutes to drive-alone commute times

KEY CONCEPTS

Promote concentration of jobs in transit-accessible areas

The most cost-effective way to improve jobs access is to encourage employment growth in areas already served by transit. Public transit is most viable in dense, walkable areas where buses and transit vehicles can deliver more passengers to fewer stops.

Transit operating costs typically increase annually. Without new revenue sources, expanding transit coverage to reach jobs in new employment areas is increasingly difficult. Ensuring Greater Downtown and the Central Business Corridor continue to be the center of office employment will help consolidate costs and resources. So will growing employment and the density of jobs in and around areas served by transit and in existing major employment centers such as the Plaza, Ward Parkway South, East Bottoms, the I-29 Corridor north of the river, and the area around Bannister Road and I-435.

Create affordable, mixed-use jobs centers

One way to increase employment access is to ensure major employment centers incorporate a variety of services and has housing that people can afford. This would allow people to live closer to their jobs and to complete related trips (i.e., shopping, errands, or childcare) as a part of their commute. Concentrating these activities in and near employment centers can make commuting easier. Adequate housing near a job center also can help make walking or biking to work easier and reduce dependency on personal vehicles.

Develop programs that encourage a variety of commuting options

Coordination between employers, transit providers, and regional officials to increase options for commuting can improve access to jobs. Groups of employers in business parks, manufacturing areas, institutional campuses, or other districts can coordinate with the city, Kansas City Transportation Authority (KCATA), and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), and with special financing districts, to form a Transportation Management Association (TMA) to develop strategies for more commuting options. TMAs can organize and fund carpool groups or shuttles, increase transit service, provide subsidies for a guaranteed ride home, organize vehicle sharing programs, provide free or discounted transit passes, or spearhead other programs to make it easier to commute without a car.

Ensure equitable access to online work and business opportunities

An affordable, reliable high-speed internet connection supports opportunities for remote work and other income. People frequently find and secure jobs online, so the city should partner with service providers and nonprofits to ensure internet access for everyone, bridging the “digital divide” in Kansas City. Increased internet access would open new, entirely remote jobs to people in all areas of the city. It would ease the hiring process for applicants and employers and promote flexible, remote, partially remote, and self-employment opportunities citywide. For more information, see the Smart City Technology and Trends Objective.

OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

KEY CONCEPTS

Promote concentration of jobs in transit-accessible areas

Create affordable, mixed-use jobs centers

Develop programs that encourage a variety of commuting options

Ensure equitable access to online work and business opportunities

OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS

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RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Desirable Place
• Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Regional Collaboration
• Thriving Economy

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Complete Communities

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment for People of All Ages
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Advance KC
• Smart Moves 3.0

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

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Business attraction and retention is essential to Kansas City’s economic prosperity. Through its land use policies and best practices for physical development, the city can attract and keep businesses large and small. The aim of this objective is two-fold: to support existing local businesses and convince prospective employers and employees to move here. To do that, the city needs flexible strategies that respond to innovation and rapid technological change that creates new opportunities in regional, national, and global markets. A comprehensive attraction and retention strategy is essential to prepare residents for new opportunities, facilitate investment in communities, and position Kansas City as an attractive place to start and grow a business.

Kansas City is part of the interdependent global economy, which means the city’s local economy must be healthy and balanced between small and big businesses and different types of industries. Globalization of economies across the world has lowered prices for goods and services, but often at an expense — increased vulnerability to economic shocks caused by volatility in international politics and supply chains. Kansas City historically has had some protection against those shocks, because of its robust blend of industries and central location in the United States. Facilitating economic stability is key to a successful economic development strategy.

This objective focuses on:

• Building on Kansas City’s strengths to promote economic resiliency
• Preparing residents for future careers
• Facilitating equitable access to economic prosperity
• Encouraging local businesses to grow

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of this objective will build on Kansas City's strengths and lead to an increased concentration of logistics firms, industries, and an increased diversity of Kansas City businesses. Kansas Citians will be prepared for future careers and will have access to training, educational opportunities, broadband internet, affordable childcare, reliable transportation and public transit options, and affordable housing.

BENEFITS

• Strengthening Kansas City’s position as the economic hub of the region
• Providing a unified, comprehensive strategy of economic development priorities
• Increasing economic mobility and equitable access to job markets
• Increasing variety and quality of available employment options
• Creating systems that support and encourage entrepreneurship and job creation

OBJECTIVE: BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

CONTEXT

Kansas City’s Business Attraction and Retention efforts focus on key specialty sectors of the regional economy, taking advantage of the friendly business climate and small business led growth in the area. Increasing workforce participation and access to employment opportunities are key not only for economic growth, but to create a more equitable city.

RECENT HISTORY

Target Sectors: The 2013 Advance KC Plan identified several key target sectors where Kansas City has specific strengths and should focus its business attraction efforts. These sectors include:

• Health Sciences and Services
• Financial and Technical Services
• Arts, Design, and Engineering
• Specialized Manufacturing
• Supply Chain Management
• Nonprofit Management

Jobs or site-based incentives for projects supporting these sectors are prioritized in the AdvanceKC scorecard.

Business Climate: Kansas City’s relatively low cost of living, diverse population, presence of high-quality freight and logistics infrastructure, access to high-speed internet, and favorable tax environment all contribute to a positive business climate in Kansas City.

Small Businesses Growth: Small businesses accounted for 63% of new jobs created from 2017 to 2021, according to data from KCSourceLink. These jobs account for 8% of total employment today. Kansas City has nonprofit and philanthropic resources like KCSourceLink and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, as well as City functions like KC BizCare to support small-business-owner needs.

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Workforce Development: The Kansas City Metro is supported by a strong network of major research universities, four-year colleges, community colleges, and other training facilities. The Full Employment Council helps connect workers to education, training and apprenticeships, and job opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Business attraction and retention efforts should focus on attracting and retaining living-wage jobs, especially for those with less than a four-year college degree. Addressing the digital divide is an important way to connect people to broader opportunities, in Kansas City as well as in the broader national economy. Providing Access to Jobs via public transit is also a key part of building an equitable workforce to which everyone has access.

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Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021

Additional equity indicators and important geographies are available here.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Jobs accessible by 30-minute transit trip (increase)
• Ratio of transit commutes to drive-alone commute times

OBJECTIVE: BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

KEY CONCEPTS

Build upon the strengths of Kansas City to promote economic resiliency

For strong economic growth, the city needs to emphasize its competitive advantages – its central location, low tax burdens, and growing diversity of residents.

Facilitate equitable access to economic prosperity

To best prepare for new development, Kansas City must create development strategies for underused parts of the city, especially the Blue River Ecodustrial Corridor and he 18th and Vine entertainment district. The city should also implement recommendations from small area studies, like the ProspectUs Corridor Revitalization, the Clay County 587 Plan, and other areas identified in area plans. The city must also consider redeveloping surplus and abandoned commercial and religious spaces.

Encourage growth of local businesses

Developing a holistic approach to support new and growing local businesses will strengthen Kansas City by increasing jobs and the tax base while allowing residents to invest directly into their community by supporting local industry.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Build upon the strengths of Kansas City to promote economic resiliency

Facilitate equitable access to economic prosperity

Encourage growth of local businesses

OBJECTIVE: BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

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LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Desirable Place
• Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable
• Innovation and Creativity
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Mobility Options
• Thriving Economy

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Complete Communities

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment for People of All Ages
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Citywide Business Plan
• AdvanceKC
• Transit Oriented Development Policy
• Area Plans
• Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

CITY ATTRACTIONS

Kansas City’s attractions – from museums and historic landmarks to shopping and dining districts to sports arenas and the city’s famous fountains – draw people from around the region, give the city its unique identity and add to the quality of life for residents. City attractions include all areas in the natural and built environment – the cultural, recreational, shopping, outdoor, and entertainment destinations that make Kansas City an exciting place to live, work, and visit. The city should expand and support cultural and entertainment districts, festivals, and community events to ensure Kansas City retains the region’s major attractions. It is also important to continue to support, promote, and nurture public art and other creative assets to attract visitors as well as to attract and retain artists and cultural institutions.

Easy access to these attractions makes Kansas City and its neighborhoods desirable places to live, work and visit (see the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal). The city should support and promote these assets to attract visitors and attract and retain residents, businesses, and institutions. Kansas City should also use its attractions to celebrate the history, culture, and diversity of its people and neighborhoods. As Kansas City grows, the city must ensure city attractions are equitably accessible to people in areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment.

Some examples of city attractions and amenities include:

• Major-league and college sports facilities
• Cultural districts, arts districts, museums, art galleries, theaters, and performing arts
• Shopping and dining districts
• Monuments and public art
• Scenic fountains, parks, and boulevards
• Historic districts, landmarks, and areas with unique architectural themes
• Gathering places for people and communities

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

If the city effectively implements this objective, Kansas City’s status as a regional and national tourist and entertainment destination will grow. The city would see increases in tourism revenue and annual visitors. More community events and festivals would show Kansas City has the ability and space to accommodate large gatherings. New and enhanced attractions and events in historically disinvested communities would also demonstrate success. Finally, implementing plans to grow and improve attraction and entertainment districts and hubs will show Kansas City’s long-term dedication to this topic.

