# General plan documents — kansas_city-missouri Assembled by OpenPublica from the documents it serves for this government. Each section below is a separate publication by the government; page anchors (``) refer to pages of that section's own source PDF, linked in its heading. **Contains 1 document.** OpenPublica has pinned these slots for this government: combined. That is what we have looked for, not a statement that the government publishes nothing else — a plan element absent here may simply not have been reviewed yet. Last reviewed 2026-08-17. --- ## Complete Plan — KC Spirit Playbook (Comprehensive Plan) - Source: https://www.kcmo.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/13851/638659665418500000 - Pages: 371 - Covers: circulation, combined, conservation, ej, housing, land_use, noise, open_space, safety - **Transcription findings were recorded for this document;** check figures against the source. <
> # 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 <
> # 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. <
> # TABLE OF CONTENTS <
> | | | | :--- | :---: | | **What is the Playbook?** | **5** | | | | | **What are the Big Ideas?** | **8** | | | | | **Where Do I Start?** | **11** | | | | | **Goals** | **12** | | Connected City | 13 | | Diversity and Opportunity | 19 | | Environment for People of All Ages | 25 | | Healthy Environment | 30 | | History, Arts, and Culture | 35 | | Parks and Open Spaces | 40 | | Smart City | 45 | | Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods | 50 | | Sustainable and Equitable Growth | 56 | | Well-Designed City | 61 | | | | | **Topics** | **66** | | Environment and Climate Change | 67 | | Housing and Neighborhoods | 73 | | Land Use and Development | 80 | | Public Spaces and Amenities | 88 | | Transportation | 94 | | | | | **Objectives** | **101** | | Access to Jobs | 102 | | Business Attraction and Retention | 109 | | City Attractions | 114 | | Complete Communities | 120 | | Community Development and Revitalization | 128 | | Connected City | 137 | | Displacement Mitigation | 144 | | Development Patterns | 150 | | Environmental Health and Resiliency | 159 | | Housing Affordability and Diversity | 168 | | Historic Preservation | 177 | | Movement of Goods | 189 | | Mobility | 196 | | Public Health | 202 | | Parking and Curb Management | 209 | | Parks and Open Spaces | 216 | | Public Spaces | 224 | | Public Transit | 231 | | Quality Development | 239 | | Smart City Technology and Trends | 247 | | Vision Zero | 254 | | | | | **Implementation** | **260** | | **Implementation Matrix** | **266** | | **Public Engagement and Process Summary** | **327** | | **Community Context** | **335** | | **Development Form and Context Guidelines** | **336** | | **Glossary** | **364** | # WHAT IS THE PLAYBOOK? ## WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? <
> 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. <
> # 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. <
> ## 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. <
> ## ENVISIONING STATEMENT <
> “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. <
> ## 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. <
> **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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> # 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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> # 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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> # 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: <
> Objectives secondarily related to the History, Arts, and Culture Goal: <
> # 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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> # 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. | | | :--- | | Environment and Climate Change | | Housing and Neighborhoods | | Land Use and Development | | Public Spaces and Amenities | | Transportation | # 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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> # 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: <
> Objectives secondarily related to the Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods Goal: <
> # 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: <
> Objectives secondarily related to the Sustainable and Equitable Growth Goal: <
> # 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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> ### **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. 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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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> # 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. <
> **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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> ## 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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> # 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: <
> Objectives secondarily related to the Transportation Topic: <
> # 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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> 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. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | If this Objective is achieved, job opportunities won't depend on where someone lives or whether they have access to an automobile. The pool of available workers will grow when more jobs are accessible by transit and overall commuting costs are lower. Existing employment centers will grow and densify, spurring the innovation and growth that come when firms and people locate near each other in cities. | • With fewer barriers to full employment, economic output and equity will increase.
• Unemployed people will have more access to job opportunities.
• Kansas City's status as an attractive place to live for people who work remotely will grow.
• Fewer vehicle miles traveled will mean less associated pollution and wear and tear on roads, and fewer car crashes. | # 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%[^p103-1] 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. <
> [^p103-1]: Source: LODES 2002-2019 # 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. <
> **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. <
> # 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. <
> 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **AJ - 1** | Through business attraction and development efforts, encourage businesses to locate new offices and jobs in places well-served by public transit (see Business Attraction and Retention Objective for more). Involve public transportation providers in early conversations with employers relocating or expanding in Kansas City. | | **AJ - 2** | Identify employment centers during area plan updates and adapt land use plans and zoning to allow multiple uses and higher densities in these centers. | | **AJ - 3** | Encourage compact development for employment centers and campuses (medical, educational, institutional, etc.). Use the zoning and development code, overlays, and master planned districts to encourage compact development in these districts to create employment centers that can be served by future alternative transit hubs. | | **AJ - 4** | Implement SmartMoves 3.0 strategies and related strategies in the Public Transit Objective to increase transit service coverage to more parts of the region and increase transit service levels in areas already served by transit.
• At full buildout of Smart Moves 3.0 fixed route recommendations are projected to increase the number of jobs accessible to the average worker by transit by 47 percent in the morning peak and 122 percent in the late evening. | ### Create affordable, mixed-use jobs centers | | | | :--- | :--- | | **AJ - 5** | 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. | | **AJ - 6** | Increase housing near employment centers. Use base zoning districts or overlays to permit more multifamily housing in employment areas. Continue to use incentive tools and the affordable housing trust funds to increase affordable housing in areas with the highest needs. | | **AJ - 7** | Increase worker supporting amenities (such as childcare, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, fitness centers) near employment centers to make transit trips to and from work more convenient. | ### Develop programs that encourage a variety of commuting options | | | | :--- | :--- | | **AJ - 8** | Create Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) to help commuters travel to and from work. Strategies might include carpool clubs, more fixed-route bus service, free or reduced transit fares, guaranteed rides home, bike and vehicle sharing, and shuttles. Work with Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) and the Kansas City Transportation Authority (KCATA) to establish these TMAs, which can be funded by employers, business park managers, commuters, special districts, economic activity or property tax redirections. | | **AJ - 9** | Coordinate with the public transportation providers on service planning and upgrades in office and industrial parks and other freight and logistics hubs. | ### Ensure equitable access to online work and business opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | **AJ - 10** | Continue to increase home internet access by working with non-profits and Internet Service Providers. Work with KC Biz Care to help improve permitting and regulation processes for home-based businesses. | # OBJECTIVE: ACCESS TO JOBS <
> ## 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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> 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. <
> **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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **BA - 1** | Invest in infrastructure to improve highway and public transit accessibility to better encourage the multimodal movement of goods across the region and country. | | **BA - 2** | Work with partner organizations to market our diversity as an asset to attract desirable firms and seek ongoing feedback as to what attracts firms to Kansas City. | | **BA - 3** | Continue to market Kansas City as a destination for firms in the health sciences, engineering and design, and information technology realms by highlighting the competitive advantages of Kansas City. | ### Facilitate equitable access to economic prosperity | | | | :--- | :--- | | **BA - 4** | Use area planning to identify locations that have potential for future business and employment development. Use area plans to inform economic development investments and identify catalyst projects. | ### Encourage growth of local businesses | | | | :--- | :--- | | **BA - 5** | Work with the Landbank and the Homesteading Authority to review and update current processes and eligibility criteria to remove barriers for small scale incremental development. | | **BA - 6** | Establish a holistic policy vision to support entrepreneurs through considerations of capital access, affordable commercial spaces, and employee attraction and retention efforts . | | **BA - 7** | Continue to promote and fund KC BizCare, especially the City of Entrepreneurs initiative designed to remove barriers to entrepreneurship for communities of color and others. | | **BA - 8** | Explore state and local tax credits to support small businesses, through payroll deductions or property tax abatement. | # OBJECTIVE: BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION <
> # 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. <
> **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. <
> **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. <
> ## 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CA - 1** | Create or identify gathering places throughout the city to hold major citywide events as well as smaller events. | | **CA - 2** | Conduct a comprehensive assessment of Kansas City parks and boulevards to determine how they can be better leveraged for public-event programming, recreational purposes, arts uses, and other benefits. | | **CA - 3** | The city will continue to work with partner organizations to coordinate and support existing festivals and events and create new events. The city should expand the number and types of festivals and community events and ensure Kansas City is home to the region’s major events. | | **CA - 4** | Provide resources on how to start or enhance a neighborhood street festival. | | **CA - 5** | Promote the design of street rights of way to accommodate “street festivals” where the businesses and residents of a particular street sponsor a festival closing the street to automobiles and filling it with live music, entertainment, special food service, and street retail activity. | | **CA - 6** | Develop district plans. Develop plans for cultural hubs and other districts that are destinations or that have a concentration of amenities (see Cultural Heritage District Plan as an example). Identify strategies for future development and prioritize needed public improvements and enhancements to support and maintain these areas. | | **CA - 7** | Create new and use existing special tax districts to provide support and services for cultural and entertainment districts that are regional destinations. In areas with diverse ownership and a variety of destinations, encourage the creation of organizations to advocate for the interests of the area, bring together district. | # OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Expand and support city attractions | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CA - 8** | Identify cultural hubs and other destination districts. Identify emerging, new, and existing cultural hubs and destination districts throughout the city during area plan updates and include strategies to support these areas. | | **CA - 9** | Provide enhancements and public improvements to support attractions. Focus public art installations and streetscape enhancements to support cultural hubs, community gathering spaces, regional destinations, and other areas with amenities and attractions. | | **CA - 10** | Promote and market Kansas City districts, attractions, and events.
• Work with Visit KC, the Area Development Council, and other similar organizations to enhance regional and national perceptions of Kansas City, its people, its Downtown, its districts and its neighborhoods.
• Increase the promotion of Kansas City neighborhoods, community events, cultural destinations, parks, sporting events, and other activities and attractions.
• Ensure recommendations related to fostering cultural tourism are effectively integrated into the Kansas City Visitor and Convention Association programming. | | **CA - 11** | Invest in local, regional, and nationwide marketing plans for arts and cultural events in the city and broaden Kansas City's appeal and reputation as an arts and cultural destination. | ### Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CA - 12** | Improve access to city attractions with transportation improvements and wayfinding signage. Incorporate connections to cultural and entertainment destinations and districts when planning streetcar extensions. | | **CA - 13** | Create and enhance a wayfinding system that will link people to regional destinations such as key landmarks, cultural institutions, and transit centers as well as local destinations such as parks. Use signage to identify recreational and entertainment corridors. | | **CA - 14** | Develop guided and self-guided walking tours designed for all ages and available at public sites in tour areas. Integrate this into the city and region's tourism program. | | **CA - 15** | Cluster destinations, events, and attractions together and within or near existing cultural hubs or entertainment districts.
• Kansas City's densest concentration of existing amenities and destinations is within the downtown area, and therefore this area should be reinforced with additional major cultural facilities, amenities, and attractions. Use Imagine Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan (and other plans applicable to the downtown area) to identify gaps in available amenities.
• Use the area plan process to identify additional cultural hubs and entertainment districts that are outside of Downtown where attractions should be targeted. | | **CA - 16** | Explore and support ways to connect to and collaborate with attractions in adjacent communities, to enhance attractions in Kansas City. | # OBJECTIVE: CITY ATTRACTIONS ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Work towards equitable access to amenities for everyone | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CA - 17** | Improve access to amenities for all residents and visitors, particularly in areas where these amenities have historically been lacking. Create a map and database of city attractions and amenities and evaluate access for residents in areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment. | | **CA - 18** | Work with communities in distressed or disinvested areas to determine what types of attractions and amenities best meet their needs. Increase access in these communities to attractions, cultural facilities, and entertainment amenities. | ## 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](javascript:void\(0\)) * [Environment For People of All Ages](javascript:void\(0\)) * [History, Arts and Culture](javascript:void\(0\)) * [Parks and Open Spaces](javascript:void\(0\)) ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * [KCMO Arts Convergence Plan](javascript:void\(0\)) * [Imagine Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan](javascript:void\(0\)) ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
> # OBJECTIVE: # COMPLETE COMMUNITIES <
> 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. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | By designing complete communities, Kansas City will provide more opportunities, equitably, to residents. If the city successfully implements this objective, people won’t need to own a car to reach most daily services, and many will choose to walk, bike, or take transit to their destination. By traveling on foot or by bike to neighborhood destinations, people will interact more frequently with their neighbors, strengthening community bonds. Local businesses will thrive from increased foot traffic. | • Equitable access to daily needs, amenities, and economic opportunities
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle crashes
• Higher property values and improved neighborhood livability
• Increased net migration to Kansas City
• Opportunity for social interaction in the community
• Spending at locally owned business | # 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. <
> **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** <
> **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)** <
> ## 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)** <
> **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](URL_NOT_PROVIDED) Objective). ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Conduct a complete community asset analysis | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CC - 1** | Address communities with critical gaps in a citywide plan independent of the area plan update process. In these areas identify travel time boundaries and analyze asset gaps within those boundaries through a market analysis, identify strategies to create the density needed to support those assets or other economic development tools to attract missing assets. Determine what walking, biking, and transit improvements are needed to serve the area. | | **CC - 2** | Apply a citywide complete community goal to specific areas by using the area plan update processes. During the area planning process, identify additional priority areas for complete community analysis described in CC-1 above. | ### Prioritize asset-based community development | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CC - 3** | Implement the Smart Moves fast and frequent transit network and identify additional fast and frequent corridors in the next Smart Moves plan update (see also [Access to Jobs](URL_NOT_PROVIDED), [Public Transit](URL_NOT_PROVIDED) and [Mobility](URL_NOT_PROVIDED) Objectives). | | **CC - 4** | Create and implement comprehensive development strategies to attract desired assets to Complete Community Priority Development Areas. These strategies should address all elements needed to attract these establishments and services include funding, marketing, potential partners, and recommended public improvements (see also [Community Development and Revitalization](URL_NOT_PROVIDED) and [Business Attraction and Retention](URL_NOT_PROVIDED) Objectives). | | | • Once gaps in services are identified, collaborate with economic development and community organizations to form strategies to fill these gaps. | | | • Engage development and business-attraction partners and community organizations to bring needed businesses and services. | # 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 <
> **AJ** Access to Jobs <
> **CD** Community Development & Revitalization <
> **CN** Connected City <
> **DP** Development Patterns <
> **DM** Displacement Mitigation <
> **EH** Environmental Health & Resiliency <
> **HA** Housing Affordability & Diversity <
> **MO** Mobility <
> **PO** Parks & Open Spaces <
> **PT** Public Transit <
> **QD** Quality Development # OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION <
> 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. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | If this objective is successfully implemented, neighborhoods will have deeper awareness of their needs and improved ability to take on initiatives. Residents will have improved access to community problem-solving resources, and more investment and partnerships to revitalize and strengthen their neighborhood’s positive character. Community members and stakeholders citywide will be more active and empowered in their communities, resulting in more equitable local decision making. | • Improved community-oriented problem solving
• Empowered residents and opportunities for public collaboration
• Partnerships that increase the reach and impact of individual organizations
• Enhanced quality and density of housing
• Equitable allocation of funds for distressed neighborhoods
• Fewer continuously distressed areas
• Fewer contaminated sites and lower exposure to contaminants for residents
• Increased reuse of vacant and brownfield sites for new development | # 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. <
> **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. <
> # OBJECTIVE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION ## CONTEXT <
> 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CD - 1** | Continue to explore new techniques and technologies to improve public outreach and engagement and to improve resident and neighborhood involvement in all decision-making processes. Emphasize outreach to areas, persons, and community groups who are typically less engaged and/or hard to reach by utilizing alternative outreach and engagement strategies. | | **CD - 2** | Create and improve mechanisms to allow neighborhoods to share information with each other to communicate with city staff and elected officials. Create and improve mechanisms to allow neighborhoods to learn about city processes, legislation, services, and online data and mapping tools through programs like the city’s Citizen Engagement University. | | **CD - 3** | Continue to improve resident access to online data and mapping, including zoning, land use, development cases, census data, ownership, permits, city meeting schedules and agendas, code enforcement information, city polices and plans, and other information. | | **CD - 4** | Identify areas without a neighborhood organization and proactively work to increase the number of neighborhood organizations and their effectiveness | | **CD - 5** | Create and promote a comprehensive service directory for neighborhoods that contains all programs provided by the city and other providers that are related to housing and neighborhood improvement. Work with regional partners to provide additional information from counties, MARC, and the state. | | **CD - 6** | Encourage volunteer activities for community cleanups, vacant lot upkeep, block watching, etc. | # 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CD - 14** | Target public improvements (particularly basic infrastructure) and city services to support community development and revitalization efforts. | | **CD - 15** | Continue initiatives to inventory, deconstruct, salvage, or rehabilitate the city's baseline dangerous buildings. | | **CD - 16** | Provide ongoing monitoring of neighborhood health to ensure problems do not worsen and to measure improvement.
• Regularly update the Market Value Analysis (MVA) and track changes and trends over time in neighborhood conditions and stability.
• Perform targeted neighborhood conditions assessments and surveys to determine a neighborhood's health and livability conditions (roof to curb assessments). These can be performed as a deeper-dive assessment in conjunction with Market Value Analysis (MVA). Resident volunteers can be trained to help with assessments.