BENEFITS

• Improved quality of life for all Kansas Citians through easy access to recreation, community gatherings, and celebrations of community identity and culture
• Competitive benefits that can attract prospective residents and employers
• Stronger social and community bonds, particularly by celebrating local culture and history
• Increased tourism and a boost to the local economy

OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS

CONTEXT

Kansas City offers significant attractions for a city its size, and these attractions have an outsized economic and cultural impact. Kansas City needs to work to ensure the benefits of these attractions are felt by all of its residents.

RECENT HISTORY

Economic Impact of Tourism: According to data from Visit KC, the official tourism site of Kansas City, there are nearly 25 million annual visitors from outside the region. The tourism industry has a $5.3 billion impact and supports 48,000 local jobs averaging $44,000 per year in the lodging, food and beverage, retail, recreation, and transportation industry.

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Large regional pull: Kansas City as a destination performs like a much larger market than just its metropolitan area footprint because of the impact of its sports, arts, and entertainment industry. Major league sports, like the Chiefs, Royals, Sporting Kansas City, and KC Current bring in fans from around the region, as well as opposing teams and their fans, and all are featured in national media coverage of the city. Kansas City also has significant performing and visual arts venues like the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and T-Mobile Center. Other attractions, like Worlds and Oceans of Fun, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Kansas City Zoo are destinations for residents in the region and tourists from several states away. Annual festivals and events offer large and unique happenings across the year, including Kansas City Restaurant Week, Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championships, Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Kansas City FilmFest, KC RiverFest, Middle of the Map Fest, American Royal World Series of Barbeque, American Royal Livestock Show, Plaza Lighting Ceremony, Plaza Art Fair, and many others.

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Upcoming Events and Investment: Kansas City is one of several host cities for the 2026 World Cup taking place across North America. The Royals are also planning to relocate their stadium closer to Downtown Kansas City. As the City and policymakers consider and plan for these and many other opportunities, it is important to understand how they will shape the built environment and impact the lives of residents. Locating these attractions in transit-accessible locations and in places where they can have a positive impact on local businesses will help maximize their impact.

OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS

CONTEXT

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

City attractions offer a significant benefit to the city and region. It is important to plan for equitable access to these amenities, including access to a variety of free and reduced-cost amenities for residents that are supported with subsidies. City attractions should also pay workers a living wage and be designed to avoid displacement or pricing out residents.

Additional equity indicators and important geographies are available here.

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MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Annual visitors to Kansas City (increase)
• Hotel Tax Revenue (increase)

KEY CONCEPTS

Expand and support city attractions

The city must identify areas where these districts, festivals, and events should be located and plan for development and public improvements in these locations. Partners and organizations can advocate for the interests of the area, bring together district stakeholders, and provide other services as needed.

OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS

KEY CONCEPTS

Improve access, connections, and wayfinding

It should be easy for everyone to access the city’s attractions, by a variety of transportation options. This access should be incorporated into planning for transportation system extensions and enhancements. Regional and local wayfinding signage should effectively guide people to these areas. To improve access and promote a “critical mass,” these destinations, events, and attractions should be clustered together when possible. Kansas City’s downtown area in particular has a concentration of cultural and entertainment destinations and should be reinforced with additional attractions.

Work towards equitable access to amenities for everyone

The city should focus on ensuring attractions and amenities are accessible from all areas, particularly those that have experienced economic distress and disinvestment. At the same time, the city should expand attractions and events in places where they are less common than in other parts of the city. Strategies could include enhancing existing attractions that are underused or partnering with community groups to grow events and festivals in these areas.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Expand and support city attractions

OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Expand and support city attractions

Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding

OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Work towards equitable access to amenities for everyone

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Cultural Amenities
• Desirable Place
• History and Heritage
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Physical Beauty
• Thriving Economy
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Citywide Accessibility
• Community Collaboration
• Community Engagement
• Complete Communities
• Inclusive Design
• Welcoming Spaces

RELATED GOALS

• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment For People of All Ages
• History, Arts and Culture
• Parks and Open Spaces

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• KCMO Arts Convergence Plan
• Imagine Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

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In a complete community, people can access most of their daily needs, including work, shopping, services, education, and socializing, within a convenient travel time from where they live. Ideally, that means a 10- to 15-minute walk or bike ride. A transit stop, which every resident should be able to reach with a 15-minute walk or bike ride, can connect residents to less frequent destinations.

Most urban centers and suburbs that developed before World War II were complete communities, where people often traveled by streetcar to reach their daily destinations. Suburbs built later, in the personal automobile age, have fewer daily destinations located near the people who need to reach them. However, these suburbs could be adapted to encourage more frequent trips on foot or by bike.

Commercial and recreational amenities in some urban areas have waned as people moved away, making it harder for those living in underserved areas to access services and resources that can improve their quality of life. Developing complete communities can lead to a more equitable city by increasing access to economic opportunities and resources for everyone.

Building complete communities doesn’t mean eliminating personal automobile use. It means creating communities where people are not required to own a car to meet their daily needs. Kansas Citians who don’t have access to cars, by choice or not, should not have to choose where they live based on the lack of or presence of amenities and critical services.

Complete community planning should also be responsive to the community context. In places where walking is difficult and automobile use is prevalent, the city should require bicycle, pedestrian, and transit-oriented development; provide multimodal facilities; and reduce automobile dependency as much as practical.

Reducing dependence on personal vehicles is key to reducing carbon emissions and achieving Kansas City’s climate goals. The transportation sector is responsible for 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Kansas City, according to the 2022 Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan. Kansas City’s goal is a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. To get there, the city must make it as easy to walk, bike, or take transit as it is to drive.

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

CONTEXT

Complete Communities are the result of integrated land use, economic development, and transportation planning efforts. The option to walk or bike to daily destinations provides individual quality of life benefits and societal economic and environmental benefits. Equitable access to commercial and public amenities is possible with intentional planning and economic development efforts.

RECENT HISTORY

Planning Efforts: Kansas City’s Walkability Plan created a walkability assessment framework and developed a neighborhood walking survey tool. The Walkability Plan recognized that pedestrian infrastructure, a direct street grid, and commercial amenities were all important elements for encouraging walkability. It also identified designated “Pedestrian Zones” to focus walkability efforts and developed a prioritized project list for these zones. The subsequent Trails KC Plan (2008) and draft Bike KC Master Plan Update (2019) also provided citywide frameworks for making more locations accessible by walking and cycling. Additionally, the Kansas City Transit-Oriented Development Policy (2017) identified context-sensitive opportunities to improve access to transit and provide more housing, services, and amenities within walking distance of transit stops. Finally, the City Planning Department’s regular review and update of area plans helps communities develop opportunities for land-use changes, economic development, and infrastructure investment that support an increase in services and amenities.

Economic Development Initiatives: Many economic development projects have focused on promoting walkable commercial amenities throughout the city. One notable example is the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax District. In 2017, voters approved a citywide 1/8th cent sales tax to fund economic development projects in a long-disinvested part of Kansas City’s urban core, from 9th Street to Gregory Boulevard and Paseo Boulevard to Indiana Avenue. These funds have accompanied tax incentives and private investment that have gone to support grocery stores, day cares, and mixed-income housing throughout the corridor, including in and around the new Prospect MAX bus route. From 2017 to 2022, $41 million in sales tax revenue have helped leverage $414 million in projects in this area.

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15-minute cities: Popularized by groups like the Congress for New Urbanism and the World Economic Forum, the “15-minute city” framework has emerged, which is centered on the idea that someone should be able to access most of their daily needs and wants within a 15-minute walking distance of their home. This approach to planning improves the quality of life for residents, who would consequently spend less time and money traveling to key destinations. It also has positive environmental impacts by reducing the harmful impacts of driving and enabling short trips on foot or by bike.

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

CONTEXT

Walkable Oriented Development Clusters

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Mode share shift: An increase in remote work since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for transportation planners to focus not only on work trips but a variety of trip purposes. Data from travel surveys consistently shows that trips for shopping, eating, and errands are shorter and easier to make on foot or by bike. Creating Complete Communities will help the City reach its climate goals by reducing car trips.

Share of Trips under 1 Mile (by Trip Purpose)

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EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Countering disinvestment: A legacy of displacement, redlining, and disinvestment has negatively impacted communities of color and low-income areas through many parts of Kansas City, resulting in population decline and fewer amenities and services than wealthier or less diverse parts of the City. Continued investment can help improve the health and quality of life in areas that have been neglected for too long.