• Create a dashboard of metrics to monitor neighborhood health, including (but not limited to): census data, Market Value Analysis (MVA), population/households, housing vacancy and status, resident satisfaction surveys, building permit activity, number and value of new projects, crime statistics (trends), and homeownership. | | **CD - 17** | Continue to explore improvements to code compliance, housing rehabilitation, and preservation of historic resources. Emphasize collaboration, community engagement, and problem solving in code compliance. Explore a proactive and systemic approach to code compliance in areas targeted for revitalization, including areas targeted in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan. | | **CD - 18** | Make home repair and renovation information and resources readily available, particularly in areas where code compliance issues are prominent. | | **CD - 19** | Improve enforcement and compliance with existing rental property registration requirements. | | **CD - 20** | Increase opportunities for neighborhood cleanups. Engage with community leaders and use 311 and other data sources to identify major illegal dumping sites and strategies to deter dumping. | | **CD - 21** | Continue to explore legislation and other initiatives to provide the city and local neighborhoods with more say in the future of vacant properties | | **CD - 22** | Create and adopt a comprehensive Vacant Lot Strategy for the city and identify specific target areas and strategies during area plan updates
• Conduct an assessment of vacant lots to determine suitability for infill development or other uses.
• Encourage and support infill development on appropriate vacant lots that use existing infrastructure.
• Explore and encourage alternative uses for undevelopable vacant lots. These uses could be greenways, gardens, or other community assets. | # 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 <
> **AJ** Access to Jobs <
> **BA** Business Attraction & Retention <
> **CA** City Attractions <
> **CC** Complete Communities <
> **CN** Connected City <
> **DM** Displacement Mitigation <
> **DP** Development Patterns <
> **EH** Environmental Health & Resiliency <
> **HA** Housing Affordability & Diversity <
> **HP** Historic Preservation <
> **PH** Public Health <
> **PO** Parks & Open Spaces <
> **PS** Public Spaces <
> **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. <
> # OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY ## CONTEXT <
> **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. <
> Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available [here](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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CN - 1** | Restore the street grid or close gaps in it. Use opportunities to create, improve, and restore street connectivity in conjunction with area planning, new development, and capital projects. When it can't create street connections, the city will pursue alternative connections that pedestrians, bicyclists, or transit users can use. | | **CN - 2** | Maintain city ownership of streets by discouraging and avoiding street and alley vacations. | | **CN - 3** | Ensure that streets in new development are connected to adjacent areas with as many connections as is feasible. Connections should provide pedestrian and bicycle access. Connectivity should be measured and regulated using a maximum block size (scaled to be appropriate for the context of the area) and maximum distance between street connections | | **CN - 4** | Update the Major Street Plan and Area Plans to identify and establish a system of through arterial and collector streets with frequent multimodal connections. Ensure that new development incorporates these through streets. 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. | # OBJECTIVE: CONNECTED CITY ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Identify and remove barriers to connectivity | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CN - 5** | Identify barriers and priority locations to mitigate these barriers. The area planning process and other citywide transportation plans can be used to identify network connectivity gaps. | | **CN - 6** | Improve connections across barriers like railroads, highways, rivers, or other features. Particularly in places with existing connections (for example, highway underpasses or overpasses), ensure that connections are accessible to all modes. Prioritize new or enhanced connections in areas that have been historically disinvested, where barriers have had a disproportionate impact. | | **CN - 7** | Improve pedestrian crossings on major streets to the level of service recommended in the Kansas City Walkability Plan. Improve these crossings as new development occurs and as street improvements are implemented. Focus on crossings that provide access to transit stops or schools. Prioritize locations identified in area plans and other plans. Neighborhoods should use the walkability assessment tool in the Walkability Plan to identify priority locations and request improvements. | ### Link transportation connections with cultural and social connections | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CN - 8** | Create strategies for connecting and improving corridors during area plan processes. Plans should reinforce the corridor's strengths, increase the diversity of uses, and recognize the unique character of each corridor.
• For public improvements in corridors, create streetscape design guidelines within the development form and context guidelines (see Quality Development Objective). | | **CN - 9** | Implement streetscape plans and street improvements by focusing on corridor streets that connect activity centers. Streetscape improvements should be identified and prioritized during the area planning process. | | **CN - 10** | Initiate special assessments or other district-level funding through community or neighborhood improvement districts, or other mechanisms that can help fund corridor improvements and maintenance. | ### Develop regional and district-specific wayfinding | | | | :--- | :--- | | **CN - 11** | Within an area plan or other appropriate process, engage the community to identify areas that are a priority for wayfinding systems. Focus on busy activity centers or areas with large numbers of visitors. Create new wayfinding plans where needed, focusing on regional-scale efforts and district scale wayfinding programs. Wayfinding signage should have elements and information that are consistent across the region but also distinct within a district or corridor. Wayfinding should be designed to work for all users, regardless of transportation mode or physical ability. | | **CN - 12** | Incorporate digital and smart city tools into a wayfinding strategy, using existing platforms where possible, to enhance wayfinding within a corridor. | | **CN - 13** | Incorporate enhancements that reflect local culture and history into wayfinding improvements, to reinforce a sense of place for visitors. | # 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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> 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. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | By mitigating displacement due to gentrification, neighborhoods will retain more of their existing community and culture during periods of transition, redevelopment, and physical growth. Residents will have the opportunity to enjoy the positive economic benefits of this reinvestment in their community. This will lead to more equitable outcomes for individual neighborhoods and the entire city. | • Increased diversity in neighborhoods
• Equal levels of basic safety, health, and opportunity among all neighborhoods
• Less displacement due to gentrification
• Assistance for residents to keep the wealth created in their neighborhoods by public investments | # 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. <
> **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. <
> **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 <
> **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. <
> Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available [here](https://example.com). ## 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **DM - 1** | Identify and employ a methodology to measure and track gentrification and displacement risk.
  • Identify areas that are currently threatened as well as areas that could potentially be threatened in the future.
  • Track and monitor changes over time and implement preventive and mitigation measures in at-risk areas.
| | **DM - 2** | Assist with the formation of community coalitions in neighborhoods being impacted, or at risk of being impacted, by displacement due to gentrification to help with community organization, advocacy, access to resources, and to provide direct funding to prevent the displacement of businesses and residents. | # OBJECTIVE: DISPLACEMENT MITIGATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Create a displacement proofing policy agenda | | | | :--- | :--- | | **DM - 3** | Employ measures to help minimize and prevent displacement, sometimes referred to as a “Displacement Proofing Policy Agenda” (preferably in advance of displacement problems). Examples of these measures include (but are not limited to) the following:
• Programs to provide direct assistance with housing costs, including energy costs
• Home repair assistance
• Property tax relief
• Programs and activities focused on minimizing housing foreclosures
• Programs and actions to minimize evictions and give tenants opportunities to buy homes
• Measures to increase supply of affordable housing (see [Housing Affordability and Diversity](https://google.com))
• Support for small developers and incremental development
• Zoning and land use regulations that encourage or require small-scale development, missing middle housing, and affordable housing units | | **DM - 4** | Consider the potential displacement of existing residents and businesses as an evaluation factor when reviewing development plans or investment decisions, particularly in areas that have been historically disinvested or distressed or areas that are currently threatened by displacement forces (see DM-1)
• Consider the use of tools like social impact assessments to evaluate development plans and proposals to identify potential issues early in the process | | **DM - 5** | Engage and advise community members who may be impacted by changes to the built environment so they will be assured an opportunity to participate in designing their future. Create a program that includes awareness, discussion, and engagement with stakeholders to get feedback on proposed investments and development | | **DM - 6** | Enlist the assistance of community partners (non-profits, anchors, etc.) to implement measures within or near potentially impacted communities. Examples include but are not limited to the following:
• Promote diverse housing stock.
• Review and reform development regulations when necessary to promote housing diversity in a broader range of zoning districts.
• Inclusionary zoning practices.
• The purchase of properties by non-profit community land trusts who then lease housing to members of gentrifying communities at affordable rates.
• Assist tenants in organizing, raising equity, and purchasing buildings threatened by development pressure.
• Assistance from community anchors and philanthropic institutions with funding trusts and other community initiatives to combat displacement.
• Encourage inclusive financing by encouraging community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to provide credit to support local businesses and provide other financial services to impacted communities. | | **DM - 7** | Partner with cultural anchors and strengthen cultural organizations to promote and preserve the unique histories and cultural identities of Kansas City communities affected by displacement. | # 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 <
> 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 <
> **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 <
> ### How much space would 508,000 people take up at the density of these areas? <
> # 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. <
> **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. <
> ## 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **DP - 1** | Create strategic development plans for undeveloped and underdeveloped areas within the urbanized area (areas which have infrastructure in place) as well as those areas contiguous to the urbanized area.
  • Priority areas for strategic development planning should be identified during area plan updates
  • Focus on maximizing utilization of existing infrastructure and upgrading and improving existing infrastructure as development occurs
| # 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 | | | | :--- | :--- | | **DP - 6** | Assess the impacts of large format uses that consume substantial amounts of land and energy with a low density of employment. Identify criteria for appropriate location, development code considerations, and strategies to mitigate environmental impacts. | | **DP - 7** | Assess how the current development incentives provided by the city align with the city’s hazard mitigation and resilience goals and, if it is identified that some of them produce unintended consequences, implement the needed modifications. | | **DP - 8** | Develop a strategy and funding to provide new sewer lines and/or connections to developed areas that are on septic systems. Address the problems of combined sanitary and storm sewers and septic systems through the identification and implementation of innovative and equitable solutions. | | **DP - 9** | Explore development code amendments that ensure new development is in harmony with natural systems and sensitive habitats.
• Identify new requirements for tree preservation and replacement associated with new development.
• Explore rewards that encourage developers to meet high quality rather than minimum standards.
• Designate appropriate criteria for large lot, “mini-estates,” “ranchettes,” or other exurban development forms that consume extensive proportions of open space or cause additional costs of infrastructure extension. | ### Align city departments and funding and coordinate with regional agencies and jurisdictions | | | | :--- | :--- | | **DP - 10** | Enhance the feasibility of infill development, redevelopment, or development proposed as a contiguous or an efficient extension of existing development patterns through direct assistance or development incentives in strategic areas. | | **DP - 11** | Continue to “sunset” zoning and development plan approvals if the property remains undeveloped and periodically evaluate the effectiveness of these requirements. | | **DP - 12** | Develop and update sustainable infrastructure plans that include a comprehensive asset management strategy. The goal should be to keep critical infrastructure assets in good or above-average condition | | **DP - 13** | Concentrate public capital investments, such as arterials, boulevards, parks, and public services into areas that are contiguous with currently developed land and that are currently or easily served by utilities | | **DP - 14** | Allocate the costs of infrastructure extensions to the property owner or developer where development is proposed in a non-contiguous location, is below a defined density, or requires a non-logical extension of infrastructure unless there is a significant public benefit. | | **DP - 15** | Regularly review the city’s impact fees, dedication requirements, and fee-in-lieu of dedication requirements to ensure new development is paying its fair share of costs for new infrastructure including trails. | | **DP - 16** | Direct development away from floodplains and establish environmentally sensitive methods for reducing flood risks by using clustering incentives, planned developments, conservation easements, or down zoning. | | **DP - 17** | Continue to address the problems of combined sanitary and storm sewers through the identification and implementation of innovative, equitable strategies. | # 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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> 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 <
> **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 <
> *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. # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## CONTEXT <
> **Impact of Pollution:** Kansas City is addressing many pollution issues that are the result of industrial production, energy production, building materials, and automobiles. Former industrial areas have completed or are active cleanups in many parts of the city. Other sites throughout the city have been investigated for potentially environmental concerns. Kansas City has had issues with ozone and sulfur dioxide, two criteria pollutants that are regulated by the EPA. Coal-burning power plants are the primary source of Sulfur Dioxide emissions. Ozone pollution is largely caused by internal combustion engines. The region has been in non-attainment or maintenance for these pollutants in the past two decades. <
> # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## CONTEXT ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS The impacts of climate change and pollution are felt by all Kansas Citians, but they disproportionately impact lower-income residents living in Kansas City. People experiencing the highest levels of socioeconomic stress, like poverty, systemic racism, linguistic isolation, or disability, also have higher barriers to adapting to climate change and natural disasters. As climate strategies are conceived and implemented, it is vital that people most likely to be impacted by climate change and pollution are included and that the City prioritize investment in areas where needs are the highest. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Average site EUI buildings; new vs. renovated, use category (decrease) * Greenhouse gas emissions, by sector (decrease) * Total vehicle miles traveled (decrease) * Urban tree canopy coverage (increase) ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Achieve a carbon-neutral, equity-focused, and resilient Kansas City by 2040 The Kansas City Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan (2022) is an equity-centered roadmap to reach the city’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Those goals are climate neutrality for city operations by 2030 and city-wide by 2040. Many of the strategies in the Playbook, including this Objective, support this goal of carbon neutrality (see links below), especially strategies for mobility, compact and sustainable development, and preservation of natural open spaces. Implementing the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan should be coordinated with implementing Playbook strategies on climate resiliency. ### Be a regional leader in environmental protection and resiliency by cultivating regional partnerships and coordination Kansas City is positioned to boldly lead the way in green infrastructure, mobility, energy efficiency, clean energy, waste reduction, and natural ecosystem protection. City leadership can forge and strengthen partnerships with regional entities on these issues. The city must keep working cooperatively with other metropolitan jurisdictions and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to address environmental health, resiliency, and hazard mitigation. Environmental systems and natural disasters don’t adhere to legal boundaries. # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Support implementing climate protection and resiliency plan goals Though the Playbook endorses the goals of the 2022 Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, it doesn’t cover everything. More environmental policy related to how the city grows is needed, including an Open Space Master Plan (see Parks and Open Spaces Objective). As the city updates area plans, it should incorporate the environmental goals of the Playbook and other citywide plans. Planning framework must be in place so the city can move forward together as a community and act strategically, with a long-term view and common goals. Once these plans are in place, the city must commit to funding, implementing, and periodically updating them, and tracking progress with strong, relevant metrics. ### Develop Sustainably The physical development of the city will directly affect the health of its residents and environment, and its overall resiliency. By developing in a sustainable way, the city can: * Minimize its footprint on the landscape * Avoid development in environmentally sensitive areas * Maximize the preservation of open space * Expand walkable mixed-use development * Create multimodal transportation systems and land use and development patterns that support them * Expand green spaces and green infrastructure * Build structures that use sustainably sourced materials and are energy efficient, and climate resilient * Explore requirements for new development to meet or exceed a 100-year life span The city also must leverage existing infrastructure (streets, sewers, etc.) by prioritizing development in areas where it’s in place. At the same time, the city must direct public investment to encourage new development in areas that need reinvestment. (See Development Patterns, Quality Development and Community Development and Revitalization Objectives.) ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Achieve a carbon-neutral, equity-focused, and resilient Kansas City by 2040 **EH - 1** | Implement and regularly update the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan (adopted in 2022) that aims to achieve the City’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of climate neutrality for city operations by 2030 and citywide by 2040. It also aims to help our city adapt to flooding, extreme heat, and other climate change impacts. --- | --- | | The plan identifies strategies with climate justice at heart, and community resilience, financing and innovation, and community empowerment woven throughout. The plan should be consulted specifically for strategies related to Energy Supply, Homes and Buildings, Food, and Waste which are not repeated in the Playbook. Strategies that the Climate Plan focuses on are related to: | | * Moving around the city | | * Providing clean and affordable energy # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Achieve a carbon-neutral, equity-focused, and resilient Kansas City by 2040 **EH - 1** * Using nature to cool our city, prevent flood damage, and clean our air and water * Creating healthy indoor spaces for living, working, and enjoying * Growing and sharing Local and nutritious food * Reducing our impact and reusing our resources ### Be a regional leader in environmental protection and resiliency by cultivating regional partnerships and coordination **EH - 2** Implement and regularly update the Regional Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan addresses severe weather (including tornadoes), dam and levee failures, and flooding (including floodplain mapping, management, and flood monitoring) * Continue to work with other metropolitan jurisdictions and the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) to plan for and coordinate issues of hazard mitigation and the natural environment. ### Support implementing climate protection and resiliency plan goals **EH - 3** Identify and protect sensitive natural habitats * Identify areas for protection and restoration through the Open Space Master Plan and area plans (as proposed in the Parks and Open Spaces Objective). * Work with regional partners to regularly update the natural resources inventory and other data sets that help to identify and prioritize areas for conversation, restoration, and protection. Use these data sets to inform open space and habitat planning. * Identify and engage partners who have the capacity and funding to restore and maintain natural habitats. Create internal processes and policies necessary to manage and facilitate these partnerships and standardize/simplify processes (easements, agreements, etc.) needed to implement habitat projects on public lands. **EH - 4** Restore and protect our streams and waterways (see also Parks and Open Spaces Objective). * Regularly measure stream health and update stream health mapping. * Monitor changes in stream health over time. Identify and prioritize streams at high risk for degradation for additional protections and improvements. * Seek out and engage partners who can adopt individual stream corridors and assist with restoration, monitoring, and management. **EH - 5** Implement green stormwater management solutions in public improvements and private development. * Implement the city's Smart Sewer Program by practicing adaptive management approaches and integrating green infrastructure * Implement stormwater management improvements, programs, and policies that focus on reducing/preventing flood events and combined sewer overflows, while also improving stream health and stability and water quality. * Periodically review and update relevant codes and standards to ensure they reflect best practices. **EH - 6** Increase the use of green infrastructure and pervious surfaces throughout the city. * Adopt codes and standards that require green and pervious surfaces in new development and capital improvements. * Utilize open space areas within public rights of way (including areas around streets and highways) for native plantings or urban forestry or other projects that improve air and water quality, mitigate heat island effect, or help mitigate climate change. # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Support implementing climate protection and resiliency plan goals **EH - 6** * Explore incentives and development code requirements to increase the use of native landscaping, preservation of existing mature trees and vegetation, creation of open spaces, and other measures to mitigate the urban heat island in new development. * Explore requirements for new development to take into consideration the physical character (existing vegetation, topography, viewsheds, streams, etc.) of the site and neighboring sites and work within that physical character. **EH - 7** Increase the tree canopy and preserve existing trees. * Implement and regularly update the Urban Forest Master Plan (2018) to achieve the tree canopy goal of 35%. * Regularly update the tree canopy inventory. * Enhance existing tree preservation and planting programs and exploring new policy mechanisms (e.g., tree preservation ordinance) as recommended in the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan. ### Develop Sustainably **EH - 8** Encourage compact design of new development and transportation infrastructure. * Adopt codes and standards that encourage compact design in new development. * Adopt codes and standards for capital improvements that maximize open spaces and minimize the impact on the natural environment. **EH - 9** Enhance code requirements to promote open space conservation near stream corridors and in floodplains. * Direct non-sustainable development away from floodplains and environmentally sensitive areas by expanding the use of open space and conservation development options and identifying areas where these development styles should be required. * Prohibit deforestation within flood plains and other environmentally sensitive areas. * Periodically review and refine the city’s stream setback requirements # OBJECTIVE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCY ## LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Desirable Place * Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable * Healthy Environmental Systems * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Community Engagement * Providing Services ### RELATED GOALS * Healthy Environment * Parks and Open Spaces * Sustainable and Equitable Growth ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan (2022) * KC Regional Climate Action Plan (2021) * Regional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan * Urban Forest Master Plan (2018) * Kansas City Transit Oriented Development Policy * KC Smart Sewer Adaptive Management Plan or Overflow Control Plan (or most recent Smart Sewer consent decree) * Regional Green Infrastructure Policy * For Mobility related plans see the following objectives: Access to Jobs, Connected City, Mobility, Public Transportation, and Regional Collaboration ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> Housing access is a basic determinant of a person’s quality of life. To be a thriving city, Kansas City must meet residents’ housing needs by facilitating a housing market that has a wide range of home prices and home types, for both renters and owners. As a city with areas ranging from dense urban cores to low-density single-family neighborhoods, Kansas City must approach housing policy from many angles. The city must address rental costs, property values, housing locations, residents’ access to jobs and transportation, types of housing (single-family, multi-family, etc.), and how housing impacts surrounding communities. By carefully considering these factors in housing policy decisions, the city can ensure quality housing is available to people of all income levels, races, and ages in Kansas City. Housing affordability is not limited to the cost of a house, property, or rent. Overall affordability for a resident is also determined by access to transportation, work, healthy food, and other daily necessities (see Access to Jobs, Complete Communities, Displacement Mitigation, Mobility, and Public Transit Objectives for more). Also, rising rents and property values often push lower-income residents farther from the transit, fresh food, and job centers they need, which compounds disparities in housing access. The city must make housing more attainable by maximizing housing options for households across all income levels. Creating housing to meet the needs of residents within a specific income range is part of that aim. The most common housing types available are single-family detached homes and high-density apartments, which means there is a “missing middle” – housing types that fall in between these two types and which would lend themselves to more affordable, connected, community-driven environments. These missing-middle housing options include duplexes/multiplexes, bungalow or cottage-style courtyard housing, townhouses, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Providing a range of housing types at a range of prices allows all Kansas Citians to find the housing that best fits their needs. For example, townhouses, ADUs, and other missing-middle housing types can cater to the aging population by allowing residents to stay in their homes longer, with neighbors nearby to help them with daily needs. The density and development pattern of missing middle housing suits a more walkable or transit-oriented community, too. Housing density refers to the number of housing units in a defined area. In general, single-family housing is the least dense, and high-rise apartments are the densest. Density should be encouraged, especially in areas with good transit connections and access to jobs and healthy food. More diversity of housing types can drive a wider range of densities in the city and allow neighborhoods to customize their housing stock for certain needs based on location, price, and connectivity. For addressing issues specifically related to houseless Kansas Citians, the Playbook supports recommendations in the Zero KC plan. ### INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will result in more residents with stable housing; an increase in older residents who can stay in their homes as they age; more varied housing options in all neighborhoods; and added density that helps create vibrant, functional communities. Together, these outcomes will produce a city in which homeowners, renters, and first-time home buyers can comfortably live, work, and age in their communities. ### BENEFITS * Increased housing stability for people of all lifestyles and demographics, with special care to the aging population * Increased number of affordable housing units * Increased housing options in all parts of the city so residents have more choice about where to live * Increased density of housing where density is most appropriate * Increased diversity of housing stock * Fewer unhoused city residents * More safe and energy efficient housing # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## CONTEXT Kansas City’s affordable housing needs are greatest for lower-income residents. In recent years, Kansas City’s policy has shifted to use incentives to support affordable housing. Overall, housing stock has grown significantly, but some parts of the city have actually lost a net number of housing units due to demolition. The diversity and style of housing choices has a big impact on the cost of living and diversity of any given neighborhood. ## RECENT HISTORY **Housing Affordability Today:** The 2018 five-year housing plan found that lower-income households were more disproportionately cost burdened. The average wait time for HUD assisted housing units was 52 months, or almost 5 years, highlighting the need for more affordable housing. <
> **Affordable Housing Trust Fund:** Kansas City established an Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) to support affordable housing projects throughout the city. In addition to equity-in-lieu-of fees from developers seeks incentives and Federal money, in 2022 voters agreed to an additional $50 million in bonds to support AHTF projects. Public housing and other Federal subsidies, as well as tax credit programs like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, make up most of the current income-restricted affordable housing stock today. According to data from the National Housing Preservation Database, in 2021, more than 5,000 Federal assisted rental units are at risk of being lost in the next 10 years. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## CONTEXT New Housing Production: Between 2000 and 2018, the city permitted nearly 36,000 new residential units. The Shoal Creek Valley area had the highest number of permits, with 11,644 new units. The Greater Downtown Area was a distant second, with 6,653 units. Some parts of the city had a net loss of units, with the Heart of the City area losing nearly 1,100 net units to demolition. <
> **Housing Diversity:** Housing needs are different for different household types. In Kansas City, only about 15% of households are married couples with children, and only about 27% of households have children at all. Housing needs also vary greatly across the city. In the Greater Downtown area, 40% of adults live alone. In the Midtown-Plaza area, around 20% of adults live with a roommate. The diversity of housing units varies throughout Kansas City. A diversity score shows the blend of Studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3+ bedroom units in Kansas City. An even balance of Studio to 3-bedroom units would show a diversity score of 1, where an area characterized with only one category of housing would show a diversity score of 0. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## CONTEXT **Units in Structure Structure Diversity Score** <
> *Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021* **Percent Single Family Detached Homes** <
> *Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021* Single-unit detached housing was the primary housing type being built in Kansas City since 1990, up until the 2008 financial crisis. As the economy emerged from the recession, larger multifamily units became the most popular type of housing. “Missing middle” buildings (between 2-19 units) were less common. **Permits by Type per Year (5-Year Rolling Average)** <
> *Source: KCMO Open Data* **New Housing Units by Size of Building & Area Plan** <
> # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## CONTEXT ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Kansas City has made strides in the past several decades toward creating a more diverse and integrated city. The diversity of the housing supply largely determines who can afford to live in a neighborhood. Diverse housing options promote diverse neighborhoods. As interest in living in urban areas grows, it is important to preserve and grow the stock of affordable housing units to limit displacement in these areas. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Low-income cost-burdened renter households (decrease) * Number of bedrooms per unit entropy score (increase) * Residential building size entropy score (increase) # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Increase access to affordable housing units There are many tools the city can use to cultivate housing affordability, such as limited-equity cooperatives, community land trusts, rental assistance programs, direct investment through subsidies and low-interest lending, and tenant right-to-purchase legislation. These strategies aim to increase the attainability of affordable housing through creation and preservation of rent-restricted units and keeping cost of existing available units under control. The city can also help ensure long-term affordability of housing by including energy efficiency measures in new and existing home construction to lower and/or stabilize utility costs. Often, the most successful affordable housing plans are those developed with multiple stakeholders and regional collaboration. Public-private partnerships between local governments, lending institutions, and the business community can generate lending programs to ease access to affordable housing. These partnerships can offer purchase loans and refinancing of existing mortgages paired with forgivable loan subsidies to make housing more affordable. ### Increase variety in housing types The city must help increase the availability of a range of housing types and prices, particularly missing-middle housing types (i.e., duplexes/multiplexes, townhouses, etc.). More diversity in housing benefits individual neighborhoods and the broader community in numerous ways. For starters, a diverse housing stock is more likely to have a range of prices than will a neighborhood of just one housing style, thereby better serving people of different income levels and household structures. A variety of housing types also creates vibrant communities, with housing that meets the disparate needs of people at all stages of life, from young professionals and families with children to the elderly. Increased housing diversity can come from changes in land use regulations, adaptive reuse of existing structures, and construction of a range of multifamily housing types that harmonize with the context and scale of surrounding development. ### Strategically promote housing density Promoting density in suitable areas will increase residents’ access to affordable housing. Strategically using tools such as adaptive reuse of the existing buildings, infill development, and economic incentives will create a more stable, sustainable, and connected housing stock in Kansas City. Increased housing density pushes down the overall cost of housing for residents. It also can boost the economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (see Environmental Health and Resiliency Objective for more). More housing units in an area will increase support to local businesses and potentially make a neighborhood more attractive to larger retailers like grocery stores, thereby increasing residents’ access to healthy food. Density also should be centered around existing transit corridors, so more people have a variety of mobility options to meet their daily needs and reach employment centers # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Increase access to affordable housing units | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HA - 1** | Explore partnerships between local government, lenders, and the business community to offer unique financial products including refinancing of existing loans and forgivable loan subsidies to low-income households. | | **HA - 2** | Partner with utility providers to adopt inclusive financing to reduce financial barriers of credit score and upfront cost to participation in home renovations to increase energy efficiency for renters and homeowners to reduce monthly utility bills. | | **HA - 3** | Preserve existing affordable housing. Strategies include incentivizing rehabilitation of existing housing into affordable housing through workforce housing tax credits and providing low-interest loans for repairs to reduce abandonment and blight. | | **HA - 4** | Creation of a rehabilitation loan fund to allow for the acquisition/rehabilitation of vacant or abandoned single-family structures to be repurposed into improved residences by citizens wanting to become a homeowner. The proposed fund would be jointly funded by the City and a group of local financial institutions and administered by a loan originator or servicer. | | **HA - 5** | Continue and expand the use of Low-Income Housing Tax credits for the preservation and construction of new affordable housing units. Preserve existing affordable rental housing units citywide. | | **HA - 6** | Work in a renewed partnership with the Housing Authority, City, and stakeholders to actively create and integrate affordable housing into all areas of the city. | | **HA - 7** | Create a range of homeownership assistance programs which empower residents to be new homeowners, including homeowner education programs, down payment assistance, expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership program, and exploring other innovative ways of funding alternate housing solutions. | | **HA - 8** | Coordinate and layer tax incentives with other resources including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, home rehabilitation programs, tax credits, and Opportunity Zones, to collectively support the improvement of housing stock in targeted areas (see also Community Development and Revitalization Objective for guidance on how to identify target areas). | | **HA - 9** | Coordinate and support local utility cost resources in order to lower utility bills for households in economic development areas, TIF areas, and other areas that are experiencing distress or disinvestment. Local resources include Weatherization Assistance through the Minor Home Repair program, energy rebates through local utilities, and local non-profits with homeowner assistance. | | **HA - 10** | Support Housing First and Rapid Rehousing initiatives funded by the City of Kansas City. | ### Increase variety in housing types | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HA - 11** | Continue to explore opportunities to allow dense housing types, particularly missing middle housing styles, in all areas of the city.
• Use area planning to identify appropriate areas for additional density
• Explore amendments to development code that increase opportunities for additional density.
• Create pre-approved higher density housing types with an expedited review period, and identify target areas for their implementation, e.g., transit corridors and employment centers | # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Increase variety in housing types (continued) | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HA - 12** | Review land use regulations for opportunities to remove barriers, or add strategies, to increase and diversify housing stock. Examples include (but are not limited to) increasing zoning designations in which multi-family housing are permitted by right, decreasing minimum lot sizes, encouraging compact housing types, or more broadly permitting alternative housing types. | | **HA - 13** | Study and identify alternative housing demand from a variety of consumer types to develop strategies aimed at facilitating these units' provision. | ### Strategically promote housing density | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HA - 14** | Utilize the area plan update processes to identify and explore opportunities for increased housing density throughout the city, particularly in transit corridors and near employment and activity centers. | | **HA - 15** | Explore partnerships and funding mechanisms to encourage adaptive reuse of existing developed and under-developed property (i.e., brownfield redevelopment, infill). | | **HA - 16** | Assess all Land Bank- and Homesteading Authority-owned real estate (publicly owned) and develop a plan for re-purposing and redevelopment that is consistent with the goals of this plan and area plans. | | **HA - 17** | Continue to monitor Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) creation and the effectiveness of the ADU provisions in the development code. | # OBJECTIVE: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND DIVERSITY # LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Affordable Community * Desirable Place * Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable * History and Heritage * KC Uniqueness * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Housing Affordability * Inclusive Design * Providing Services * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Diversity and Opportunity * Environment for People of All Ages * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods * Sustainable and Equitable Growth ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Kansas City's Housing Plans * Zero KC ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
> **AJ** Access to Jobs <
> **CC** Complete Communities <
> **CD** Community Development & Revitalization <
> **DM** Displacement Mitigation <
> **DP** Development Patterns <
> **HP** Historic Preservation # OBJECTIVE: # HISTORIC PRESERVATION <
> Kansas City is rich with historic resources, from historic homes, residential districts, and developed commercial areas to fountains, monuments, parks, and sculptures to battlefields, archaeological sites, and frontier trails. These unique assets give Kansas City a sense of place and character. To ensure historic resources are preserved, the city must incorporate historic preservation objectives into all city plans, including citywide, area, trails, and community health plans. It is also critical that the city intentionally preserves its most well-known historic resources, including the City’s Historic (Legacy) Parks and Boulevard System and historic commercial and residential districts. By drawing on preservation’s demonstrated strengths, bolstering existing programs, and creating new preservation mechanisms, Kansas City can protect valuable resources and coordinate the processes for this protection. Preservation efforts must capitalize on the historic assets in the oldest parts of the city, of course, but also in areas developed after World War II (such as Kansas City’s first suburbs) and structures just old enough to be considered for historic designation. The heritage and cultural tourism industry is growing rapidly, and public support for preservation-related sustainability, such as repurposing building materials or retaining structures rather than demolishing them, is strong. Kansas City can capitalize on both of these trends in its preservation efforts to meet historic preservation and environmental sustainability goals.. The preservation and reuse of existing structures results in less environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions than what typically results from demolition and new construction. The Historic Preservation Objective outlines initiatives to fully integrate historic preservation into Kansas City’s development review and approval process. Most importantly, it provides strategies for preservation to play a key role in completing Kansas City’s transformation into a more vibrant, diverse, and cohesive community. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | If this Objective is successfully implemented, the city's collective heritage and diverse communities will be preserved. Kansas City will continue to have a unique, powerful sense of place that is reflected in its historic landmarks, sites, and neighborhoods. People will be more aware of the importance of historic preservation and the tax credits and other programs that make it possible. Historic preservation efforts will revitalize older parts of the city while providing an economic boost through heritage tourism. | • Continued preservation of Kansas City’s historic landmarks, sites, and neighborhoods