Tract-Level Permit Summaries (2000-2018)

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Affordability in amenity-rich areas: Walkable, amenity-rich areas are popular and increasing in population in Kansas City. But slower housing production and limited subsidies for affordable housing can make these areas less accessible for some. Complete Communities should seek to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their income or background.

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

CONTEXT

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Diversity: What people consider necessary amenities and services are often subjective. The distance someone can walk in 15 minutes, if they can walk at all, also varies by age and ability. While investing in Complete Communities supports different populations, it is also important to intentionally seek diverse community input when making land use, economic development, and infrastructure policy decisions.

Additional equity indicators and important geographies are available here.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Share of population in complete community areas, minority and low-income populations (increase)

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

KEY CONCEPTS

Conduct a complete community asset analysis

To determine where complete communities exist – and don’t exist – in Kansas City, the city needs to define what constitutes a complete community, based on the context of each neighborhood. Once a definition is created, the city will map neighborhoods that lack specific types of assets needed for a complete community. The city can then use these gaps to drive decisions in area planning, economic development, and infrastructure planning. This mapping analysis should be repeated periodically to measure changes.

Prioritize asset-based community development

Economically distressed areas might not have all the amenities needed for a complete community, but the city shouldn’t overlook the assets they do have. A neighborhood may not have a 30,000[^p124-1]-square-foot grocery store, but it might have a small corner store with groceries. The city should explore strategies to help businesses expand and improve their products and services to better serve area residents.

This approach will support local businesses and entrepreneurs, who tend to reinvest in their communities. The city also can form comprehensive economic development strategies for these areas and work with businesses and community partners to attract and support businesses that fill asset gaps (see also the Business Attraction and Retention and Community Development and Revitalization Objectives).

Improve walking and biking infrastructure

Investing in sidewalks, curb ramps, safe street crossings, bicycle facilities, and trails is needed to create complete communities. Even if a community has a complete set of assets, if it doesn’t also have walking and biking infrastructure, residents won’t be able to safely reach these assets without driving. The city must ensure residents have safe, direct, comfortable, and accessible physical connections to destinations and public transportation (see also Mobility and Access to Jobs Objectives).

Support complete communities with consistent land use planning and regulation

The city should encourage housing construction near transit, shopping, and employment. New development should be walkable. This can be accomplished with land use strategies that increase the variety of uses in specific areas and connect these uses to surrounding neighborhoods.

As the city updates land use maps during the area planning process, it should evaluate how the creation of complete communities may be affected. Area plans should identify locations where the city can promote walkable mixed-use development, commercial centers and corridors, and public institutions.

These strategies should be responsive to the context of the area. Strategies for areas with entrenched auto-oriented development will be different than strategies for areas that are generally walkable but don’t have enough destinations to meet residents’ daily needs.

The market needs of businesses must be considered, too, when building complete communities. For example, what residential density does a small corner store need to survive and thrive? Once the city adopts an area plan, it should initiate rezoning (including pedestrian and transit-oriented zoning overlays) to allow the desired activities and pedestrian- or transit-oriented design to be built (see also the Quality Development Objective).

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

KEY CONCEPTS

Promote equitable outcomes by limiting displacement and making high-amenity neighborhoods accessible to all

Equity is at the core of complete community planning. Economically distressed areas, where residents can’t access daily destinations such as shopping or parks, should be prioritized in implementing the Complete Communities Objective. The risk is that enhancing distressed areas so they become complete communities may increase property values so much that lower-income residents are displaced. To avoid this, there should be abundant living choices for people of all incomes and backgrounds in areas with high potential to be developed as complete communities. The city must work with partners to develop and maintain an adequate amount of affordable housing (see also the Housing Affordability and Diversity Objective).

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Conduct a complete community asset analysis

Prioritize asset-based community development

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Improve walking and biking infrastructure

CC - 5 Formalize a citywide complete community goal for walking and biking trips, based on various community contexts. Services or establishments that are “essential” (i.e., required) or “supportive” (i.e., nice to have) for a complete community should be considered. Develop an analysis with relevant, frequently updated data to classify areas as:

• Complete Community (essential and supportive services)
• Emerging Complete Community (essential services only)
• Community with Critical Gaps (missing some or all critical services or establishments)
• Undeveloped/Not Applicable

CC - 6 Incorporate walking and biking infrastructure recommendations from citywide planning and the area plan update process into the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.

Support complete communities with consistent land use planning and regulation

CC - 7 Amend the zoning map in accordance with the future land use plan to encourage development of desired assets and require pedestrian- and transit-oriented development.

Promote equitable outcomes by limiting displacement and making high-amenity neighborhoods accessible to all

CC - 8 Develop a citywide strategy to encourage investment in Complete Community Priority Development Areas (Emerging Complete Communities, Communities with Critical Gaps) based on community input, equity goals, and market feasibility.

CC - 9 Use the area plan update processes to identify opportunities for more variety in housing options adjacent to transit corridors, commercial areas, and employment. Identify opportunities for compact and walkable mixed-use development (see also Quality Development Objective).

OBJECTIVE: COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Desirable Place
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Mobility Options
• Sustainable Growth and Resilient City
• Thriving Economy
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Citywide Accessibility
• Community Collaboration
• Community Engagement
• Complete Communities
• Housing Affordability
• Inclusive Design
• Providing Services
• Welcoming Spaces

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment for People of All Ages
• Healthy Environment
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth
• Well-Designed City

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Advance KC Plan
• Bike KC Plan
• Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan
• Community Health Improvement Plan
• KC Blueprint for Violence Prevention
• Smart Moves 3.0
• Transit-Oriented Development Policy
• Walkability Plan

RELATED OBJECTIVES

⬚ figure AJ Access to Jobs

⬚ figure CD Community Development & Revitalization

⬚ figure CN Connected City

⬚ figure DP Development Patterns

⬚ figure DM Displacement Mitigation

⬚ figure EH Environmental Health & Resiliency

⬚ figure HA Housing Affordability & Diversity

⬚ figure MO Mobility

⬚ figure PO Parks & Open Spaces

⬚ figure PT Public Transit

⬚ figure QD Quality Development

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

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The vitality of every neighborhood determines the health of the entire city. This objective provides strategies to support and improve Kansas City’s neighborhoods, empower them to build capacity and partnerships, and revitalize distressed and abandoned areas. For successful implementation, government, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and residents need to take on individual and collective efforts to continually improve our neighborhoods.

The most direct, effective change in a community often comes from the people most affected by community development. That’s why a major goal of this objective is to empower communities to identify and address issues more efficiently, through community organizing, engagement and capacity building. Besides empowering neighborhoods directly, the plan aims to foster cooperation between neighborhood organizations and community anchors to form powerful partnerships that can contribute more to the community than either could alone. A community anchor is an organization (or person) that contributes to the identity, stability, and growth of specific neighborhoods or the community at large.

The Playbook also provides strategies to improve community outreach and engagement, by disseminating information, maintaining community dialogue, and increasing neighborhood participation in decision making. An important step of this is a neighborhood self-assessment process to help target city services and provide a strategic path forward for neighborhoods and partners. These initiatives will promote resident engagement and faster, more comprehensive action by the city and neighborhood groups.

This objective also outlines strategies to revitalize distressed neighborhoods and reuse or redevelop abandoned properties and brownfields. This involves identifying and prioritizing areas that need to be targeted for revitalization, then creating strategic revitalization plans that identify the steps needed to attract new investment (while avoiding displacement). The city should track and use data to help identify areas most in need of revitalization. Data and metrics also can measure how well that revitalization works.

Additionally, the city should make its decision-making process transparent by developing a set of evaluation criteria to rank public investment opportunities. The criteria should apply to a range of public improvements and investments and grade them based on their equity impacts and how well they align with the Playbook’s Goals. This grading system will allow the city to prioritize projects that can have the greatest positive impact on communities in need.

A grassroots system for enacting change will ensure community-level problems are addressed in a way that is tailored to their specific needs. Empowerment, partnerships, and thoughtful revitalization will bring positive change to the many diverse communities of Kansas City.

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

CONTEXT

Creating a more equitable Kansas City requires planned and inclusive investment in historically disadvantaged and neglected parts of the city. Kansas City’s Market Value Analysis (MVA) tool, Land Bank, Brownfields program, development code, and network of supporting institutions all support revitalization of built-out areas in need of more investment.

RECENT HISTORY

Market Value Analysis: The Market Value Analysis (MVA), first performed for Kansas City in 2016 and updated in 2021, is a tool developed by the Reinvestment Fund to help residents and policymakers identify and understand the elements of their local real estate markets. It is an objective, data-driven tool built on local data validated by local experts. With MVA data, public officials and community leaders can more precisely target intervention strategies to support sustainable growth in all housing markets.