• Recognition of the city’s wealth of historical and archaeological resources
• Creation of rehabilitation jobs (which leads to more construction jobs per project), with income fed back into the local economy
• Thriving heritage tourism that creates jobs, attracts new businesses, increases property values, improves quality of life, and builds community pride
• Sustainability in redevelopment efforts by using existing structures, resources, and materials
• Historic resources that reflect Kansas City’s cultural diversity | # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## CONTEXT Kansas City’s historic resources help its residents celebrate and learn from the past. They can also be a powerful catalyst for equitable redevelopment. ### RECENT HISTORY **Existing Historic Resources and Preservation Tools:** The historic preservation movement emerged in the middle of the 20th century through the development of many historic landmarks during urban renewal. The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act expanded preservation efforts to state and local governments and created grant programs to be administered through state offices. In 1969, the John B. Wornall House in Kansas City became the first property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today there are 299 sites and 47 districts in Kansas City listed on the national register, which is overseen by the U.S. National Park Service. The Kansas City Landmarks Commission (now Historic Preservation commission) was established in 1970. It oversees the 83 individual sites and 24 districts listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places. The National Register provides honorary recognition of historic resources and allows for financial incentives for historic rehabilitations, while the Kansas City Register requires approval of exterior changes from the Historic Preservation Commission to preserve the historic character of a designated site or district. Missouri’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program was instrumental in redeveloping many older buildings in downtown Kansas City. These tax credits were often paired with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and local incentives to redevelop buildings into affordable or mixed-income housing. **Exploring New Resources:** While there are many criteria for inclusion in the National Register, all resources must be at least 50 years old to be considered for inclusion. This means that many Mid-Century buildings are now eligible for inclusion on the register. A critical part of preserving these resources is identifying them through historic resources surveys that evaluate potentially eligible properties associated with significant historic events, people, or architecture. Continual evaluation of historic resources allows the City to preserve historic structures and celebrate Kansas City heritage. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Rehabilitating historic structures can be a powerful way to catalyze redevelopment. Many disinvested parts of the city have historic buildings that add value and meaning to infill development projects. Missouri’s competitive tax credit program prioritizes disinvested areas, awarding points for projects in Opportunity Zones, Qualified Census Tracts, or areas with a higher poverty rate. It is critically important that the City provide equitable access to tell the story of underrepresented peoples and resources. There have been many efforts to tell history of all Kansas Citians at a local scale. The African American Heritage Trail highlights dozens of important African American historic sites throughout the city. The Kansas City Museum features several eras of local history and highlights history on Kansas City’s growth, neighborhoods, and civil rights progress. Other historical archives, like the Missouri Valley Special Collections, the Western Missouri Historical Manuscripts Collection, the Black Archives of Mid-America, and the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America contain a treasure trove of local information and interpretive displays on these underrepresented people and sites. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are availabe here. <
> ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Historic (or eligible for historic register listing) resource demolition (decrease) # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Accelerate the identification and evaluation of historic resources A big part of historic preservation in Kansas City is the ongoing identification and evaluation of historic resources through surveys. Surveys provide historic context that can inform and guide new development in historic areas. Preservation planning works when the city knows the number, location, and significance of standing and buried resources. This knowledge can be used to: * Protect significant resources from demolition and unsympathetic alteration * Determine the location and distribution of resources for planning, development, and incentive programs * Facilitate planning and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations * Establish funding priorities for further evaluation and protection Information from surveys also can be used to implement other plan goals. For example, neighborhood development groups can use survey data to assess resources, so they avoid destroying or significantly altering properties which might qualify for federal, state or local preservation incentives. Archaeological survey data can alert a developer to buried historical resources during the planning stage or allow property owners a chance to donate easements as charitable contributions. ### Improve Economic Viability and Better Utilize the Benefits of Historic Preservation Since the early 1980s, preservation has proven to be a useful tool for revitalization. When paired with incentive programs, it’s a particularly powerful tool for economic development. Demonstrated long-term benefits include: * New businesses * More private investment * More tourism * Increased property values * Enhanced quality of life and community pride * New jobs * Land-use patterns that are compatible with each other * Increased property and sales tax revenues * Dilution of pockets of deterioration and poverty * demonstrated long term benefits Kansas City can reap these benefits by better using federal, state and local preservation programs and rewarding preservation projects with incentives. ### Modify regulatory processes to encourage preservation City preservation processes, like all governmental programs, should protect historic resources in an efficient, convenient, clear, and reliable way, with the “citizen-as-customer” operating principle. As the preservation movement evolved and merged into city planning programs, it became more complex and varied in its applications. In planning for the future, preservation ordinances, policies and procedures must be fully integrated into all city agencies and partners for planning and economic development. # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Increase public awareness of the city’s heritage and preservation values and issues Promoting appreciation for Kansas City’s collective heritage – the history of its trails, neighborhoods, parks and boulevards, and its great landmark buildings – is vital to build civic pride, respect for the environment and, ultimately, support for preservation. Heritage education should be part of life-long learning in Kansas City. To understand and value their community, future generations must understand how it works, how it formed, who helped shape it, and what gave it meaning. Heritage education encourages people to feel they’re part of a larger whole, part of a community which has meaning and identity. ### Promote heritage tourism as an economic development program Kansas City has a great economic opportunity with its historic resources. Counting only the spending attributable to the heritage portion of their travels, expenditures of Missouri heritage travelers amount to $660 million annually. This translates into annual economic benefits to the state of 20,077 jobs, $325 million in income, $574 million in gross state product, $79 million in state and local taxes and annual instate wealth creation of $506 million. Between 10 and 20 percent of every dollar spent by visitors goes into the coffers of state and local government. One-third of all vacationing families visit historic sites.[^p181-1] [^p181-1]: Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation in Missouri, 2002. ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Accelerate the identification and evaluation of historic resources | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HP - 1** | Increase the volume of historic/ architectural properties surveyed beyond current levels. | | | • Create volunteer survey guide as part of creation of online survey database. | | | • Create an online survey database with mapping that allows the public to view and submit survey information on historic properties. | | | • Create a framework to prioritize survey areas that includes equity, underrepresented communities and resources and sustainability goals for the city. | | | • Create an online map to identify future areas for preservation and survey. | | **HP - 2** | Establish a formal archaeological survey program in conformance with “Planning for the Past: Archaeological Resources Management in Kansas City, Missouri - Program Recommendations” | | | • Update predictive model for Kansas City to identify areas of high, medium and low probability for archaeological sites. | | | • Update Kansas City Archaeological Survey Master Plan. | | | • Provide guidance to individuals whose projects impact archaeological resources to minimize impacts and what are the appropriate procedures to recover resources. | # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Accelerate the identification and evaluation of historic resources **HP - 3** Improve ability to evaluate, apply and disseminate survey data. * Update Kansas City Historic Resource Survey Plan * Post existing historic resource surveys online. **HP - 4** Work with Parks Departments on strategies to preserve the historic character of the system. * Complete the National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the historic resources identified in the Kansas City System of Parks and Boulevards National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. * Develop historic landscape preservation guidelines * Collaborate with the Parks Department when adding new facilities to the boulevard system, such as bike lanes. * Initiate a historic resource management plan for Parks and Recreation according to the Certified Local Government Standards which incorporate a project impact analysis by independent preservation professionals in an advisory capacity to the staff and Board of Park Commissioners. ### Improve economic viability and better utilize the benefits of historic preservation **HP - 5** Target public incentives to projects in areas with existing public infrastructure and significant historic resources. * Give incentive priority to significant historic resources that are economically viable and/or those that will have an impact on surrounding properties * Partner with the Economic Development Corporation to train a staff person to specialize in the rehabilitation of historic properties * Maximize the use of incentives by combining them into tool kits to address preservation in the context of other issues in older neighborhoods and commercial centers * Target the use of CDBG funds to programs which positively affect areas with historic resources * Target historic multi-family residential development and small to medium neighborhood commercial centers for incentives **HP - 6** Develop new economic and regulatory incentives to encourage the renovation and occupancy of historic buildings * Develop a tax abatement program for the rehabilitation of Kansas City Register designated properties * Provide incentives to owners who occupy or businesses who lease space in historic non-residential buildings * Provide financial assistance for home improvements within residential historic districts * Utilize Federal and State grant funding to establish revolving rehabilitation loan funds and emergency stabilization loans for significant residential and commercial historic properties in neighborhoods which have adopted revitalization plans * Complete a study of the economic impacts of historic preservation in Kansas City to guide future incentives **HP - 7** Eliminate disincentives to preservation of historically significant commercial and residential properties * Revise appraisal policies for historic properties to reduce property taxes and, therefore, reduce incentive to demolish or allow demolition by neglect * Revise the property tax code to encourage rehabilitation rather than demolition * Utilize, where possible, incentive programs for abatement of environmental hazards in significant historic buildings # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Improve economic viability and better utilize the benefits of historic preservation * **HP - 7** * Provide small development projects funding support for the administrative costs of incentive programs * Develop a fee schedule for building permits that is lower for rehabilitation than for new construction * Exempt owners of property listed on the Kansas City Register from building permit fees upon issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness ### Modify regulatory processes to encourage preservation * **HP - 8** * Strengthen and streamline the historic preservation ordinance * Create a demolition delay review as part of historic preservation ordinance and a deconstruction requirement * Integrate assessor building dates into parcel viewer to assist in the determination of potentially historic buildings that are over 40 years old * Create regulations to specifically address protection of historic landscapes, greenspaces, parks and boulevards * Work with Parks Department on guidelines and a review process for properties adjacent to historic boulevards and within a local historic district * Create strategies to increase awareness of requirements within a local historic district and new enforcement methods * Work with counties on agreement to notify new property owners of the historic designation of their properties * **HP - 9** * Streamline and tailor the City's general review and regulatory processes to keep them from becoming a disincentive for renovation projects * Amend the Zoning Ordinance to be compatible with Citywide preservation goals * Ensure the compatibility of new development and discourage the destruction of sound, older buildings in neighborhoods with a cohesive character * Provide for protection of significant archaeological resources * Allow for mixed uses in large, older buildings that are economically difficult to maintain as single use buildings and that would otherwise fall into disrepair or be abandoned * Allow for partial use of a larger historic building and complexes that are to be completed in phases * Permit compatible infill development of small vacant lots which are otherwise a blighting influence on neighborhoods * Allow for flexible setback regulations in established neighborhoods so that a new building can be constructed with respect to adjacent building setbacks * Continue the revitalization and 24-hour use of the Urban Core by allowing new mixed-use development and higher density in some areas * Require the consideration of harmony between new and existing development as a criterion in development plan review and for special exceptions * Provide for pedestrian-oriented neighborhood commercial developments which would serve older, established areas * Provide for transitional height allowances around lower scale historic districts and residential areas adjacent to the central business district * Provide for improved design standards for new commercial, industrial and higher density residential developments * Continue to update building and fire code for older buildings as the city adopts updates to the International Building Code # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Modify regulatory processes to encourage preservation * **HP - 9** * Accelerate the review process for construction and renovation projects within historic districts * Create district specific guidelines to clarify the requirements for rehabilitations and infill to streamline the approval process * Create guidelines for historic properties that address proposed alterations for sustainability and climate change goals but balance the preservation of historic character of buildings and landscapes * **HP - 10** Integrate preservation goals into city processes, policies, and plans * Develop a historic resources analysis process to assist in determining the impact of all public funding and local incentive projects on significant historic resources early in the planning process. In addition to determining the significance of an older property, it should also include a determination of the economic viability for rehabilitation. * Develop a vehicle to consistently utilize the Main Street program in and along small neighborhood commercial centers * Develop and adopt proactive rehabilitation alternatives and coordinate polices to actively promote rehabilitation of deteriorated and dangerous buildings in addition to demolition, which would include: * Expanding the minor home repair program * Develop legal mechanisms to stop decline and pursue rehabilitation of abandoned properties * Market programs for rehabilitated, vacant and deteriorated, properties prior to and after rehabilitation * In low-income historic neighborhoods, involve the city as a financial partner with banks in the development of historic residential and commercial properties * Develop programs to protect significant abandoned and endangered historic properties, including: * Establishing policy and procedures on how the Homesteading Authority might prioritize acquisition of abandoned historic properties * Establishing a mothball and marketing fund for vacant buildings listed in National and Local registers * Developing a land conservation program to protect historic, natural and scenic resources, including parks, open space, scenic views, trails, archaeological sites, and other landscape elements * Work with neighborhoods and public entities to notify property owners about incentives and/or restrictions related to designated properties or properties eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places * Incorporate institutional planning into the development and land use regulatory process * Implement an institutional zoning overlay with design guidelines and parameters compatible with base zoning designation * Create incentives and disincentives which are aimed at securing participation in comprehensive neighborhood planning and mitigating the impact on significant historic resources * Integrate historic preservation recommendations into the area plans by using historic survey data, property age, recommendations from the survey master plan and the public to prioritize the preservation of buildings and neighborhoods * Identify resources which are eligible for preservation grant-in-aid funds and other federal incentives. * Provide consistent criteria for rehabilitation vs. demolition * Assist in targeting properties for local incentives * Provide design guidelines for rehabilitation and new construction in older neighborhoods without design review which have proven to stabilize property values and provide long-term viability * Include the protection of historic resources as a criterion in the acquisition of public parks # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Modify regulatory processes to encourage preservation **HP - 10** * Establish policies to direct the city’s role as a participant on the Land Bank of Kansas City, MO which include guidelines for addressing significant historic properties * Establish notice and coordination procedures between the professional staff of all regulatory bodies * As a part of budgetary expenditures, require an inventory and cyclical maintenance program for all city-owned historic institutional buildings, including those under the administrative jurisdiction of appointed boards * Encourage public entities to own or lease space in historic buildings * Use historic institutional buildings as locations for community anchors and for other city programs * Identify single and multi-family housing types in existing or potentially historic areas that can provide affordable and missing middle housing * Encourage the use of overlays, such as Neighborhood Character, Special Character and Pedestrian Oriented Overlays to conserve the character of neighborhoods that are not historically listed ### Increase public awareness of the city’s heritage and preservation values and issues | | | | :--- | :--- | | **HP - 11** | Create and promote a Heritage Tourism program or other tourist destinations that will attract visitors to Kansas City (like the African American Heritage Trail) | | **HP - 12** | Promote existing cultural programs, community events and festivals and partner in new programs that highlight the character of the variety of cultures in Kansas City | | **HP - 13** | Pursue strategies to enhance cultural tourism, improve arts promotion, facilitate redevelopment through the arts, leverage the arts to help “brand” Kansas City, and other opportunities | | **HP - 14** | Utilize the city as a laboratory for heritage education for lifelong learning
• Encourage area schools to make the history of Kansas City part of the history curriculum, just as national and state history are now incorporated into the curriculum
• Encourage area schools to require in-service training for educators at historic sites through grants, incentives and regular budgetary allocations
• Develop guided and self-guided walking tours designed for all ages and available at public sites in tour areas
• Integrate this into the city and region’s tourism program
• Develop educational curricula that links historic preservation with environmental issues
• Develop a public archaeology program in cooperation with other metropolitan area sites to provide learning experiences in the field
• Work with local contracting, trade, building, and educational institutions to create programs to train craftsmen who specialize in the rehabilitation and restoration of historic properties | | **HP - 15** | Develop marketing/education programs to promote economic investment in heritage areas.