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Central City Economic Development District: In April 2017, Kansas City, Missouri, voters approved a sales tax of 1/8 percent to fund economic development projects in the Central City with the creation of the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax District. The Central City Area is located on the east side of Kansas City, MO. The area’s boundaries are defined on the north by 9th Street, the south by Gregory Boulevard, the east at Indiana Avenue, and the west by Paseo Boulevard. A CCED Sales Tax Board reviews, analyzes and considers project proposals requesting CCED sales tax revenues. It provides City Council members with its recommendations regarding projects to fund.

Vacant Properties: Decades of disinvestment and white flight, followed by the 2008 foreclosure crisis, created a significant amount of vacancy, particularly on Kansas City’s East Side. In 2012 Kansas City established a land bank, which gives the City control over tax foreclosed properties that can be strategically redeveloped on the City’s termsing these attractions in transit-accessible locations and in places where they can have a positive impact on local businesses will help maximize their impact.

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OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

CONTEXT

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The City’s Brownfields program is also used to assess and remediate potentially polluted vacant properties. An EPA-funded revolving loan fund provides forgivable loans and grants to vacant or contaminated properties to help in the redevelopment process.

Infill Ordinance: Kansas City adopted an infill development ordinance in 2023 to amend the zoning code to support infill development consistent with historic levels in neighborhoods. The ordinance streamlines processes and allows for different but historically consistent infill housing in Kansas City’s single family infill neighborhoods.

Supporting Institutions: Many of the community development initiatives happen outside City Hall. Community Development Finance Institutions like LISC and AltCap help provide loans to support redevelopment in targeted areas in Kansas City. Several Kansas City area Community Development Corporations (such as Westside Housing, Community Builders of KC, Twelfth Street Heritage Development Corp, Northland Neighborhoods, and more) support redevelopment work

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Community Development and Revitalization helps create generational wealth by creating paths to home ownership and stabilizing home values throughout the city. It also helps create more equitable access to economic opportunities and amenities by bringing investment and jobs to neighborhoods where they are most needed. By creating paths to home ownership, Community Development and Revitalization strategies help limit displacement and keep more people housed.

Additional equity indicators and important geographies are available here.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Vacant lots in continually distressed areas vs elsewhere (decrease)

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

KEY CONCEPTS

Empowering neighborhoods

To become empowered, neighborhoods must be the ones to identify the issues they face and help form strategies to address them. Expanded, improved community outreach and engagement can achieve this, especially outreach to people who are typically not engaged or are hard to reach. A neighborhood self-assessment process and area plan updates will identify strategic actions for neighborhoods and partners. Local government and community partners must work with neighborhood organizations and groups and homeowners’ associations to increase neighborhoods’ capacity to take on initiatives that improve the welfare of their communities.

Creating a set of criteria to evaluate public improvements will lend transparency to this objective. By evaluating all public improvement projects with the same set of criteria, the city can highlight which projects best advance equity and the Playbook’s Goals. Expanding this evaluation system so it covers all public improvement projects, financial incentives, and subsidies would deliver more transparency and accountability in community development.

The city must broaden access to programs and information so neighborhoods have the best opportunity possible to develop and engage in the economy and city life. The physical environment should be designed to strengthen social connections for people of all ages and physical abilities to combat the tendency toward isolation (see also the Connected City objective).

The city should expand neighborhoods’ access to environmental data to better understand the threat of climate change to their community and to engage in planning processes to mitigate the impacts. Related to that, the city also should continue efforts to eliminate the digital divide. That means working with the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion and other partners to identify and implement strategies to improve digital access (see the Smart City Technology and Trends Objective).

Building capacity through partnerships

Strong neighborhood organizations can achieve a lot, but some initiatives will be beyond the ability of neighborhoods alone. For successful community development, neighborhoods need partnerships to help them reach their goals. These partners are often community anchors – major institutions such as hospitals, colleges, faith-based organizations, community development corporations, and businesses – that work with neighborhoods to implement neighborhood improvements and activities. A neighborhood self-assessment or strategic planning process can help neighborhoods identify initiatives and the partners they need to accomplish them.

Assistance could mean providing meeting spaces, youth and senior activities, special services and discounts, employment training, or physical reinvestment in the area. Partners also can be individuals and families with a special interest, skill, or ability to help their neighborhoods. The city should identify partners, and engage and support them, so they can contribute to the stability, identity, and growth of neighborhoods and the larger community.

Revitalize distressed and abandoned areas

In Kansas City, there is a tremendous opportunity to rehabilitate and reactivate unused sites that previously contained buildings. Many urban neighborhoods have seen major reinvestment and rehabilitation in recent decades and now are thriving. But other neighborhoods are still experiencing the effects of disinvestment. Even in distressed neighborhoods, however, buildings have historically been constructed with quality materials, which means there are opportunities for rehabilitation. Rehabilitated structures and infill development support valuable older neighborhoods.

The city needs a thoughtful, coordinated, and comprehensive approach to reinforce, reaffirm, and rebuild these areas. The city also must put people first when it comes to code compliance, favoring effective problem solving over punitive measures.

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

KEY CONCEPTS

Reduce contamination through brownfield programs

Brownfields are vacant or underused properties where reuse or redevelopment is complicated by the presence, or perception, of contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides funding, tools, and technical assistance to help communities identify, clean up, and reuse brownfields to help revitalize communities. This is especially important for people affected by environmental injustice.

The city should expand neighborhoods’ access to environmental data to better understand the threat of climate change to their community and to engage in planning processes to mitigate the impacts. Related to that, the city also should continue efforts to eliminate the digital divide. That means working with the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion and other partners to identify and implement strategies to improve digital access (see the Smart City Technology and Trends Objective).

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Empowering neighborhoods

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Empowering neighborhoods

CD - 7 Guide neighborhoods through a strategic self-assessment process and incorporate revitalization plans into the relevant area plan. During neighborhood strategic self-assessment processes and area plan updates, develop neighborhood strategies to improve and stabilize neighborhoods. The strategic self-assessment process will include the following:

• Identify the neighborhood’s needs, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities
• Identify actions and strategies for the neighborhood, the city and other partners to address identified needs.
• Provide an implementation framework
• Establish metrics for ongoing monitoring and action.

CD - 8 Create a standardized set of public improvement evaluation criteria based on Playbook goals and objectives (consider using the Goal Supporting Criteria). Use these evaluation criteria to prioritize funding decisions.

Building capacity through partnerships

CD - 9 Facilitate partnerships among community groups and between community groups and businesses or other organizations (also known as Community Anchors). Proactively identify community anchors and help forge partnerships in areas where there are none or too few.

CD - 10 Develop a program to identify, recognize, and reward community anchors that make a significant positive impact.

CD - 11 During neighborhood self-assessments, area plan updates, and implementation processes identify community anchors and other partners who could help with implementing community strategies.

CD - 12 Partner with community development corporations (CDCs) in improving neighborhoods. Identify and expand roles for CDCs beyond new housing and housing rehabilitation, to include other needs relating to the vitality of neighborhoods and to the needs of people.

Revitalize distressed and abandoned areas

CD - 13 Identify priority areas to target for revitalization.

• Identify areas that should be targeted for revitalization or redevelopment efforts during area plan processes and develop revitalization plans for these areas.
• Target revitalization efforts to places with the greatest need and greatest potential for impact. Utilize a Market Value Analysis (MVA) to help identify opportunities for housing development and revitalization.
• Establish redevelopment/revitalization plans for distressed neighborhoods and business districts with 5- and 10-year implementation timelines. These plans should emphasize the following:
  • Strategies to identify, assess, and remediate potential brownfield sites so that they can be more easily redeveloped.
  • Strategies for targeting incentives to spur reinvestment in these areas.
  • Identify compatible land uses and development guidelines and remedy adjacent land use problems to encourage investment.
  • Develop strategies to improve area infrastructure including basic services, aesthetic improvements, and telecommunications and smart city infrastructure.

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Revitalize distressed and abandoned areas

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Reduce contamination through brownfield programs

CD - 23 Continue to secure and utilize brownfield rehabilitation resources to address suspected contamination, support renovation of existing and historic structures, and prepare sites intended for new investment and reuse.

CD - 24 Educate neighborhood leaders, non-profits and other stakeholders about available brownfield funding and opportunities from the EPA and the city.

CD - 25 Develop a process to ensure that the city, area stakeholders, and developers address brownfields questions and discussion early in the revitalization planning process as the time needed for investigation, cleanup, and securing grants can be quite lengthy.

CD - 26 Maintain and strengthen brownfields-related partnerships with the EPA, the State of Missouri, and with regional partners (Jackson County, Mid-America Regional Council, and the Unified Government) to better assist communities in need of revitalization.

CD - 27 Utilize brownfield resources and tools to support neighborhood and community revitalization. Brownfields should be integrated into many related community development efforts, including: the Comprehensive Vacant Lot Strategy, neighborhood revitalization plans, capacity building, community engagement, environmental justice efforts, urban gardening and agriculture, public health and lead poisoning prevention, habitat restoration, the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, and more.