• Publish a building rehabilitation guidebook containing information collected from all city and private programs relating to building rehabilitation
• Create a building rehabilitation guide for smaller historic apartment buildings that includes historic guidelines and possible incentives
• Develop press packets with preservation contacts, long lead articles about upcoming preservation events, and special interest topics useful for research or “filler” copy | # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Increase public awareness of the city’s heritage and preservation values and issues **HP - 15** * Cultivate media interest in preservation issues around a consistent set of messages, including: * Preservation as a tool for revitalization * Preservation as a contribution to quality of life * Heritage tourism * Promotion of expanded use of the rehabilitation tax credits and façade and open space easements * Story ideas around themes formatted for all types of media by public relations professionals * Develop a marketing program to encourage use of historic properties, including: * Listing of available historical commercial properties for lease or sale * Listing of historic commercial and residential properties for sale * Listing of rentable historic facilities for special events * Listing of vacant historic properties available for redevelopment * Training real estate professionals in marketing historic properties * Create guide to programs that address environmental issues that are common with rehabilitating historic properties * Publish a summary of preservation programs and procedures. Use neighborhood associations to distribute information to both property owners and residents * Establish public/private partnership with the preservation community to continue or created the following programs: * Create an association of local historic districts for educational and advocacy purposes and to “mentor” other neighborhoods in initiating preservation programs * Include “in progress” renovations in homes tours * Conduct regular workshop series demonstrating preservation techniques * Create a research index which outlines how to research a property and where to find different types of information * Create an ongoing index which outlines the various sources of information available on restoration and rehabilitation techniques * Create webpage with links to preservation and rehabilitation information * Encourage area public libraries to carry materials on preservation and rehabilitation topics **HP - 16** Create products and activities to educate elected officials and city staff, developers, investors, planners, contractors and design professionals about the advantages of preservation. * Create an annual report on historic preservation activities in the city and present during Historic Preservation Month. * Target private groups for specific educational programs, including: * Annual seminars for the lending community about the economic benefits of rehabilitation and which encourage compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 * Cooperative programs with professionals, contractor associations, and building trades to train in preservation methodology and procedures. Include training as part of a “certification” process and as a criterion for referral listing. * Develop training modules for city staff on the processes, applications and benefits of historic preservation, including: * A Staff Preservation Handbook which explains the preservation policies and criteria, designation process, and available incentives. * Include information on Federal compliance, code requirements and the American with Disabilities Act. * Regularly distribute information on preservation activities directed to elected and appointed officials and city agencies. # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Promote heritage tourism as an economic development program **HP-17** Develop a comprehensive heritage tourism program which integrates historic sites and vendors into program planning and implementation. * Develop a significant historic destination at the Kansas City River Front area which incorporates the Town of Kansas Archaeological Site. * Create a Kansas City Heritage Corridor. * Use technology to engage the public in preservation of historic assets, similar to the African American Heritage Trail and the Riverfront Heritage Trail. * Through the National Trust Heritage Tourism Program, enlist the participation of all metropolitan historic sites and museums to conduct a comprehensive management and interpretive assessment and develop a cooperative marketing and program plan. * Assessing current attractions, visitor services, organizational capabilities, preservation resources and marketing programs; * Establishing priorities and measurable goals through organizing human and financial resources; * Preparing for visitors through development of long-term management goals which protect historic resources; and * Marketing for success through development of a multi-year, multiple-tier targeted marketing plan involving local, regional, state and national partners. ## 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 ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Community Engagement * Housing Affordability * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Diversity and Opportunity * History, Arts, and Culture * Parks and Open Spaces * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods * Sustainable and Equitable Growth * Well-Designed City ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Kansas City Historic Resource Survey Plan, 1992 * Archaeological Resource Survey Master Plan for the Cities of Kansas City and Liberty, 1993 * Our Sense of Place: Preserving Missouri Cultural Resources. MO Comprehensive Statewide Preservation Plan 2018-2024 # OBJECTIVE: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ## LINKS ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
> **AJ** Access to Jobs **BA** Business Attraction & Retention **CA** City Attractions **CN** Connected City **DM** Displacement Mitigation **DP** Development Patterns **EH** Environmental Health & Resiliency **HA** Housing Affordability & Diversity **PS** Public Spaces **QD** Quality Development # OBJECTIVE: # MOVEMENT OF GOODS <
> Kansas City is a massive hub for freight activity, boasting numerous geographical and physical advantages for the movement of goods. A consumer economy relies entirely on the ability to procure and obtain goods, and Kansas City’s multimodal freight network facilitates this process for residents, the region, and the United States as a whole. This is not new – Kansas City’s advantage as the most centrally situated city in the United States historically has reinforced the region as a cargo hub, particularly for rail freight. Freight issues, needs, and trends are always evolving, at all levels of the industry, from local to global. Policy and regulatory changes (locally, regionally, and nationally) affect infrastructure investments and strategies. Technological innovation has led to new industries, tools, and opportunities to move freight more efficiently. Growth in many economic sectors has led to changes in consumer demand that have reshaped the movement patterns of goods. All of these continue to affect freight delivery. E-commerce has grown exponentially, which is evident on Kansas City’s roads, bridges, rail lines, and rivers. Much of this activity is deliveries of goods directly to homes, but it also has brought major industrial, commercial, and warehousing nodes to Kansas City communities (see the Business Attraction and Retention Objective). The movement of goods relies on macro-scale transportation networks such as Interstate highways and Class 1 Railroad lines. It also relies on city streets, such as arterial roads to reach freight hubs and residential streets to complete the last mile of the delivery (see the Parking and Curb Management Objective for more information on the use of local streets and curbs). The movement of goods also relies on a transportation and logistics workforce who need infrastructure investments that support their safety and convenience. For example, truck parking at rest areas and commercial truck stops is often in short supply, leading to more time on the road for truck drivers. All decisions about Kansas City’s roads and bridges impact the ability to move freight efficiently and safely, without harming air quality and quality of life. A fully functioning freight network is critical to everyday life, which has become even more clear in the wake of supply-chain challenges due to the COVID pandemic. Ultimately, the city must balance the needs of the freight industry with the needs of communities in the region. ### INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will strengthen Kansas City’s position as a regional and national hub of freight activity. Transit centers will cater to employees’ needs by providing reliable transit services to and from employment centers and affordable housing nearby. The city will garner federal funding to improve and expand transit projects in the region. There will be fewer truck crashes and more areas designated for safe truck parking. ### BENEFITS * Improved ability for local businesses and residents to reliably ship and receive goods * Increased capacity as an important national hub for commerce * Improved positioning for business attraction and retention * Improved truck mobility and more efficient routing . # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS ## CONTEXT Kansas City is a significant national hub for freight and logistics. Much of its historic growth was enabled by the railroad industry, and transportation and logistics continue to drive its economy forward today. Equitable access to freight and logistics jobs will help advance opportunities for more people and help this sector of the economy continue to grow. ## RECENT HISTORY **Freight and Intermodal Assets:** Kansas City is a major freight hub for the country. It is centrally located in the middle of the country, with Interstate highway, Rail, River, and Air access. Major intermodal facilities – places where freight is transferred from rail to trucks – have been developed in the past decades. <
> **Freight and the Economy:** The Transportation and Warehousing Industry contributed $5.8 billion to the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area’s economy in 2019 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2019). Jobs in the Transportation and Warehousing industry have grown at an average annual rate of 2.3% in the metro area (compared with an overall annual job growth rate of just 1.2%) in the years 2003-2019 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002-2019). <
> # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS ## CONTEXT **E-Commerce and Last-Mile Delivery:** E-Commerce has grown substantially in the last 20 years. This growth has created an agglomeration of warehousing and distribution centers within the Kansas City region. The last mile of delivery from warehouses to households has resulted in new carriers directly from e-commerce companies such as Amazon. It has also caused a significant increase in commercial traffic, as well as residential delivery and loading needs. Kansas City does not have designated freight routes, except for a prohibition on trucks in the City’s Parkway and Boulevard system. There is also no curb use or last-mile delivery policy, except for loading zone requests from property owners granted by the Parking and Transportation Commission. ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Jobs in transportation and warehousing can provide stable employment with good pay and benefits. Access to these jobs is a critical issue. With many transportation and warehousing jobs located further away from transit and affordable housing in these areas scarce, employers are facing worker shortages. <
> Sources: LODES Version 7.5 2019 Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Truck travel time reliability (increase) * Value of freight throughput, by mode (increase) # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Develop freight routing and investment plan Kansas City has a robust street network that provides connections between major freight centers and the regional highway network. However, that network has many locations that are problematic for large vehicles, such as low-clearance overpasses, load-restricted bridges, and geometric constraints. Truck-oriented GPS systems that highlight obstacles for large vehicles are expensive. Small trucking companies and owner-operator drivers often rely on the same routing tools most people use every day. Formalizing a plan for truck routing can reveal challenging locations for large vehicles, provide drivers with consistent information about these locations, and limit truck operations to primary highways. A large-scale wayfinding system may be deployed in places where a coordinated signage program can support designated truck routes. A formal truck-routing plan also can better target investments in freight systems, such as by designating specific areas as intermodal connectors or Critical Urban/Rural Freight Corridors to focus investment in these areas. A review of truck crashes can give a clear understanding of where dangerous conditions exist for large vehicles. Using crash hotspot analyses to pinpoint these locations, then evaluating the prevailing conditions or crash types at those locations can pave the way to apply focused concepts for improvements. True, some locations may need high-cost capital improvements, but many deficient conditions can be remedied with low-cost, easily installed, and highly effective improvements, such as signage, striping, or signal improvements. State-level plans for freight movement establish statewide goals, document higher-level commodity flows and forecasts, describe modal infrastructure and operations, establish investment plans, and fulfill other federally required purposes. However, a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) benefits by having a better understanding of the larger picture and context in which they operate. This is especially true for a region with a diverse number of governmental and stakeholder interests and needs. With the development of the MARC Regional Freight Plan, Kansas City can explore and align with goals, visions, and opportunities specific to the region and its stakeholders. This plan will have a granular data analysis that, when linked with stakeholder and agency input, will produce program and project-level recommendations for the Kansas City region. ### Identify opportunities for new truck parking in industrial areas The availability and shortage of truck parking is a major issue for the trucking sector, the traveling public, and communities throughout the region. Truck drivers are forced to park in undesignated locations when they can’t find suitable parking, which is dangerous for other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and the truck drivers themselves. The scarcity of truck parking also hurts driver productivity by forcing drivers to take longer detours to reach an open space and end their workday earlier than they want to. The lack of truck parking perpetuates negative perceptions about the industry. Ultimately, a shortage of adequate truck parking negatively impacts the ability to make on-time deliveries. Truck parking challenges are expected to grow as the volume of trucks on the roads continues to increase. Higher land prices, particularly in urban areas, make building truck parking a challenge. In fact, in communities around the U.S., there is pressure to redevelop truck parking facilities into other uses that are seen as more desirable. Much of this pressure stems from a lack of awareness of how important truck parking facilities are to the safety and efficiency of supply chains that deliver products to consumers. There are many underused private parking lots in our industrial areas. In line with the Parking and Curb Management Objective, the city should pursue public-private partnerships to create a shared parking model for truck parking. # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Review highway connections with rail, maritime, and air freight nodes Seamless intermodal connections (linking freight movement by truck, rail, water, and air) are a key part of Kansas City’s freight network. Targeted infrastructure investments can create more efficient multimodal connections as part of a concerted effort to support growth in the goods movement industry. Improvements can range from small-scale wayfinding systems or truck-routing programs to large-scale highway or bridge projects. These efforts shouldn’t be limited to highways. They could include investments in truck parking, particularly for staging areas associated with trucks and intermodal terminals, including high-quality basic accommodations for drivers. ### Promote freight as part of complete streets With Kansas City’s high volume of freight activity comes substantial rail and truck traffic that uses the region’s intermodal freight network to travel between freight origins or destinations and the regional highway network. At the same time, the region is also home to numerous walkable and bikeable communities and neighborhoods. There is often debate between advocates for complete streets and advocates for freight, each jockeying for space allocation and infrastructure improvements. Municipal and state governments often aim to separate the two, seeing them as conflicting with each other. But this view ignores the idea that complete streets encourage safe movement for all users. Therefore, when considering complete-streets policies, freight needs should be advanced in tandem with those of other users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists. ### Improve connections between Blue River Industry and the Missouri River/M-29 Marine Highway The Missouri River Terminal (MRT), at the confluence of the Blue and Missouri rivers, offers the region an opportunity to create an inland port with access to major highway, rail, and maritime infrastructure. The port terminal has the capacity to move 800,000 tons of cargo annually, but currently moves only 110,000 tons. The expansive Blue River Industrial corridor offers additional opportunities to grow industrial, warehousing, and freight uses. The city should review needs related to moving freight along this corridor, focusing on direct links to the M-29 Marine Highway/Missouri River and movement on the river itself. ### Regional collaboration Creating a formal local freight transportation committee can bring together freight transportation stakeholders, industry and business leaders, state and local elected officials, and Department of Transportation (DOT) and MPO partners. A committee with local representation can be a viable way to target, understand, and address freight transportation concerns in the region. This forum can become an incubator for potential partnerships to address interjurisdictional concerns, such as responding to federal grants. In a committee such as this, the region’s key freight planners and practitioners can collaborate to improve infrastructure conditions for Kansas City’s goods movement industry. # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Develop freight routing and investment plan | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MG - 1** | Develop a Freight Routing and Investment Plan for Kansas City. Include regional partners and regional needs. Include ways to link to the existing or future Long Range Transportation Plan.
  • Identify freight/warehousing activity clusters and truck route typologies (local, connector, through)
  • Assign route typologies to highway network
  • Identify necessary infrastructure investments (short, mid, long-term)
| | **MG - 2** | Promote truck routes through appropriate channels, including through outreach to business groups, intermodal facilities, major operators, and industrial/warehousing centers. | | **MG - 3** | Work with stakeholders to prioritize and target highly effective improvements identified in the Freight Routing and Investment Plan that can be quickly put in place to build momentum for larger, more costly capital improvements. | | **MG - 4** | Working with the Mid-America Regional Council (MRAC) to implement the Heartland Freight Technology Plan. Include business and industry leaders and State and local transportation officials in planning efforts. | ### Identify opportunities for new truck parking in industrial areas | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MG - 5** | Work with the MARC to implement the Heartland Freight Technology Plan. Include business and industry leaders and state and local transportation officials in planning.
  • Analyze use of major truck parking facilities and review data to understand where trucks park in undesignated areas. Based on an analysis of parking in undesignated areas, identify locations where truck parking for staging vehicles is most needed.
  • Promote the importance and benefits of truck parking. Provide informational materials to decision makers to help them understand the importance of investing in truck parking.
| ### Review highway connections with rail, maritime, and air freight nodes | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MG - 6** | Identify deficient roadway connections associated with intermodal facilities and intermodal transfers in the Freight Routing and Investment Plan. Explore options to improve associated infrastructure. | | **MG - 7** | Use crash cluster analyses to understand where truck crash incidence is highest. | ### Promote freight as part of complete streets | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MG - 8** | Consider advancing a regional truck mobility study to understand where truck trips most substantially conflict with non-motorized transportation modes.
  • Identify overlaps in clusters of truck crashes and clusters of bicycle or pedestrian crashes.
  • Identify potential improvements to address existing deficiencies.
| | **MG - 9** | Develop curb-space management standards to formalize freight loading and delivery zones (as discussed in the Parking and Curb Management Objective) | # OBJECTIVE: MOVEMENT OF GOODS # COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Promote freight as part of complete streets **MG - 10** Explore opportunities to advance freight and complete streets in mode-specific plans (i.e., freight within complete streets plans or complete streets within freight plans). Engage freight and complete streets subject matter experts concurrently during project-specific planning and design phases. ### Improve connections between Blue River Industry and the Missouri River/M-29 Marine Highway **MG - 11** Advance maritime corridor plan for the Blue River and potential connections with the proposed MRT. ### Regional collaboration **MG - 12** Explore creating a formal local freight transportation committee that can bring together freight transportation stakeholders, industry or business leaders, State or local elected officials, as well as DOT and MPO partners. # LINKS ## RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Innovation and Creativity * Regional Collaboration * Thriving Economy ## RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Citywide Accessibility * Providing Services ## RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Smart City ## RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan * Heartland Freight Technology Plan * KC Regional Freight Outlook ## RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: # MOBILITY Kansas City’s transportation system is a connected network of streets, sidewalks, bus lines, streetcars, and bicycle facilities. Each of these provides mobility for Kansas City residents to move throughout the city for work, healthcare, errands, food, recreation and many other needs. Due to decades of investment, it’s very easy to get around Kansas City by car, with limited traffic congestion. But there has been comparatively less investment in other modes, such as public transit and facilities for walking and biking. Paired with increasing sprawl in the region, that limited investment has made getting around Kansas City increasingly difficult for people who don’t have access to a personal automobile. Lower-income households are less likely to have access to a car, so their access to the region’s opportunities limited, a major equity issue. In recent years, Kansas City has worked to improve multimodal access throughout the city. It has reconstructed sidewalks in poor shape and built new ones, established a network of protected bike lanes throughout the city, built extensions to the streetcar route, and continued to provide transit service. These improvements, along with residents’ changing work habits, housing choices, and preferences, have enhanced mobility for all users. In turn, this will help Kansas City achieve its climate-protection goals, improve public health, and create a safer and more enjoyable mobility experience for everyone. This Objective makes recommendations on how to further improve multimodal mobility for people walking, biking, and using transit, and how to maintain efficient flow of traffic. The recommendations focus on infrastructure investment and prioritization, street design, land use planning, and operational considerations that make it easier to move around, regardless of access to a vehicle. ## INDICATORS OF SUCCESS By designing Kansas City to accommodate all modes of transportation, the city will increase equity; unlock opportunities for people who can’t drive (whether because of age, ability, or means); make life more enjoyable for people who prefer not to drive; and preserve the environment for future generations by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. ## BENEFITS * Increased mobility options for people without automobiles * More opportunities for active transportation, such as walking and biking Improved public health and safety * Lower household costs associated with automobile ownership * Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution * Reduced cost for the city for asset preservation. # OBJECTIVE: MOBILITY ## CONTEXT There has been a deliberate focus on walking and biking in Kansas City in the last two decades, with significant planning and investment going into the sidewalk and bike network. New technology like electric-assist bicycles and bike and scooter share are helping encourage more trips on foot or bike in Kansas City's hilly terrain. Improving mobility for people without access to an automobile is an important part of building a more equitable city. ## RECENT HISTORY **Potential for Walking and Biking Trips:** The distance someone needs to travel and the time it takes them to get there are major factors in what mode of transportation they choose. The shorter the trip, the more likely it is that a person will be able to walk, bike, or e-bike to their destination. While the typical work trip commute distance in Kansas City is quite long (see the Access to Jobs objective), trips for other purposes tend to be much shorter. Walking and biking are possible all over Kansas City, but they have the highest mode share in dense urban areas and areas where vehicle access is low. <