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Cultural Amenities
• Desirable Place
• Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable
• History and Heritage
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Physical Beauty
• Sustainable Growth and Resilient City
• Thriving Economy
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Citywide Accessibility
• Community Collaboration
• Complete Communities
• Housing Affordability
• Inclusive Design
• Providing Services
• Welcoming Spaces

OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION

LINKS

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment for People of All Ages
• History, Arts, and Culture
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth
• Well-Designed City

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Five Year Housing Policy
• Consolidated Plan
• KC Blueprint 2030
• Citywide Business Plan
• Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Prosperity Playbook
• Community Health Improvement Plan

RELATED OBJECTIVES

⬚ figure AJ Access to Jobs

⬚ figure BA Business Attraction & Retention

⬚ figure CA City Attractions

⬚ figure CC Complete Communities

⬚ figure CN Connected City

⬚ figure DM Displacement Mitigation

⬚ figure DP Development Patterns

⬚ figure EH Environmental Health & Resiliency

⬚ figure HA Housing Affordability & Diversity

⬚ figure HP Historic Preservation

⬚ figure PH Public Health

⬚ figure PO Parks & Open Spaces

⬚ figure PS Public Spaces

⬚ figure QD Quality Development

OBJECTIVE:

CONNECTED CITY

CN

A connected city has the physical infrastructure to get people where they want to go safely, conveniently and in an accessible, inviting way. Connected cities enable people of different backgrounds to connect. They increase access to opportunities. They also mitigate the harms of physical barriers such as highways, which have, in the past, displaced and disconnected low-income households and minorities more than other groups. All of these are ways connected cities promote equity.

A well-connected city typically has a highly connected street system with blocks scaled for walking and connections to adjacent neighborhoods and districts. Kansas City has followed this pattern in many neighborhoods with an interconnected grid of streets and alleys that form small, walkable blocks. These blocks are the foundation for walkable developments and, in general, promote circulation and mobility for all residents.

But as development patterns have shifted over time, highways and other vehicle-oriented developments have been favored over creating connection points in communities. Some Kansas City communities have even seen connection points removed, or not built at all. The result is less connectivity for all modes of travel across the city. The city needs to reinforce the street grid as the preferred standard development pattern. The city must also improve street connectivity where it has been reduced or lacking, by retrofitting development if necessary.

The backbone of the street grid is the city’s corridors, the physical and cultural pathways that link people, neighborhoods, and community anchors. They often have a recognizable, unique character. These might be dense urban pathways for walking and public transit or suburban and natural settings where people can reach trails and outdoor recreation, for example. Corridors must be interconnected to support overall connectivity and mobility in the city. The city must maximize the benefits of corridors by maintaining and improving existing corridor connections; seeking development and multimodal transportation opportunities in these corridors; and creating links between employment, housing, and leisure activities.

Wayfinding, the network of signs, maps, and other geographic indicators that guide people through the built environment, will be enhanced. Adequate wayfinding can add to the character of each neighborhood and inform people about mobility options, helping them move around the city more efficiently.

Social connections are important, too. The built environment should facilitate opportunities for social interaction. With intentional design and programming of the city’s physical elements, such as public spaces, sidewalks, and adjacent buildings, the city can foster increased social connectedness. Kansas City thrives on the social connections people, neighborhoods, and organizations make through community events, shared history, diverse culture, and amenities (see City Attractions Objective) that bring people together.

A connected city is also a city that has robust communication between its decision-making bodies, both inside and outside the municipal government. Kansas City would greatly benefit from more connections between city departments, regional agencies, neighborhood leaders, economic development groups, and Kansas Citians in general.

This Objective lays a path to rebuild and enhance existing connections in Kansas City by improving street connectivity, removing physical barriers, establishing connecting corridors, standardizing wayfinding, and improving social connectivity in new neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

If this Objective is successfully completed, Kansas City will be physically and socially connected, both within individual neighborhoods and citywide. Distances between crossings of major physical barriers will be shorter. Walkable, inviting streetscapes will span multiple blocks and neighborhoods. New development will not create or continue physical and social barriers; it will integrate with the surrounding neighborhood. Universal Design principles will make the city easier to navigate for people with varying physical abilities. The city will be easy to navigate and explore, with many viable routes for all modes of travel.

BENEFITS

• Increase in accessibility for people of all ages and physical abilities
• More interaction within neighborhoods and between different communities
• Increase in property values near historic physical barriers
• More walking and biking
• Fewer pedestrian-involved incidents on highways

CONTEXT

The City is working on a variety of plans to mitigate or eliminate barriers to connectivity. In recent years, Federal infrastructure planning and funding have emphasized reconnecting historically divided communities. With new funding, Kansas City is well-positioned to address these barriers.

RECENT HISTORY

Highway barriers: Highways were built in a way that often disconnected, displaced, and divided lower-income and minority communities. While communities organized to prevent this, and agencies and planners have reformed and learned from past mistakes, major infrastructure projects can still disconnect communities. Bruce R. Watkins Drive (US-71) opened to traffic after years of opposition and litigation. The final highway design was a compromise that included signalized, at-grade stops at multiple locations. Yet the highway has infrequent pedestrian crossings and is at the top of the City’s High Injury Network.

Other projects, like the I-70 EIS, Kit Bond Bridge, new Buck O’Neill Bridge, widening of I-435, and the I-35/I-29/US-169 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study, have provided some opportunities to improve connectivity throughout the city. Today, several dense parts of Kansas City have long stretches of major highways with few pedestrian crossings.

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OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

CONTEXT

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Federal Policy and Reconnecting Communities: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 included a new pilot program aimed at helping communities address barriers caused by transportation infrastructure. The “Reconnecting Communities” program includes dedicated planning and implementation funding for addressing barriers. If successful, it could become a major part of future transportation funding bills. Kansas City has studied or is currently studying US-71, the south loop freeway, I-35 through the Westside, and the north loop freeway as potential projects focused on reconnecting neighborhoods.

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

The legacy of highway-building has had an outsized impact on minority, low-income, and other equity priority populations that are still felt today. Regardless of the intent or benefit of future major infrastructure projects, it is vital that impacted communities be able to inform and guide future projects to eliminate and reduce harm.

Multimodal Planning and Implementation: The City has made some progress in building multimodal connections, such as the Walkability Plan (2003), Trails KC Plan (2008), Transit-Oriented Development Plan (2017), Complete Streets Policy (2017), Draft Bike KC Update (2019), and Vision Zero Action Plan (2022). These plans have been implemented to some degree by introducing traffic calming measures, developing new trails (such as the Brush Creek Trail, Line Creek Trail, and Blue River Trail systems), and bicycle facilities. These plans help create policy, design guides, and infrastructure priorities that improve connectivity for local traffic and people walking or biking. The 2017 KCMO GO Bond also secured $150 million to improve sidewalks, prioritizing sidewalk repair and new ADA ramps in areas of need.

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Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here.

OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Pedestrian crossing distance between major barriers (decrease)

KEY CONCEPTS

Improve street connectivity in existing neighborhoods and provide high connectivity in new developments

Throughout Kansas City, there are opportunities to improve the street grid and increase connectivity, both in existing neighborhoods and new development. New connections could include bridging two close cul-de-sacs in a suburban subdivision or creating pedestrianized alleyways in urban areas. New connections should focus on people walking or biking.

Greenfield development in Kansas City also should have better standards for connectivity and walkability. As new development is planned and platted, a system of arterial and collector grids should help establish connections throughout the city. Adjacent subdivisions, whether platted by the same developer or not, should have frequent connections to neighboring streets to enable shorter walks.

Identify and remove barriers to connectivity

Area and corridor planning is a chance to analyze the street network and talk to residents and stakeholders about physical and perceived barriers in their community. Identifying these barriers is the first step to addressing them. Planning and Public Works staff should collaborate with community members to prioritize which barriers to mitigate based on the cost of the project and the benefit it can provide. These projects could be large capital projects (i.e., a pedestrian bridge over railroad tracks) or lower cost, systemic improvements (i.e., adding leading pedestrian intervals at traffic signals).

Link transportation connections with cultural and social connections

How public and private spaces are designed influences how people interact. The city should construct public spaces and incentivize private developments to be built in a way that honors cultural heritage and the shared experience of living in Kansas City and strengthens social bonds.

Pedestrian spaces along city streets are powerful tools to increase connectivity. These areas are ideal places for people to interact, for public art, and for other opportunities to connect people to each other and with the city overall. Creating code based on building forms and architectural guidelines designed to preserve a neighborhood's specific character can complete neighborhood and citywide connections by bringing the character of private properties into the public realm (see the Historic Preservation, Parks and Open Spaces, and Quality Development Objectives).

OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

KEY CONCEPTS

Using the citywide Transportation Master Plan and area planning processes, the city should plan for multimodal access, identify corridors that connect people to major destinations, and connect areas with limited transportation. When designing a street or public space, the city should look at both transportation and social/cultural connections and talk about them with members of the communities where improvements are being made.

Corridors can take many forms. They might be major transit corridors such as the city's streetcar system, Troost MAX, or Prospect MAX. They might be streams and greenways such as the Brush Creek Trail. Or they might be cultural or historic corridors such as the African American Heritage Trail. Physical infrastructure, private development, branding, and wayfinding all can establish and reinforce a connecting corridor.

Develop regional and district-specific wayfinding

Wayfinding is signage and other geographic indicators that help users navigate to their destination. It's most useful in dense, high-activity areas or places likely to attract new visitors (and it can be especially helpful for people visiting a destination for the first time). It can be a sign at a transit stop pointing the way to a landmark, a map on a bike trail showing the way to nearby restaurants, or a street sign noting the location of a parking garage a few blocks away. Wayfinding can use physical signs, printed materials, and online and mobile navigation, or it can integrate with existing navigation apps.

Another strength of effective wayfinding is that it can connect people to the culture and history of an area, especially if it incorporates historical information or art. District wayfinding systems should highlight and enhance communities' individual culture but also be integrated into the uniform city-wide network of wayfinding systems.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Improve street connectivity in existing neighborhoods and provide high connectivity in new developments

OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

KEY CONCEPTS

Identify and remove barriers to connectivity

Link transportation connections with cultural and social connections

Develop regional and district-specific wayfinding

OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Cultural Amenities
• Desirable Place
• History and Heritage
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Mobility Options
• Physical Beauty
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Citywide Accessibility
• Complete Communities
• Inclusive Design
• Welcoming Spaces

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• History, Arts, and Culture
• Smart City
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Kansas City Walkability Plan
• Trails KC Plan
• Transit-Oriented Development Policy
• Regional Wayfinding Plan (MARC)

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

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Displacement occurs when people or businesses leave an area due to increasing property values and the resulting economic pressures, such as higher rent and taxes. Higher property values often coincide with an influx of new residents, businesses, and development that changes the physical and cultural character of the neighborhood. There has been a significant amount of new development and investment in recent years in Kansas City. As this investment occurs, some Kansas City neighborhoods are voicing concern about rising costs of living and threats of displacement due to gentrification.

The swift pace of redevelopment in cities across the U.S. over the past 25 years has coincided with a rapid rise in inequality. Displacement can cause an area to lose residents and businesses, and it can erode culture and community identity. New development initiatives must aim to minimize the potential displacement of existing residents and to maintain an appropriate level of affordability.

The Regional Plan Association defines gentrification as "the form of neighborhood change characterized by the arrival of higher-income and often-time higher-educated residents, along with increasing rents, property values and cost-of-living, and decreasing non-white populations" (Association, 2017). The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) defines gentrification as, "a type of neighborhood change in real estate price appreciation leads to involuntary displacement and significant cultural change" (Builders). Gentrification frequently disproportionately impacts members of nonwhite racial and ethnic groups, particularly within neighborhoods that have historically experienced disinvestment.

While displacement is a significant concern, new development and investment generally produce positive outcomes. Many of the Playbook’s goals support (and even rely on) new investment. Investment and redevelopment in established neighborhoods can benefit the overall economy and the environment.

This is especially true when revitalization efforts are directed to areas suffering from long-standing economic distress and abandonment. But even then, revitalization efforts must be weighed against their potential impact on equity. Without that, long-time residents may not be able to stay in their community and enjoy their improved neighborhood. The city must track indicators of gentrification and identify areas experiencing, or which will experience, displacement. Then the city must work to minimize or prevent displacement where possible.

The city can’t control people’s decisions about where to live, operate a business, or buy property. Many factors can make an area more popular and lead to a surge in the demand for housing, and the city has little or no control over most of those factors.

However, the city can review and guide new development. It can take actions (through incentives, public improvements, or other subsidies and programs) to influence where the private market makes investments. The city (and other governmental/taxing entities) also can take actions to help alleviate challenges related to real estate costs and the availability of affordable housing (see Housing Affordability and Diversity Objective). Additionally, city partners (nonprofit trusts, community development corporations, lenders, anchors etc.) are well-positioned to help put useful measures into action. The city must be intentional in its efforts to work with community members who could be negatively impacted by new development to avoid creating or exacerbating inequities associated with gentrification.

OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

CONTEXT

As historic parts of Kansas City receive new investment and attention, it is important to make sure that development pressure does not negatively impact existing residents. Understanding the effects of rising prices on low- and moderate-income residents is vital to developing policy that keeps neighborhoods accessible.

RECENT HISTORY

Understanding Displacement Risk: Kansas City’s Market Value Analysis in 2016 and 2020 offered a unique opportunity to evaluate affordability and risk for displacement in Kansas City. A Displacement Risk Ratio was developed to evaluate the change in housing prices relative to income. Higher values indicate a greater displacement risk. The ratio shows continued relatively affordability citywide, but pockets of concern in areas where housing prices are increasing much faster than incomes.

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Housing cost burden: Another way to understand displacement risk is by evaluating the number of severely cost-burdened low-income households, or low-income households that are paying more than 50% of their income on housing costs.

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Evictions: Renters become at risk for eviction when they are unable to pay rent. According to data from EvictionLab, Kansas City had an eviction rate of 3.8%, compared to a rate of around 1.8% nationwide in 2018. In some parts of the city, that rate was as high as 13%. In 2022, the City Council created a right to legal counsel for any Kansas City tenant facing eviction. In the first months of the program, hundreds of households have been assisted, resulting in an eviction rate of less than 20% of those participating in the program, compared to a rate of 99% for households facing eviction without legal counsel.

OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

CONTEXT

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Tax Abatements: Many low- and moderate-income homeowners, who have lived in their neighborhoods for decades, are witnessing new development activity and increased prices in their neighborhoods. As property values increase, this impacts the tax rates of existing residents, many of whom are on a fixed income or cannot relocate. Kansas City has successfully used tax abatements to limit the impact of tax increases for low- and moderate-income homeowners in areas experiencing development pressure.

Federal Rental Assistance: There are many Federal programs that support low- and moderate-income renters. According to the National Housing Preservation Database, Kansas City has more than 17,000 federally assisted rental units. The same database has identified just more than 5,000 rental units that have subsidies expiring in the next 10 years, which could eliminate maximum-income restrictions on many housing units in the City.

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Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• At-risk affordable housing units (decrease)
• Displacement risk ratio (decrease)
• Evictions (decrease)
• New income-restricted affordable housing units (increase)

OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

KEY CONCEPTS

Measure gentrification and displacement and identify at-risk areas

The city must measure and track gentrification and displacement. That includes identifying areas currently being impacted, those potentially at risk and whether displacement improves or worsens over time. With a clear picture of which areas are affected, the city can most effectively target them with appropriate mitigation strategies. The city should identify a methodology that can be easily replicated, then regularly update the analysis.

Create a displacement proofing policy agenda

There are many tools the city can explore to mitigate displacement. For example, several U.S. cities have fostered partnerships between community organizations, local government, lending institutions, and businesses to provide lending programs that boost neighborhood revitalization and equitable change. Financial products such as refinancing for existing mortgages and loans for home improvement or buying a home can mitigate displacement. These loans are often paired with forgivable loan subsidies and other products to increase buying power.

Other options to mitigate displacement include Tenant Opportunity to Purchase legislation. Controls on property taxes and help for seniors and other residents in changing neighborhoods, so they can stay in their homes, are options, too. Slowing neighborhood change by limiting large-scale redevelopment in neighborhoods at risk for gentrification also can prevent displacement.

The city can employ land use regulations, too, to limit displacement. These could include inclusionary zoning and reviewing density restrictions in developed areas to see if they should be updated. It could also include expanding the amount of land area in the city with zoning designations that permit a range of housing types by right (e.g., those consistent with incremental development and missing middle housing that are potentially more affordable). Any of these could increase the diversity and amount of housing stock in the city. These types of land use strategies give residents the chance to participate in incremental development that can increase housing availability and build wealth in their neighborhoods.

Several of these strategies also can simplify the approval process, by reducing the number of entitlements required for certain types of development and shortening the time it takes to get through the approval process.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Measure gentrification and displacement and identify at-risk areas

OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Create a displacement proofing policy agenda

OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Desirable Place
• Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable
• History and Heritage
• KC Uniqueness
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Mobility Options
• Thriving Economy
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Addressing Disinvestment
• Citywide Accessibility
• Community Collaboration
• Community Engagement
• Complete Communities
• Housing Affordability
• Providing Services
• Welcoming Spaces

RELATED GOALS

• Diversity and Opportunity
• Environment for People of All Ages
• History, Arts, and Culture
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan
• Area Plans
• Five Year Housing Policy
• Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Consolidated Plan
• Advance KC
• Prosperity Playbook
• Climate Action Plan 2020
• Citywide Business Plan
• Transit Oriented Development Policy
• Smart Moves 3.0
• Communities for All Ages
• KC Blueprint for Violence Prevention

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

Careful consideration must be given to how and where the city directs and accommodates growth and development. Effective development patterns recognize the importance of new growth while proactively guiding development in an equitable, sustainable way, fiscally and environmentally.