> Source: Replica 2019 Activity-Based Model <
> Source: Replica Activity Based Model, Based on a typical weekday in 2019 <
> Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021 # OBJECTIVE: MOBILITY ## CONTEXT **Planning Efforts:** The Walkability Plan, Bike KC Master Plan Update, and Trails KC Plan were all developed to help make walking and biking an easier choice for more people. The Walkability Plan emphasized pedestrian zones and addressing barriers to walkability. The Bike KC Master Plan focuses on creating a network of safe, protected on-street facilities paired with facilities on low-stress streets. The Trails KC Plan is a system of planned off-street trail facilities that is also incorporated into a larger regional trail plan called the MetroGreen Action Plan. **Infrastructure Investment:** In 2017, Kansas City Voters passed a General Obligation Bond that included $150 million to repair existing sidewalks and curb ramps, an important feature for people with disabilities. Prior to this vote, individual Kansas City residents were responsible for the cost of repairing the sidewalk in front of their property. Kansas City has also been building a network of protected bicycle facilities by using inexpensive materials like flex posts and parking blocks on newly resurfaced roadways. <
> **E-Bikes and E-Scooters:** Electric bicycles and scooters have also become popular in recent years. Kansas City has multiple private companies operating rental e-scooters. A system of lock-anywhere electric assist bicycles is operated under the RideKC Bike brand by BikeWalkKC and the KCATA. ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Improving mobility for non-automobile modes helps people who do not have access to a car or cannot drive due to age or ability. Better infrastructure for walking and biking also helps people get to and from transit, expanding the reach and coverage of a transit route. When planning sidewalks, bicycle facilities, trails, and bike/scooter rental operations, it is important to make sure areas with low automobile access are prioritized and included in the planning and implementation of these facilities. <
> Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. # OBJECTIVE: MOBILITY ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Miles of new sidewalks (increase) * Miles of repaired sidewalks (increase) * Miles of protected bicycle facilities in equity areas (increase) * Vehicle light households; by income, by transit access (increase) * Ratio of transit commutes to drive-alone commute times ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Improve multimodal transportation infrastructure planning and investment The city should explore the creation of a transportation master plan. To build a multimodal transportation system, the city’s planning process must focus on all modes of transportation. A citywide transportation master plan can outline priorities, establish performance criteria for multiple modes, center equity, and create new design standards that are appropriate for all areas of the city. The transportation master plan should update the Major Street Plan and provide specific, performance-based criteria on how and when to apply various street typologies. The transportation master plan also should establish a citywide framework to plan capital improvements that coordinates PIAC (the Public Improvements Advisory Committee), the city budget process, and special district (TIF, CID, and TDD) capital improvements planning like TIF (Tax Increment Financing), CIDs (Community Improvement Districts), and TDDs (Transportation Development Districts). Land use planning and transportation planning should be integrated in area plans, so density and land use targets are established to support walking and biking, and multimodal projects are identified and prioritized. Development review should incorporate multimodal design standards and implement planned multimodal investments opportunistically. The citywide transportation master plan and area planning processes should identify funding sources and propose new funding sources to equitably meet needs across the city. ### Implement transportation demand management programming strategies to support diverse transportation options Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a strategy to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips through policies and programming rather than by building roadway capacity. It can take many forms but often centers on creating Transportation Management Associations, which are voluntary groups that can encourage alternatives to driving. These associations can set up vehicle sharing, carpool programs, and other incentive programs to help reduce peak-hour congestion and encourage workers and shoppers to use other types of transportation. These associations would work well in hospital or university districts, such as Hospital Hill and UMKC’s Volker Campus, or at employment hubs near KCI, the East Bottoms, or the Three Trails Crossing Area. # OBJECTIVE: MOBILITY ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Improve multimodal transportation infrastructure planning and investment | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MO - 1** | Create a Transportation Master Plan that combines the Major Street Plan, Bike KC Plan, Walkability Plan, Trails KC Plan, and Transit Plans under a single coordinated framework using demographic, operational, and asset condition data to inform citywide needs and key equity, safety, and accessibility issues. The plan should be guided by the Playbook Goals and provide strategies that respond to the different contexts throughout the city. The plan should have a robust public engagement component, and it should establish guidelines to identify transportation system solutions based upon the unique context in which those systems are located. | | **MO - 2** | Create a Complete Streets Design Guide with typical sections that include all modes and have performance-based criteria (such as safety, multimodal level of service, lifecycle cost, existing and future land use) that provide specific guidelines for when and where to use a typical section, as well as engineering standards that can be used to develop plans for construction. | | **MO - 3** | Integrate land use planning with transportation investments. Ensure that area plans support land use patterns that promote complete communities. Area plans also should identify transportation investments that are incorporated into the capital improvements planning process. Ensure all new development actively implements multimodal infrastructure, site layout and design. | | **MO - 4** | Use the area plan process to engage stakeholders, refine transportation master plan elements and complete street design guide contexts for individual corridors, and identify improvements. Area plans should identify preferred street types in specific locations, estimate project costs, and establish a timeline for implementation. | | **MO - 5** | Set an investment target for multimodal infrastructure that is incorporated into the transportation master plan, recognized in an annual capital improvement planning and budgeting process, and tied to mode shift targets | | **MO - 6** | Continue to support the Sidewalk Asset Management Plan by increasing investment in sidewalks and ADA curb ramps. Find new funding sources to address the need for new sidewalks (filling critical gaps) and provide additional funds to work on the sidewalk maintenance backlog. | | **MO - 7** | Expand access to bicycling for all ages and abilities by creating safe and protected bicycle facilities, expanding bike share, providing grants or rebates for electrical-assist bicycles, and prioritizing lower-income households. Update the BikeKC bike route network. | ### Implement transportation demand management programming strategies to support diverse transportation options | | | | :--- | :--- | | **MO - 8** | Establish Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) in employment, institutional, and shopping areas throughout Kansas City. TMAs are voluntary associations of businesses and employers that can create programs like vehicle sharing, carpool groups, bike share, guaranteed and emergency ride home programs, shared parking, and campus or district-level shuttles. TMAs could be subsidized or otherwise supported by Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) or similar districts. | | **MO - 9** | Develop incentives to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips and peak hour trips by encouraging employers to allow telework on certain days, encourage staggered shift times, and providing employee subsidies for walking, biking, transit, and carpool. | | **MO - 10** | Establish a car-sharing program that can be used to reduce individual automobile ownership (and off-street parking in large multifamily projects) and support occasional errands, shopping, or other trips. Initial subsidy may be required in order to make such a program successful, but it can be offset by savings from other subsidies (i.e., for structured parking). | # OBJECTIVE: MOBILITY # LINKS ## RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Affordable Community * Healthy Environmental Systems * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Mobility Options * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ## RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Citywide Accessibility * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Welcoming Spaces ## RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Environment for People of All Ages * Healthy Environment * Parks and Open Spaces * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods * Well-Designed City ## RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Bike KC Plan * Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan * Kansas City, MO Complete Streets Policy * Major Street Plan * Trails KC Plan * Transit Oriented Development Policy * Walkability Plan ## RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> Diet and exercise are important for physical health, of course, but the city’s built environment also affects the health of residents. According to a 2018 report from the American Academy of Family Physicians, only 20% of a person’s health depends on clinical healthcare. The rest largely depends on socioeconomic and environmental factors, and these are variable. They are the conditions in the environments where people are born, are educated, live, work, and age, and they affect residents’ health and quality-of-life. These factors are called Social Determinants of Health. They fall into five categories: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhoods and built environment, and social and community context. Public health providers play a central role in residents’ quality of life. But in addition to their work, the city must partner with non-health entities to influence the social and environmental conditions that impact public health. Several city departments and community agencies have taken a Health in All Policies approach to planning and policy making. Land use, community design, transportation, agriculture, access to goods and services, safe and affordable housing, and climate change are all ways the physical environment can impact health. Thoughtful decisions in these areas will help the city improve health outcomes for residents, including in the areas of adult and childhood obesity, physical inactivity, cancer, respiratory illness, and environmental justice. ### INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will improve the mental and physical health of all Kansas Citians. The city’s built environment will be designed to enable residents of all physical abilities to safely reach their personal health goals. All communities will have easy access to healthy food and alternative mobility options, which will increase opportunities for residents to live healthier lives. Indoor and outdoor air quality will be improved, reducing negative health outcomes. ### BENEFITS * A healthy, active city by improving conditions in built and social environments * Residents will be able to be physically active in daily life * Increased access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally authentic food * Shorter distances to grocery stores for residents who have difficulty getting healthy food when they want or need it * Alternative housing design that increases residential mobility and embraces active, healthy living * Development and infrastructure designed to be resilient and adaptive * New developments that minimize carbon dioxide emissions and mitigation of emissions in existing developments # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH ## CONTEXT Planning and public health have been linked since the beginning of their respective professions. Planners and public health officials recognize the ways that the built environment and society impact individuals’ health outcomes. Planners and public health officials need to work together to provide more equitable access to resources and environments needed for healthy lives. ## RECENT HISTORY **Health Planning:** Kansas City’s Public Health department undergoes strategic planning and assessment on a regular cycle, following guidelines from the Public Health Accreditation Board. The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is a strategic plan for citywide public health. The 2022-2027 CHIP recognizes that one’s health outcomes are not just the result of the healthcare they receive, but of the environment and community that surround them. According to the CDC, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are socioeconomic conditions that shape people’s health. Factors like economic stability, access to education, access to healthcare, neighborhoods and the built environment, as well as the social and community context one lives in, all shape health options. The Comprehensive Plan has a lot to say about a range of issues that can impact health outcomes. Many components of the built environment have a strong impact on individual health outcomes. For example, road noise and air quality issues show a strong correlation with poor sleep and asthma prevalence in many parts of Kansas City. Parts of the city with older buildings and the higher potential for lead-based paint also have higher levels of lead in children. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH # CONTEXT <
> Sources: CDC BRFSS PLACES 2020; Tether Data 2022 <
> Sources: County Tax Assessors 2021 This data also shows that environmental exposure does not uniformly impact everyone. One’s socioeconomic status — their social determinants of health — also have an impact on these health outcomes. Factors like income, education, linguistic isolation, systemic racism, and social connections have an impact on someone’s ability and propensity to be diagnosed and treated for a condition or risk factor. # EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Life Expectancy varies widely in Kansas City. While the average life expectancy is around 77 years for the City, this can vary widely from place to place. In Kansas City, the difference from the highest life expectancy zip code (64113) and the lowest life expectancy zip code (64128) is about 18 years. Kansas City’s LifeX project and Quality of Life Investment District is an effort to draw attention and investment to high priority zip codes in the city. <
> Sources: CDC NCHS USALEEP 2010-2015 Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available [here](https://example.com). # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Life expectancy (increase) ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Improve health by monitoring and improving “lifestyle environments” throughout the community A successful “lifestyle environment” requires asking residents and officials to prioritize becoming a healthy community, leading to a higher quality of life. Different communities’ lifestyle environments vary, depending on the conditions in those communities. People living in areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment will need to work together locally and with partners to remedy local conditions that lead to negative lifestyle environments. Once a satisfactory lifestyle environment is identified, this information should be disseminated and applied at the local level. Implementation should focus on areas of most need. Progress will be measured over time to determine what improvements have been made, which will determine where to focus future resources. ### Increase access to healthy foods by working with the private sector Access to healthy foods is important to an individual’s health, well-being, and quality of life. But that access can be limited by racial, economic, and geographic disparities that result from structural inequities. Many health problems and premature death are tied to poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Poor nutrition also can affect mental concentration and performance at work or school. Low-income populations often experience a greater burden from poor nutrition. Improving a community’s access to healthy foods must be a priority for the city. Inadequate access to healthy food has been addressed in other communities through private/public partnerships. Kansas City needs a process to determine what healthy food is available or lacking in an area so it can remedy shortcomings. The city also should create a public/private partnership to explore sharing the investment, risk, responsibility, and reward related to installing accessible food sources in underserved neighborhoods. ### Address issues in housing maintenance and design that have an impact on Kansas Citians’ physical and mental health The condition of the place a person lives in and the surrounding environment can influence their level of physical activity and mental health. For example, in places without sidewalks, bicycle or walking paths, or recreational facilities, there are few, if any, opportunities for physical movement. Physical inactivity leads to poor health outcomes such obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Other conditions often found in low-income housing – crowding, living next to incompatible land uses, and loud outside noise – can elevate psychological distress. Exposure to air pollutants can be harmful, and toxins such as asbestos and lead-based paint can cause behavioral problems. Also, having insufficient daylight or a lack of public gathering spaces is associated with increased symptoms of depression. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Address issues in housing maintenance and design that have an impact on Kansas Citians’ physical and mental health A workgroup should be formed to study, with input from related entities, how socioeconomic conditions affect the health of disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. The workgroup should identify where there are gaps in research on how the built environment affects the natural environment, safety, disparities in health outcomes, and behaviors of disadvantaged populations. The workgroup’s aim would be to accelerate quality improvements in public health. ### Increase access to healthy foods by working with the private sector Managing air quality to reduce health risks is an important challenge for most cities, including Kansas City. The city must ensure it develops actions to adapt to climate change knowing that poor air quality threatens ecosystems and human health in urban areas. A regional effort is needed, too, to improve air quality because pollution and climate change are not contained to municipal boundaries. The city must determine how much climate change may influence air pollution and land use patterns. To mitigate global warming at the local level, the city must continue to measure and track atmospheric indicators, locate areas of most need, and provide residents with information on programs to improve air quality and energy efficiency. This approach will help the city determine which factors it is improving and which to concentrate on further. ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Improve health by monitoring and improving “lifestyle environments” throughout the community | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PH - 1** | Use the area planning process to identify areas for long-term supportive housing, mental health services, counseling, and alcohol and drug treatment to reduce houselessness. | | **PH - 2** | Require CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) strategies in new or redevelopment projects. Encourage closer relationships between public safety personnel and neighborhoods to increase a sense of safety. | | **PH - 3** | Conduct a Community Health Assessment at least every 5 years to summarize the state of public health and the related physical environment characteristics in Kansas City. | ### Address climate change and improve air quality | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PH - 4** | Examine the location of healthy food sources and markets in the city and identify communities that have gaps in access to these services. Work on development tools that are designed to attract new grocery stores to locations in low-income communities. Incentivize grocery store retailers to locate in areas without adequate, healthy, and affordable food access (see Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for more). | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Increase access to healthy foods by working with the private sector | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PH - 5** | Implement the local food goals in the city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, including:
• Reduce zoning and policy barriers to local food production. Review codes, permitting, and policy requirements to encourage and remove barriers to urban agriculture, regenerative agriculture, community gardens, food forests, and soil regeneration. See the city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for more.
• Transform underutilized urban spaces into food production areas. Transform lawns, vacant lots, rooftops, flood prone areas, and other underutilized urban spaces into spaces to support food production.
• Support the creation and growth of culturally diverse food markets throughout the city. | | **PH - 6** | Work with local businesses to promote improvements in healthy food options for communities. This should include assistance in business planning and technical support for new businesses in these areas. | | **PH - 7** | Examine innovative practices such as mobile food markets and mobile food pantries or food shelves that can bring food closer to underserved customers. | ### Address issues in housing maintenance and design that have an impact on residents’ physical and mental health | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PH - 8** | Require new housing development to embrace active and healthy living for residents with features that might include deliberate placement of stairwells, bicycle storage areas, play spaces for children, and social spaces in buildings that foster connections within the building and with the broader community. | | **PH - 9** | Continue to proactively remediate health hazards in existing housing units, such as through lead and radon abatement programs. Focus housing improvement programs in underinvested areas where unhealthy housing has created poor health outcomes. Continue to work with residents to improve indoor air quality and reduce indoor environmental pollutants such as lead, mold, pests, and radon that can have lifelong impacts on health. These conditions and pollutants disproportionately impact low-income households, children of color, and renters. | | **PH - 10** | Work with communities to access funding and resources to improve energy efficiency in existing housing (see also Housing Affordability and Diversity Objective). | ### Address climate change and improve air quality | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PM - 11** | Install monitoring stations to track environmental variables such as air quality. Work with the Health Department to identify locations. See also Environmental Health and Resiliency Objective. | | **PM - 12** | Include public health considerations more effectively in development plans and during the development review process. Include public health considerations more effectively in development plans and during the development review process. This includes sidewalk and trail connectivity and energy efficient buildings. | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC HEALTH # LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Cultural Amenities * Desirable Place * Healthy Environmental Systems * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Mobility Options * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services ### RELATED GOALS * Environment for People of All Ages * Healthy Environment * Parks and Open Spaces * Strong and Accessible Neighborhood * Well-Designed City ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Heartland Freight Technology Plan * KC Regional Freight Outlook * Missouri State Freight and Rail Plan * Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan * Community Health Improvement Plan ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: # PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT Parking and curb management is a necessary but often overlooked part of the city’s transportation system. It includes both off-street parking (public and private lots, garages, etc.) and curb or on-street parking. It also covers other uses of the curb, such as pick-up/drop-off, loading, parklets, outdoor dining, bike/scooter parking, and other street landscaping and amenities. The city manages parking and curbs by regulating on-street parking, regulating private development (through the Zoning and Development Code), overseeing city-owned parking lots or garages, and coordinating with private-sector parking garage/lot owners. Like many cities its size, Kansas City’s biggest challenge with automobile parking is that dense, urban areas can’t provide enough parking at individual destinations to accommodate everyone driving during the busiest times. Over the past half century, the city addressed this problem by adding more parking. But adding free parking didn’t satisfy demand. Instead, demand increased because the city had made parking easier by subsidizing the costs, in dollars and in time. This created a self-reinforcing loop that required ever more parking. In short, the result of subsidized driving was more driving. Without comparable improvements to transit services, driving personal vehicles quickly overtook public transit use and other modes of transportation in Kansas City. It also resulted in a landscape with an excessive number of parking lots that are mostly empty during the day. This is not profitable for private landowners, and it’s not aligned with the city’s goals for a sustainable and equitable future. Consider Downtown Kansas City, which has the highest density of residents, workers, and visitors in the region. The maps below show just how much of the urban fabric has been impacted by parking. The Greater Downtown area historically was almost fully occupied by buildings serving residents, workers, and shoppers. Later, the city cleared out hotels, housing, and businesses to ease congestion and reduce urban blight. Now, approximately one-third of all the private land in Greater Downtown is occupied by parking, an economically unproductive land use by historic or modern standards. High-density urban areas aren’t the only places with parking challenges. Urban or mixed-use centers, large employer or institutional campuses, sports and entertainment venues, suburban shopping areas, and residential neighborhoods are affected as well. At approximately 300 gross square feet needed per parking space - including aisle, driveway, ramp, landscaping, and column space - parking takes up a significant amount of urban space. Two parking stalls are roughly the same size as a small apartment. This space requirement increases the cost of infill housing development, which often means higher rents and lower profit margins for developers. As the city works to provide more transportation choices that reduce dependency on privately owned automobiles, it can reduce parking and create more vibrant, equitable, and economically productive places. The service and delivery economy has expanded, especially in mixed-use and urban areas. That means it’s increasingly important to manage curb space, whether it’s used for parking, home delivery, ride-share drop-off or pick-up, loading for businesses, transit stops, or parklets. Allowing multiple uses of the curb will balance those needs, encourage turnover of parked vehicles, and prioritize the safety of all road users. See below for an illustration of the contrast between a single-use curb (for parking only) and a shared-use curb (for more users). Parking is not just an economic issue. The surfaces of most parking structures are impervious, which can contribute to excessive stormwater runoff and the urban heat-island effect, both which will worsen with climate change. The Parking and Curb Management Objective will use strategies that: * Are sensitive to an area's context and will align with the needs of an area, based on its density * Avoid creating excessive amounts of parking, which can be costly fiscally and in terms of lost opportunity * Coordinate shared parking, both between private property owners and between private owners and the city * Create a balanced approach to managing the use of curb spaces and on-street parking * Transform public parking garages and curbs from an ongoing debt liability to an asset * Use the city's full range of policy tools and resources, including the development code, tax incentives, and capital asset management and investment # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT ## INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will create a safe, easily navigated, and equitable system of public and private parking areas. It will reduce the amount of valuable land that is being underutilized because it is occupied by surface parking. It will create more appropriate parking requirements for new and infill development projects. There will be enough parking to meet demand but not so much that parking lots are mostly empty most of the time. Curb spaces will be efficiently designed to meet the needs, such as making deliveries or hailing a ride, of everyone who uses them. ## BENEFITS * Increased funds for neighborhood improvements by implementing parking benefit districts (PBDs) * More shared parking resources, reducing overall need * More available space for dense development, parks, and preserved open space * More area with permeable surfaces * Mitigation of climate change issues such as stormwater runoff and heat-island effect * Reduced subsidies for driving will make alternative, more sustainable mobility options more attractive to people * Lower city subsidies for public and private parking structures * Less congestion and driver frustration when curb space is allocated for transit stops, mobility hubs, parking, delivery zones, and ride hailing zones * Less impact from parking on public areas, resulting in vibrant, beautiful, walkable urban districts ## CONTEXT Kansas City has a significant amount of parking, but there is often a perceived scarcity because of management and coordination issues. Kansas City has made strides in changing its zoning code and public parking policies to encourage smarter use of existing supply of parking. ### RECENT HISTORY **Parking Supply and Needs Assessments:** Parking is a major component of Kansas City’s land use. There are about 14 square miles of surface parking lots in Kansas City, not including garages, driveways, or on-street spaces. There have been multiple parking studies in high-demand districts throughout Kansas City, including in the River Market (2016), Westport (2016), Crossroads (2017), and Central Business District (CBD, 2019). Typical parking issues in Kansas City are not related to overall supply, but with coordination and sharing parking resources. The CBD parking study found that peak-parking supply only reaches about 67% occupancy within the CBD and is mostly empty at 5:00 p.m. and overnight. <
> # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT ## CONTEXT <
> **Parking Reforms:** Kansas City has gradually changed parking policy during the past 20 years. In 2000, parking maximums were introduced to the zoning code and applied to the Brookside Business area, as an effort to preserve the neighborhood's walkability and support local businesses. In 2010, a revised development code (with several subsequent revisions) reduced parking requirements in certain circumstances, such as within certain business or entertainment districts, for businesses under a certain physical size, for establishments near rapid transit stops, or for multifamily housing that provides affordable units. Parking requirements were also eliminated entirely within the CBD and within two blocks of the Kansas City Streetcar line. In 2013, the City Council also established a Parking and Transportation Commission (PTC) to handle parking issues in the Greater Downtown Area. This commission helps sort through the details of pricing and time limits for curb parking, loading zones, enforcement policy, and other issues. Recently, the City and PTC have begun shifting parking policy to encourage more turnover to support local businesses and manage demand at peak times, such as on Saturdays and Sundays in the City Market. **Curb Management:** Until recently, rules for on-street parking were uniformly applied with paid parking only during the day on weekdays, with little variations in time limits for parking, and with peak-hour parking restrictions on many streets that lacked peak-hour traffic congestion. Additionally, limited enforcement of on-street parking has led to a condition where on a typical day, only 10% of parked cars follow existing parking rules in the Central Business District (based on 2,100 random samples in spring 2022). Curb space can be used for things other than just parking, such as loading for deliveries, bus stops, ridesharing drop-off, mobility hubs, and outdoor dining. The Mid America Regional Council's Curbside Management Resource Guide proposes a curb-productivity index that estimates the number of passengers per hour per foot of curb space. This index could be used to equitably prioritize space for bus passengers, Transportation Network Company (TNC) riders, and temporary car storage. <
> # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT ## CONTEXT ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS While parking and automobile access are an important part of transportation and land-use planning, there are spatial and financial costs to parking. In Kansas City's case, the City is projected to spend about $20 million dollars per year to cover parking-related revenue shortfalls from City-owned garages. Kansas City can become a more equitable city by right-sizing its parking supply, especially in areas where land is valuable, transit is abundant, and affordable housing is in high demand. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Public garage, lot, and curb subsidy; by area type (decrease) * Surface parking lot area; by area type (decrease) ## KEY CONCEPETS ### Zoning and development review The City Plan Commission and City Council should consider further reducing or eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements, expanding maximum off-street parking requirements, and developing additional use or development standards for off-street parking (i.e., standards to regulate whether non-accessory parking and standards for site design and layout of off-street parking). Development standards should incorporate strategies to reduce stormwater runoff and urban heat-island effects to help mitigate impacts of climate change expected in Kansas City. Certain provisions could be applied citywide (such as reducing or eliminating off-street parking requirements). Others could be applied to certain areas, using base zoning districts or overlays. The city should engage communities and stakeholders on context-specific issues during the area planning process or other corridor or small area planning activities. ### Public parking and curb management The domain of the city’s Parking and Transportation Commission covers downtown streets but should be expanded to parts of the city that have similar challenges. The city can adopt a universal set of policy tools, such as demand-based pricing; multimodal curb management strategies (including transit stops, curb parking, deliveries, parklets, and more); or residential parking permit programs. Stakeholder-driven commissions in smaller areas could # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT # KEY CONCEPTS ### Public parking and curb management use residential parking permit programs (for example, there could be separate commissions for the Greater Downtown Area and for the Midtown-Plaza area). Following the model of parking benefits districts, revenue from parking programs could be spent on public improvements such as sidewalks, street maintenance, street trees and additional transit service in the areas where it's generated. Investments in clearer parking signs, additional parking wayfinding, and integrated parking data can help areas with scarce parking manage their existing parking supply more effectively. ### Private sector incentives and coordination The city can influence private investment in parking by connecting private developers and adjusting and monitoring incentives. To influence private investment in parking, the city can play a coordinating role between private developers (for example, by introducing a developer of multifamily homes to the owner of a garage that mainly serves daytime office employees). It can create agreements with private developers to use underused city garages. It can allow private garage owners to use the city's online parking and payments platform so people looking for parking have a single user experience. Outside incentives agencies (many governed by city-elected or -appointed officials) also can encourage better parking policies. These agencies could explicitly evaluate and discourage using incentives for structured parking and encourage developments that are under-parked and offer transit and shared-mobility amenities, decreasing the need for automobiles. These agencies could incorporate shared parking agreements for structured parking in incentivized projects. # KEY CONCEPTS ### Zoning and development review | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PM - 1** | Explore reducing or eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements and expanding maximum off-street parking requirements. Certain provisions could be applied citywide, while others should only be applied to certain areas (transit corridors or other areas where a walkable development pattern is d sired). All requirements should support the context and goals for specific neighborhoods and should minimize impacts on adjacent neighborhoods with limited parking. Consideration should be given to transitioning or phasing new parking requirements. Community and stakeholder engagement on context-specific issues should occur through the area planning processes or other corridor or small area planning. | | **PM - 2** | Expand off-street parking maximum limits to more transit-oriented development areas. | | **PM - 3** | Expand limitations of non-accessory parking lots from current restrictions along Parkways and Boulevards to other urban districts as identified through area planning process. | # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Zoning and development review | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PM - 4** | Review and expand urban design standards for surface parking lots. Surface parking lots should be located behind buildings and other active uses, and primary building entrances should be oriented toward the street or a walkway, not the parking lot. Screening and landscaping standards, stormwater BMPs, and other strategies to lessen the environmental impact of surface parking should also be employed. The applicability of these standards may vary based on the area's context. | | **PM - 5** | Review and expand urban design standards for structured parking. Parking garages in urban areas should incorporate active residential or commercial uses, particularly on the ground floor. The city should change parking garage standards to promote adaptive reuse as parking demand decreases (for example, by requiring a minimum floor space or flat parking decks to allow for future conversion). | | **PM - 6** | Review and revise standards for short-term and long-term bicycle or scooter parking to make sure that it meets modern needs and is aligned with city mode share policy goals. | ### Public parking and curb management | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PM - 7** | Expand downtown’s Parking and Transportation Commission to serve more TOD areas (this could be an expanded commission or multiple area-specific commissions), following a parking benefits district model. | | **PM - 8** | Convert commercial areas and high parking demand areas to paid on-street parking with demand-responsive pricing and use parking program proceeds to improve public services. | | **PM - 9** | Evaluate more locations for mobility hubs, parklets, dedicated transit stops, TNC drop-off/pick-up, and home and business delivery loading. Adopt wayfinding, regulatory street signs, curb and pavement markings, and digital tools to make curb rules as clear as possible. Use an open data standard (such as CurbLR or the Curb Data Standard) to make parking rules easier to access in navigation applications in smart phones and connected vehicles. | | **PM - 10** | Improve non-criminal enforcement of illegal parking and loading activities by coordinating between the Public Works Department and KCPD. | | **PM - 11** | Eliminate peak-hour restrictions for on-street parking. | ### Private sector incentives and coordination | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PM - 12** | Review the incentive policies related to parking so that the city is not losing potential tax revenue by subsidizing excessive parking. | | **PM - 13** | Reposition publicly owned garages to be used more often and by more adjacent uses, to charge for rates closer to actual costs (including operations and debt service), and to rely less on General Fund subsidies. | | **PM - 14** | Develop area-specific parking management plans that identify parking resources and encourage private lot owners to share their parking with nearby properties and allowing lot owners to market their parking in the city’s parking platform (currently ParkSmartKC). | # OBJECTIVE: PARKING AND CURB MANAGEMENT # LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Desirable Place * Innovation and Creativity * Mobility Options * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City * Thriving Economy * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Smart City * Well-Designed City ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES Major Citywide or Regional Plans * Kansas City Area Curbside Management Resource and Guide, November 2020 * Transit-Oriented Development Policy (Parking Recommendations) Other Studies and Plans * Align On-Street Parking Enforcement with City Goals, April 2021 * Central Business District Parking Study, 2020 * Central Business District Parking Assessment 2012 * CBD Parking Assessment Appendix A * Crossroads Parking * Parking Garage Performance Audit, March 2019 * River Market Parking * Westport Parking Study, 2016 * Westport Study Appendix ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: # PARKS AND OPEN SPACES Parks and open spaces can be public or private and they include the boulevards, parkways, and trails that connect linear green spaces throughout the city. A connected system of quality parks and open spaces is vital to the health and wellbeing of all Kansas Citians. Public spaces are necessary for a complete community, one in which people can access most of their daily needs, including recreation and exercise, within a convenient travel time from where they live (see also Complete Communities and Environmental Health and Resiliency Objectives). A recent Urban Land Institute study revealed that one in three Americans – more than 100 million people – don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk of their home. In Kansas City, there are still many neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to a park. Equitable expansion of the parks system into all areas of the city is a major aim of the Playbook. This objective will primarily address: * Integration and coordination of green-space planning throughout the city * Careful attention to historic context and preservation * Equity in access to and quality of green space, achieved through diversified public outreach Areas that experience rapid population growth often have inadequate access to parks and open space because planning for green space lags behind the planning that goes into residential and economic development. This is particularly true in commercial and industrial areas in Kansas City that are now evolving into mixed-use districts. While these communities are rapidly gaining new housing units, such as in the Greater Downtown area, they lack the easy access to parks and green spaces that add to a high quality of life for residents. The city must ensure equitable access to parks and open spaces in long-standing communities that historically have been underserved and disinvested. The primary emphasis of this objective should be on repairing past harm and bringing social and health equity to these communities. Investments and programming (activities and events for the public) in parks and open spaces should be community-driven and focus on socially equitable and environmentally sound outcomes. Close coordination between city departments of planning for parks and open spaces is needed to produce an integrated system that provides a full range of benefits for every community. The city needs to create and implement a citywide plan for open spaces that outlines strategies for private and public open spaces, tree preservation, and habitat and stream restoration. An open space plan should align with area plans and plans that cover trails, parks, and climate change. ### Parks and boulevards Kansas City’s development historically has been guided by its beloved system of parkways and boulevards (with the oldest portions listed on the National Register of Historic Places). By maintaining this network, this city preserves aesthetic beauty, open space, and a framework that supports the orderly growth and development of the city. Enhancing and expanding this system of iconic streets and beautiful public spaces is critical to Kansas City’s identity and future. # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ### Open spaces Open space areas, in contrast to public parks and boulevards, can be on either public or private land. The open space system should be integrated with and connected to the city’s parks, boulevards, and trails system and should allow public access, recreation, and enjoyment where appropriate. An open space plan will identify areas that should be protected from development and will include strategies to preserve and expand the city’s tree canopy. These target areas usually are river and stream corridors, woodlands, other natural habitats, and areas with sensitive environmental or ecological resources. Protecting them from development benefits air quality, water quality, climate resiliency, and environmental and ecological health. The plan should include strategies to improve and enhance these sensitive natural areas and historic resources. Areas not suitable for development because they have steep topography, poor soil or pose a risk for flooding should be included in the open space system, too. The city should promote quality development that harmonizes with the natural environment and should guide development to protect and enhance waterways, floodplains, and topography (see also Quality Development and Development Patterns Objectives). While parks and open spaces are separate systems with different uses, planning for them should be coordinated. The Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan should be implemented and integrated with plans for trails and open spaces on a regional basis. As the city continues to grow, it must continue to plan for and invest in parks and open spaces to ensure recreational opportunities, improve environmental health and resiliency, improve mental and physical health, and support economic development and tourism. ## INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will result in a system of parks and open spaces equitably distributed across the city and easily accessed by all Kansas Citians. Areas of the city that have experienced economic distress, disinvestment, or rapid population growth will see their needs met for parks and open spaces. The city will have a plan to guide maintenance, improvement, and expansion of Kansas City’s historically significant parkway and boulevard system, equitably in all communities. The city’s interconnected trails system will be expanded to link all parks and open spaces, improving access for all residents and mobility throughout the city. ## BENEFITS * Greater access to parks and open spaces for all Kansas Citians * More parks and a robust trails system * Improved environmental health through an increase in green spaces * Greater physical and mental health for Kansas Citians of all ages and physical abilities * More desirable and thriving neighborhoods * More opportunities for tourism, sports, recreation, and other outdoor activities # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ## CONTEXT Kansas City’s large land area and thoughtful early planning have provided the city with a broad network of parks and open spaces, with signature City Beautiful-era landmarks and architectural features. Parks and open space are a major amenity people look for when deciding where to live. Equitable access to parks and open space will help ensure that the people who need low-cost recreational amenities the most are well-served by the City. ## RECENT HISTORY **Existing Parkland:** Kansas City has about 2.4 residents per acre of parkland. The Kansas City Parks & Recreation Department (KC Parks) currently maintains 221 parks, 12,242 acres of parkland, 178 miles of trails and bikeways, 29 lakes, hundreds of athletic fields and tennis courts, 106 playgrounds, and five public golf courses. Additionally, KC Parks maintains 135 miles of parkways and boulevards with 48 fountains and 122 monuments and sculptures, as well as 10 community centers and eight museums. In 2022, voters approved $80 million in bonds to address deferred maintenance in community centers, pools, and fountains, as well as upgrade playgrounds and athletic fields at parks. **Parks and Boulevards Legacy:** George Kessler’s 1893 plan for a Parks and Boulevard system was championed by Kansas City’s civic leaders to help create parks and open spaces on a monumental scale. Like many City Beautiful-era master plans, the network of parks and boulevards was meant to provide relief from the rapidly growing industrial city. Many of Kansas City’s early parks and boulevards were planned on steep slopes or in floodplain areas. Boulevards were built to accommodate carriages and automobiles, but also featured wide pedestrian promenades and monumental architecture. In 2016, the Kansas City Parks and Boulevard Historic District was registered in the National Register of Historic Places. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ## CONTEXT **Open Spaces and Green Infrastructure:** Kansas City's network of undeveloped land and protected riparian corridors provide environmental benefits and the potential for recreation. Kansas City's development ordinances, in concert with the Clean Water Act and related regulations, protect streams and riparian habitats from disruption and prevent development on unsuitable land. Kansas City has worked to purchase the areas around streams and rivers that are at risk for flooding, in some cases opening these areas up for trails and other recreation. Kansas City's zoning code also has districts that help preserve undeveloped land, which helps promote contiguous development served by infrastructure. The zoning code also allows for conservation residential development, with lot and building standards that cluster residential development in a relatively compact area and preserve land as a shared natural amenity among residents rather than privately-owned yards. <
> ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Public parks are a free source of recreation to anyone, regardless of income. Having well-funded, modern, and accessible parks means the City will improve the quality of life for people that don't have commercial recreation options. While parkland totals do not tell the full story about equity and access to parks and recreation amenities, the below graphics show which population groups have access to parks, trails, and community centers. <
> Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * 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) # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Focus on equitable parks and open space investments Kansas City has many great parks and open spaces, but they are unevenly distributed across Kansas City communities. Some neighborhoods lack easy access to a park. A renewed focus on areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment is a primary strategy of the Playbook, including providing equitable maintenance, improvements, and activities and events in all city parks, regardless of the income or racial makeup of the surrounding community. An equity-first approach will distribute funds to parks most in need and advance related goals such as creating desirable neighborhoods. ### Develop strategies for underserved areas with high population growth Neighborhoods experiencing high population growth, especially those shifting away from industrial uses towards mixed use or residential use, often were not planned with green space in mind. Now they lack parks relative to their population. The city must set goals to provide parks and open spaces to areas of high population growth to avoid future imbalances. ### Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network Kansas City must develop a park, parkway, and open space plan to guide park and open space development in the metropolitan area for the next 20 years, then commit to building out the parks and open space network. The plan must focus on repairing disparities in access (distance), quantity, quality, and variety of parks, parkways, and open spaces throughout the city. Natural systems and ecology must be considered in acquisitions for new parks and open spaces and when restoring green space in developed areas. ### Complete the Trails KC Network and improve neighborhood connections The city must continue to work toward the goals of the Trails KC Plan to further reinforce the system of connected trails in parks and between parks. These trails are safe, accessible places to exercise and also serve as automobile-free connections from residential and commercial areas to parks and open spaces. By completing the Trails KC network, the city can provide equitable access to green spaces while improving mobility and health for residents and creating desirable, connected neighborhoods. # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Focus on equitable parks and open space investments | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PO - 1** | Target the areas around parks for investment and redevelopment, focusing on housing, small-scale commercial development, and other uses that would activate the park while catalyzing urban revitalization.