Development patterns across Kansas City should create equitable growth, maximize the use of existing infrastructure, reinforce a multimodal transportation network, and protect sensitive natural resources. Wherever new investment and development happens, the city must ensure the overall development pattern:

• Does not overwhelm limited resources for services and maintenance
• Maximizes the use of existing infrastructure
• Maintains the health of environmental and natural systems
• Advances climate and resiliency goals (See Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan)
• Increases mobility options and connectivity
• Reduces or eliminates disparities (and doesn’t create new disparities)
• Incorporates the elements of quality development (see the Quality Development Objective)

The city uses several tools to guide and encourage new growth and development, including:

• Land use planning and zoning
• Investments in major streets and transportation systems
• Sewer and water utility infrastructure
• Financial incentives and tax abatement
• Acquisition or sale of property for redevelopment

Each of these elements is handled by multiple city departments (and regional or state agencies outside the city government). That means ongoing collaboration and cooperation is needed to ensure future development is well-placed and well-designed, and functions with the highest possible level of sustainability and mutual benefit.

Development patterns and growth should:

• Grow equitably and sustainable
  • Accommodate new growth by encouraging reinvestment and infill development
  • Use land use policies and infrastructure investments to guide growth in a fiscally and environmentally sustainable way
  • Capture Kansas City’s share of regional growth and ensure the city’s future vitality, while balancing growth in new undeveloped areas with infill development
  • Encourage reinvestment in distressed or abandoned areas (see also Community Development and Revitalization Objective). Reinforce equitable development that meets the needs of underserved communities.
  • Reduce disparities by creating and maintaining places where residents of all income levels, races, and ethnicities can meet their economic, social, and health needs and live in a clean, safe, and healthy environment.
  • Engage and empower residents and neighborhoods in decisions that shape their community (see also Community Development and Revitalization Objective).
• Use existing infrastructure
  • Concentrate new and maintenance-related public capital investments (e.g., arterial streets, boulevards, trails, parks, water, and sewer) in areas that are contiguous with already developed land and are served by utilities (see the Mobility Objective).
  • Use existing transportation and infrastructure assets so the city delivers services efficiently and cost-effectively without exceeding its ability to maintain those services (see also the Mobility Objective).
  • Avoid a “leapfrogging” development pattern by discouraging publicly funded extensions of utilities and infrastructure into undeveloped areas.
• Reinforce multimodal transportation systems
  • Reinforce and enhance a multimodal transportation system (see also Mobility and Public Transit Objectives).
  • Maintain a high level of connectivity that incorporates roadway, bike, trail, and pedestrian connections. Enhance or restore connections where possible (see Connected City and Mobility Objectives).

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

• Develop in harmony with natural systems and historic resources
  • Preserve and protect critical natural and historic resources (see also the Historic Preservation Objective).
  • Restore urban waterways. Promote quality development that harmonizes with the natural environment and preserves historic resources (see also Environmental Health and Resiliency and Parks and Open Spaces Objectives).
  • Promote the city’s goals for climate change and resiliency (see also Environmental Health and Resiliency Objective).
  • Avoid development in areas prone to hazards, such as flooding, or in harder-to-reach areas that would inhibit the city’s ability to provide emergency response services (see Environmental Health and Resiliency Objective).

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of this Objective will result in equitable, sustainable growth. New development and redevelopment will happen in development priority areas. Kansas City’s population will increase. Employment opportunities will increase in density in areas identified as priorities for development..

BENEFITS

• Ensuring future development and growth maintains the fiscal health of the city and its ability to deliver high-quality services
• Ensuring future development and growth preserves the health of Kansas City’s environmental and natural systems
• Ensuring land-use patterns, and transportation systems work together and are mutually reinforcing
• Ensuring the city responsively plans for and encourages future growth
• Advancing the city’s climate and resiliency goals
• Creating a more equitable development pattern, reducing disparities, and encouraging investment in areas that need it most

CONTEXT

The way Kansas City grows has a major impact on its residents’ quality of life and the City’s ability to effectively maintain infrastructure and deliver services.

RECENT HISTORY

Growth Trends: Kansas City has had multiple chapters of growth in its history. Since the end of World War 2, that growth had been largely characterized by outward growth into “greenfield” areas at lower densities. While that is still true today, the last 20 years have also seen significant amounts of infill development, adding housing and jobs to built-out parts of town. It should be noted that across all U.S. cities, Kansas City is 36th in terms of population and 25th in terms of the footprint of its total land area. At nearly $4.6 billion in permit activity between 2000-2019, the Greater Downtown Area saw the highest overall permit value for new construction, and Shoal Creek, a previously undeveloped area, saw the second-highest growth.

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

CONTEXT

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Kansas City has always been a significant part of the overall region’s growth. In the past several decades Kansas City has stabilized at around one-fifth of the region’s population, though it was almost half of the region’s population in 1945. In the next 20 years, the City Planning and Development Department estimates that Kansas City, Missouri will add another 50,000 people. Where these people live will be determined not only by economic factors and tastes and preferences, but also by the City’s policies and investments.

Kansas City, MO & Regional Growth

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Comparing Density: In 2020, about 508,000 people called Kansas City their home in an urbanized area of a little more than 200 square miles (this is smaller than the City limits and that includes some undeveloped areas). The same population would take up just 76 square miles if built at the same density of 1940s Kansas City.

Kansas City, MO Developed Areas

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How much space would 508,000 people take up at the density of these areas?

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OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

CONTEXT

Density Supports Better Infrastructure and Services: More dense cities generally support more efficient infrastructure and city service delivery. The cost of maintaining infrastructure like water, sewer, roadways, and other utility infrastructure is lower in areas where more people can use the same amount of infrastructure.

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Natural Systems: Kansas City’s natural environment has been extensively impacted by the way we develop. Today, development standards seek to limit the impact of new construction on the natural environment. The stream buffer ordinance, as well as Federal and State laws like the Clean Water Act, protect streams from being impacted by development activity.

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EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Kansas City’s historic development patterns contributed to many of the equity challenges we face today. By focusing our development efforts in already established areas with existing infrastructure, all of Kansas City’s existing residents benefit. As historic and walkable urban areas become more sought after by new generations, there is potential for residents in formerly redlined and disinvested areas to benefit financially. However, special care must be taken to avoid displacing existing residents in these communities.

Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Infrastructure lifecycle costs (decrease)
• New housing permits, infill vs. greenfield areas (increase)
• Permit construction value, infill vs. greenfield areas (increase)

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

KEY CONCEPTS

Create and implement strategic development plans for priority development areas

To proactively guide development in a coordinated way, the city should prepare strategic development plans for areas that are a priority to develop. The city should identify these areas during area plan updates or other processes that involve significant community dialogue.

Selected areas should be contiguous with existing developments, or undeveloped/underdeveloped property in developed areas. Plans should include potential development partners and focus on needed capital improvements, cost, appropriate land uses, and urban design. They should also include an implementation strategy. Plans should create a future development pattern that is fiscally and environmentally sustainable, and equitable, and avoids displacing people.

Develop the tools needed to evaluate fiscal and environmental impacts of future development and infrastructure investment

As the city creates and updates land use plans and considers investing in new infrastructure to pave the way for new development, it must ensure these plans and investments are sustainable and advance the city’s climate and resiliency goals. The city should explore available analysis and modeling tools it could use to determine the fiscal and environmental impacts, both potential benefits and potential downsides, that specific investments and developments could have. The city should identify and implement the processes needed to ensure these tools inform decision-making.

Align city departments and funding and coordinate with regional agencies and jurisdictions

Several city departments and outside agencies (MoDOT, MARC, RideKC) make investments and decisions that influence when and where new development happens. It’s important for city departments and decision-making bodies to be aligned toward a common goal, so there is a coordinated, efficient approach to development patterns. The city must collaborate with regional partners, outside agencies, and adjacent communities to realize its goals.

Collaboration with internal and external partners should be directed at implementing strategic development plans for areas that are a priority to develop. Not only will this kind of alignment help achieve the Playbook’s goals, it will give developers clarity by knowing when and where the city will invest to guide new growth.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Create and implement strategic development plans for priority development areas

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Create and implement strategic development plans for priority development areas

• New infrastructure investments should be accompanied by development patterns (density and intensity) that justify the new investment and/or share costs with developers as appropriate
• Complete fiscal/life-cycle cost analysis and other strategies to plan for maintenance and new infrastructure investments
• Emphasis should be on and fiscally and environmentally sustainable development
• Plans should focus on underutilized areas (see also Community Development and Revitalization Objective) and consider needed capital improvements and costs, funding sources, partners, future land uses and implementation strategy
• Explore ways to increase implementation of rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and infill strategies for underutilized developed and underdeveloped properties

DP - 2 Complete the arterial street and boulevard system where gaps in the system exist. Use area plan updates and implementation processes to identify strategic arterial street gaps to prioritize. Strategically implement the Major Street Plan to:

• Target emerging, logical, contiguous infill development areas
• Link the degree of public arterial street funding to these areas
• Require private funding for arterial street development in outlying, or non-contiguous areas

DP - 3 Through the area plan process, identify areas where open space development and conservation development is appropriate and then proactively adopt requirements for these development options in these areas. Establish a measurement framework and goals for jobs-housing balance that relates housing costs to the income associated with nearby jobs. Establish goals for affordable housing preservation and production in areas served by transit.

Develop the tools needed to evaluate fiscal and environmental impacts of future development and infrastructure investment

DP - 4 Establish a procedure to periodically review city codes related to development (zoning and subdivision). Through those reviews, identify amendments to promote the goals of this Objective and the Playbook. For example, these could be in the areas of:

• Housing diversity and affordability
• Sustainable development and growth management
• Climate and resiliency
• Removing barriers to infill development (see Quality Development Objective)
• General connectivity and multimodal transportation (see also Connected City and Mobility Objectives)

DP - 5 Obtain or develop the tools, models, and processes the city needs to evaluate land-use plans, infrastructure investments (especially roads, water, and sewers), and development proposals for equity and for fiscal and environmental sustainability. These tools should produce conclusions on whether the planned policy, project, or investment is fiscally or environmentally sustainable and equitable, and uses city infrastructure efficiently.

• Incorporate those tools into city decision-making processes.

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Develop the tools needed to evaluate fiscal and environmental impacts of future development and infrastructure investment

Align city departments and funding and coordinate with regional agencies and jurisdictions

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS

Develop the tools needed to evaluate fiscal and environmental impacts of future development and infrastructure investment

DP - 17

• Regularly review and update development standards and development code requirements that support combined sewer solutions.
• Identify supportive strategies for land use, open spaces, public spaces and development form guidelines in area plans.
• Continue to fund and implement capital improvements with an emphasis on green infrastructure over gray infrastructure solutions.

LINKS

RELATED VISION STATEMENTS

• Affordable Community
• Desirable Place
• Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable
• Healthy Environmental Systems
• Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing
• Mobility Options
• Regional Collaboration
• Sustainable Growth and Resilient City
• Walkable, Clean, and Safe

RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS

• Citywide Accessibility
• Complete Communities
• Housing Affordability
• Providing Services

RELATED GOALS

• Connected City
• Environment for People of All Ages
• Healthy Environment
• Parks and Open Spaces
• Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods
• Sustainable and Equitable Growth
• Well-Designed City

RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES

• Climate Action and Resiliency Plan
• Major Street Plan
• Area Plans

OBJECTIVE: DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

LINKS

RELATED OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVE:

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY

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The physical development of the city will directly affect the health of Kansas Citians, the environment, and the city’s overall resiliency to climate change. But as Kansas City grows, it can make sure environmental systems are protected and improved so everyone has a healthy, safe, and vibrant city to call home. Valuing and investing in the natural environment will improve the quality of life for Kansas City residents today and in the future.

Air, water, and soil systems, plus plant and animal habitats together make up the city’s natural resources. The health of those resources determines the quality of life of Kansas Citians because a contaminated environment can harm human health and well-being.

Our rapidly changing climate will have significant impacts on our natural systems and our people. Climate change is caused by factors on a national and global scale. Yet people and the environment are affected on a local scale. An individual city can’t directly influence these factors, but it can, at the local level, take steps to mitigate climate change and increase resiliency to its effects. Environmental resiliency refers to how well natural systems react to and rebound from the impacts of climate change.

Beyond the local level, Kansas City should participate in regional approaches to climate change to reach its climate goals. The city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan provides a clear, equity-centered roadmap to reach Kansas City’s goals on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to flooding, extreme heat, and other likely effects of climate change.

The growth of the city itself also impacts the natural systems it depends on. Kansas City must develop sustainably and in harmony with the natural environment without degrading natural resources and systems. Also, natural open spaces must be preserved as necessary as new development occurs. Open spaces must be connected to create and preserve a system that protects ecosystems and natural resources (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective). The city can facilitate new development while also improving and maintaining the health of the natural environment.

Not everyone in Kansas City has benefitted from the city’s growth over many decades, and not everyone has had to shoulder the negative outcomes of that growth. The Playbook is equity-centered and aims to achieve environmental justice in all Kansas City communities. That means working to improve the health and well-being of people who have been historically disadvantaged due to the city’s growth and to mitigate the negative impacts of past development decisions.

For example, people of color and lower-income communities have endured poor physical health and an unhealthy environment due to industrial development and highway expansions. Kansas City must ensure climate change does not worsen or create inequities for communities and people who are particularly vulnerable: low-income communities, people of color, children, and the elderly.

The city must also lower its exposure to potential hazards and ensure it’s adequately prepared to respond to emergencies. Stormwater must be managed effectively, while reducing floods and improving stream health and water quality. New development must not be built in areas prone to flooding or other hazards. Levees are also crucial to protecting Kansas City from major floods, and the city must invest in levees to make sure they are strong and stable.

The city must watch and respond to shifts, both in the climate overall and in weather patterns, to make sure it’s adequately prepared to respond to natural disasters. That includes regularly updating emergency action plans.

Strategies that can improve environmental health and resiliency include:

• Creating a system of natural open spaces (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective)
• Restoring and protecting streams and waterways
• Implementing green stormwater management
• Improving energy efficiency of buildings and transportation systems (see Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan)
• Increasing the city’s tree canopy and green spaces in underserved communities to reduce heat islands and stormwater runoff. Improving air quality (see Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan and Urban Forest Master Plan)

OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY

• Developing a multimodal transportation system to increase the number of trips made by non-polluting modes of transportation (see Mobility, Complete Communities, Connected City, Access to Jobs, and Vision Zero Objectives)
• Reducing the overall footprint of new development (see Quality Development and Development Patterns Objectives) and transportation infrastructure
• Encouraging infill and brownfield redevelopment (see Community Development and Revitalization Objective)
• Increasing green and permeable surfaces
• Preserving existing trees and increasing the use of native plants
• Developing clean energy sources
• Identifying and protecting sensitive natural habitats
• Regulating and reducing polluting activities
• Reducing waste (see Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan)

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

Successful implementation of this Objective will result in drastically reduced greenhouse gas emissions in Kansas City. The city’s tree canopy will be expanded. A well-connected network of open green spaces will help protect against and remediate damage from major weather events. Air, water, and other natural resources Kansas City residents depend on will be clean and consumed in a sustainable way. The local ecosystem will thrive, and residents will have improved physical and mental health.

BENEFITS

• Better air and water quality
• Lower exposure to, and better preparedness for, natural disasters and other hazards
• Increased environmental justice and lower disparity in life expectancy among communities
• Reduced exposure to pollutants and improved public health
• Less exposure to extreme heat
• Improved quality of natural habitats and stream corridors
• Reduced impacts of climate change, particularly for vulnerable people

CONTEXT

Climate change, natural resources, and pollution all impact human health and quality of life in Kansas City. .

RECENT HISTORY

Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan: Kansas City adopted its Climate Protection & Resiliency Plan in 2022, which seeks to make Kansas City carbon neutral by the year 2040. The plan addresses carbon emissions in all sectors, including mobility, energy supply, and homes and buildings. While these solutions do require public investment, they are expected to save more than $12 billion in costs to the community during the next 20 years. The plan also proposes adaptation and resiliency solutions to deal with the impacts of climate change to the region, including extreme heat, flooding, and severe weather. These impacts are disproportionately felt by residents experiencing the highest amount of socioeconomic stress.

OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY

CONTEXT

RECENT HISTORY

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Natural Resources: Kansas City’s streams, wetlands, and natural habitats all contribute to the health and quality of life of Kansas City’s residents. Natural systems are vital to clean drinking water, food supply, and relief from extreme temperature. By restoring and re-introducing natural systems into the built environment, the City can minimize the impact of development on the environment and create positive landscapes for people living in urban environments.

Kansas City’s Overflow Control Plan, which addresses the combined stormwater and sanitary sewer system

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Land Use/Land Cover Types from MARC’s Natural Resources Inventory

in older parts of the city built prior to the introduction of separated systems, includes many green strategies to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff during rain events and improve water quality.

Kansas City’s Urban Tree Canopy coverage, last assessed in 2018 as a part of the Urban Forest Master Plan, highlights the differences in tree canopy coverage across the city. Trees provide many ecosystem services, including reducing air pollution and stormwater runoff, as well as alleviating heat stress. Protecting, replacing, and increasing urban tree canopy coverage will pay dividends well into the future.