• Allow and encourage high density residential development and related commercial uses around established parks and trails
• Identify opportunities for increased density during area plan updates
• Consider proximity to parks when evaluating land use decisions that involve developing properties for increased density (rezonings, variances, etc.) | | **PO - 2** | Coordinate with community leaders to develop creative ways to use parks as meeting places for community groups or neighborhood associations. | | **PO - 3** | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan, identify locations to develop additional iconic features and landmarks in area parks. These will attract people to city parks and designated open spaces. | | **PO - 4** | Expand citywide awareness of historic buildings and sites within the parks and open space network using programming and events, published walking tours, historic markers, wayfinding, trails, and guided tours (see also Historic Preservation objective). Many of our historic and archaeological resources are housed within parks and open spaces and should be integrated throughout the system as an "interpretive thread," for the benefit of residents and visitors. | | **PO - 5** | Explore opportunities and identify partners to implement native landscaping, habitat protection, water quality and agriculture and other projects in areas designated for permanent open space on city-owned properties (e.g., the Municipal Farm). | ### Develop strategies for underserved areas with high population growth | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PO - 6** | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan or area plans, identify strategies to ensure all Kansas Citians will live within a safe and comfortable 10-minute (1/2 mile) walk of a park with amenities (walking paths, playgrounds, picnic shelters, community gathering spaces, etc.). See also the Complete Community objective. | | **PO - 7** | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan, identify strategies, costs, and timelines to provide community centers and recreation facilities in underserved areas of the city. | | **PO - 8** | Continue and enhance the formal, transparent approach to community engagement in the park improvement and programming decision-making process | | **PO - 9** | Improve existing parkways and boulevards and extend new parkways and boulevards to help guide new development in a sustainable and equitable way.
• Concentrate on the extension of new parkways, boulevards, and arterial streets in areas that are contiguous to or within developed areas or in underserved areas.
• Existing designated boulevards and parkways which currently lack "boulevard aesthetic characteristics" should be upgraded with elements such as landscaping, street trees, sidewalks, and pedestrian scale lighting, particularly in communities that have experienced historic inequities. | # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ### Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network **PO - 10** Implement proposed improvements and enhancements to area parks as proposed in the city's Parks Master Plan * Acquire park and open space property in underserved areas of the city to support the appropriate types of parks that are needed based on the Level of Service and equity goals for neighborhood parks, community parks, regional parks, and greenway-preserves * Develop a coordinated, public/private strategy to fund acquisition and development of the parks and open space system, including parkways **PO - 11** Regularly update the Parks Master Plan. Identify and prioritize public acquisition and park improvement projects. * Include an assessment of parks and boulevards to determine how they can be better leveraged for public-event programming, recreational purposes, arts uses, and other benefits. Determine the need to designate parks as "events parks" * Coordinate with plans for open space networks and trails. **PO - 12** Modify development regulations and requirements related to parkland dedication and quality of development adjacent to boulevards and parkways. * Improve development regulations to encourage private dedication of land that contributes to the overall parks and open space system, including incentives for cluster development and improvement to the parkland dedication requirement for subdivision platting * Implement existing or develop new standards for parks, greenways, boulevards, and outdoor amenities throughout the system. * Develop standards and policies for the development of parkways and boulevards which encourage adjacent property owners to participate in the funding of their construction and benefit from the enhanced property value that accrues to being located along a parkway or boulevard * Utilize incentives to attract private recreation or entertainment activities when located within a suitable and qualifying area * Require/Encourage new development to include small parks, public plazas or similar amenities. * Explore revisions to the Boulevard and Parkway development standards to incorporate different contexts (e.g., transit-oriented development on transit corridors) and elements of overlapping special character districts. **PO - 13** Identify opportunities in parks, parkways, and boulevards for green stormwater infrastructure improvements. (See also KC Smart Sewer Adaptive Management Plan) **PO - 14** Develop a marketing strategy to determine the most effective ways to promote Kansas City parks and boulevards to residents and visitors. Determine if improved signage and wayfinding systems are needed. **PO - 15** Proactively plan for a connected open space system through the creation of a citywide Open Space Master Plan. **PO - 16** Using the Open Space Master Plan and area plans acquire or cooperatively protect sensitive natural areas within the city to preserve natural areas in perpetuity. * Implement the recommendations of the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan to systematically protect, acquire, and restore floodplain and riparian forests. Reforest Kansas City's floodplains to achieve carbon sequestration, recreation, and other benefits by systematically protecting, acquiring, and restoring forests. * Work with MARC and adjacent jurisdictions to develop an interconnected regional greenway system * Protect identified priority areas through development code requirements, incentives or mechanisms including tax abatement coupled to land dedication, conservation easements, collaboration with the Conservation Foundation, Trust for Public Lands and other conservancy organizations, and the establishment of land acquisition endowments. # OBJECTIVE: PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ### Complete the Trails KC Network and improve neighborhood connections | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PO - 17** | Implement and regularly update the Trails KC Plan and coordinate updates with the recommendations of the Open Space Master Plan. | | **PO - 18** | Prioritize new trail improvements that fill gaps or connect existing trails. | | **PO - 19** | Incorporate trails into new development - Require new development adjacent to the regional trail system (as identified in the Trails KC Plan) to utilize open spaces and stream corridors within the site to provide connector trails. | ## LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Cultural Amenities * Desirable Place * Healthy Environmental Systems * History and Heritage * KC Uniqueness * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Physical Beauty * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Environment for People of All Ages * Healthy Environment * History, Arts, and Culture * Parks and Open Spaces * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Kansas City, Missouri Comprehensive, Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan * Trails KC Plan ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> Public spaces foster a strong, community-focused society by providing venues for social interaction, economic activity, and physical health. Enhancements to public spaces beautify the city and promote the individual character of neighborhoods, corridors, and districts. Public Spaces are areas everyone can access. They are streets, sidewalks, plazas, public gathering places, public facilities, and open green spaces. They can be publicly or privately owned. When pedestrians and bicyclists use public space, it encourages everyone to use non-motorized modes of transportation, and the environment benefits, through lower greenhouse gas emissions. Public spaces are also opportunities for the city to increase landscaping and green infrastructure to help manage stormwater runoff, improve air and water quality, and reduce the urban heat-island effect. Public spaces help define neighborhoods and are integral in city place-making. The design of public spaces is shaped by the people who use them. Well-designed public spaces, with activities and events for the public, can shape the identity of a community, create public gathering places, and allow people to more fully enjoy the city. Because public spaces are so integral to communities, they must be planned for at the start of new capital improvement and development projects rather than retrofit into projects after they are built. The city must standardize and simplify processes related to creating, identifying, and improving the appearance, programming, and use of public spaces. This will result in more and higher-quality spaces throughout the city. The city also should encourage temporary or semi-permanent projects that can creatively increase the use of existing public spaces. Public art and cultural installations are another aspect of public spaces. Arts and culture are cornerstones of the identity on which Kansas City was built and is an integral part of its infrastructure. The 1925 City Charter gives the Municipal Art Commission authority to approve works of art that are displayed on city property, and since 1992, the One Percent for Art program has commissioned 82 works of public art. Arts and culture should be highlighted in public spaces and serve as a visual reminder of a point of civic and aesthetic pride. Access to arts and culture is important for neighborhoods and to the city's identity. Kansas City culture should be celebrated and preserved through public art and sustained regular investments. ### INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will result in public spaces that are functional and beautiful, with events and activities for the public. Kansas City residents will have better physical and mental health through public spaces where they can gather, play, and exercise. These public spaces and streets will be clean and well-maintained and will safely accommodate all modes of transportation. ### BENEFITS * Beautification of the city * Increased opportunities for public art * Increased opportunities for social interaction, community gatherings, and economic activity * Opportunities to express the unique character of a community through the built environment * Opportunities for landscaping and green infrastructure * Opportunities to improve the shared use of streets * Increased accessibility for people of all abilities in public spaces * Simplified process for improving public spaces # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## CONTEXT Kansas City’s public spaces help knit the city together and provide a sense of public pride and ownership. Successful public spaces are human-scaled and designed to encourage regular activity and interaction. Equitable investment in public spaces and inclusive design and programming of public spaces can help promote Kansas City’s distinct neighborhoods and rich cultural heritage. ## RECENT HISTORY **Design for Public Spaces:** Public spaces help knit together the spaces between building. They can take the form of small pocket parks or plazas, signature streets or pedestrian promenades, or decorative alleys. The key difference between public spaces and parks is that public spaces are surrounded by active uses and are typically more prominent in urban environments <
> Typology of Public Spaces (KCMO Transit-Oriented Development Policy) Successful public spaces can vary in size, purpose, and aesthetic details. Successful public spaces often feature a smaller, more intimate scale that allow them to feel like outdoor rooms or corridors. They are activated with adjacent uses that encourage pedestrian activity into or through the space. Successful public spaces also feature small but important design considerations, like movable seating, controlled sunlight, or strategic use of water. **Operations and Programming:** Successful public spaces are not only successful because of their design. Regular events and day-to-day operations of public spaces are also required to make them successful. Not all public spaces are publicly owned or maintained. Privately-owned public spaces are common in many areas and neighborhoods. Private or non-profit entities can also help program and manage public spaces. For example, Oppenstein Brothers Park is owned by Jackson County, Missouri, but is maintained by the Downtown Council and Community Improvement District. **Fountains and 1% for Art:** Building off the monumental scale of the Parks and Boulevard system, the City has made a notable investment in fountains and public art. Kansas City branded itself “The City of Fountains” and has invested significant public and philanthropic dollars in maintaining and operating its fountains in public spaces and rights of way. Since 1986, the City also requires that 1% of renovation or new construction for city buildings to go to public art. The Municipal Art Commission is responsible for administering the 1% for Art program, as well as the design of any structures built in the public right-of-way. <
> Source: Kansas City, Missouri General Services More information here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/136091ee6017400fa216fb9cbc383fe0 Click here for more information on the 1% for Art Program. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## CONTEXT ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Kansas City can be a more equitable city by thoughtfully focusing its investment on public spaces and art in historically disinvested areas. Public spaces and art can be catalysts for revitalization and economic development. When planning for these spaces, planners should be careful that protections are in place to guard against displacement of existing residents. Public spaces should be accessible to all people. Equitable access to public spaces should be considerate of all kinds of needs and user groups, from children and seniors to people who have a disability. Designing equitable spaces also means engaging a diverse range of users, designers, and artists for whom the spaces are being designed. By engaging the community and working with diverse designers, Kansas City can create culturally authentic spaces that encourage community pride. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * 1% for Art Locations (increase) # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Plan for public spaces Because they are cornerstones of the built environment, public spaces must be considered in every stage of the planning and development process. By planning for these spaces from the start, the city can ensure that plazas, streetscapes, parks, and other public spaces are inviting, usable and accessible, and enhance the surrounding community. The city must also plan for ongoing maintenance, for new public spaces and for existing ones that are improved. ### Develop design standards and simplify processes for improving public spaces Creating standards for public spaces will ensure consistency and quality across all public spaces. These standards will propose design considerations and amenities for public spaces and explain how to create cohesive design that enhances the character of the area. With standardized design principles, custom streetscape studies will no longer be needed. Standards also will improve the quality of maintenance services. The city should also simplify the process for making changes in public spaces so improvements can be made quickly, and communities are empowered to shape their spaces to their needs. ### Promote and expand public art Public art brings beauty and identity to public spaces. Beautiful public spaces often see more use, less vandalism, and more public engagement. Some communities in Kansas City lack public art. If the city makes new art installations a priority in areas that lack art, it can increase the quality and use of public spaces where it's most needed. Specifically, the city should continue investing in the 1% for Public Art program to expand the scope and diversity of public art offerings as the city continues to grow and evolve. This investment should include performing arts, collaborations and programming with Parks and Recreation, city-funded grant programs for artists of varying disciplines and skill levels, community art festivals, and cultural diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to arts and entertainment for all Kansas Citians. The city should also work to identify and support a network of successful, sustainable, multidisciplinary cultural centers, museums, performance spaces, and cultural institutions that reflect the diversity, heritage, and contemporary creative expression of Kansas City. Expanding and diversifying public art offering to include performing arts, city funded grant programs for artists of varying disciplines and skill levels, and to provide cultural equity and access to high quality arts experience for all. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Plan for public spaces | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PS - 1** | Incorporate public space analyses and strategies into all future plans (area, corridor, and neighborhood plans). Ensure that projects are identified over a range of scales, including multi-year projects as well as small scale, tactical urbanism projects that can create immediate impacts and catalyze other improvements in underserved areas.
• Inventory of current public spaces (location, condition, amenities)
• Analysis of proximity (walking, biking, and transit connections especially)
• Identify priority areas for public spaces and streetscape improvements.
• Reference these plans during new development and capital improvement design and incorporate public space improvements where feasible.
• Identify projects along a spectrum of scales. This includes large and multi-year projects, as well as small scale projects and tactical urbanism strategies which can be quickly implemented to catalyze other public space benefits around them. | | **PS - 2** | Require that developments include public space improvements in their development plan. In streetscape plans, the developer should build improvements in accordance with the plan. | | **PS - 3** | Create a process to coordinate work being done in public spaces by various entities (utilities, city departments, other government agencies, etc.) to ensure consistency with the city’s design standards. | | **PS - 4** | Continually update and make available public space data that can be used openly by citizens, organizations and public organizations.
• Map of all public/semi-public gathering places, locations where streetscape enhancements have been done, where streetscape plans have been prepared, and public art installations, parks and fountains. | | **PS - 5** | Identify community organizations that have dedicated funding and engage with them to help maintain public spaces and streetscapes and produce events and activities for the public. Require that plans for new streetscape improvements have agreements with these community organizations for help with future maintenance. | | **PS - 6** | Prioritize public improvements in transit corridors and areas that have experienced economic distress and disinvestment. These improvements could include streetscape enhancements, walkability improvements, public events and activities, amenities, public art, and improved maintenance and safety. | ### Develop design standards and simplify processes for improving public spaces | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PS - 7** | Develop minimum standards and policies for planning, designing, developing, managing, maintaining and protecting public space.
• Design for a variety of uses, ages, and abilities. This may not be possible in each individual public space but work to ensure that all communities have equal access to spaces that cater to their needs
• Encourage people scale business frontages that connect both visually and physically with public space. Allow businesses to engage with sidewalks by putting seating along the edge
• Create spaces with layered and multiple uses. This may include programming events into weekly or seasonal schedules and designing space and infrastructure to support them
• Design public spaces for environmental comfort: Integrate shade trees and rain structures, locations for sun and air flow
• Other public space improvements may include plazas, play spaces, public art, gateways, green infrastructure, and pedestrian amenities and furnishings | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Develop design standards and simplify processes for improving public spaces (continued) | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PS - 8** | Develop a streetscape design handbook for all street types and a ‘kit of parts’ with standard guidelines based on street scale and use. This guidance would help simplify the process for developers, business districts, neighborhoods, and others to implement streetscape improvements without the need for a custom streetscape study. The handbook should also address maintenance needs and responsible entities. | | **PS - 9** | Require green infrastructure in all public space and streetscape improvements. Green infrastructure helps our community manage stormwater the way nature intended by capturing and utilizing rainwater where it falls. It decreases the amount of water getting into our pipes, improves water quality, and reduces flooding, pollution, and trash in our creeks, streams, and rivers. | | **PS - 10** | Expand and support opportunities for tactical urbanism projects that demonstrate the benefits of creative uses of streets and public spaces. Review standards and permitting processes to encourage creative uses – both permanent and temporary – of public streets. These could be parklets, outdoor dining, protected bike/scooter parking, green infrastructure, and vegetation. Identify and engage partners and seek funding. | ### Promote and expand public art | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PS - 11** | Expand investment in art and design in the public realm. The city must identify and establish a dedicated funding source for public art restoration and maintenance to fully support and realize the goals of the “One Percent for Art” program. | | **PS - 12** | Prioritize public art installations in areas of distress and disinvestment and other areas historically excluded from public art efforts. | | **PM - 13** | Encourage and explore requirements for the incorporation of publicly visible art works in new private development. Establish development guidelines that address the construction and maintenance of public art. | | **PS - 14** | Strengthen public art programming to monitor and care for current works, to develop and implement new works, and develop a diverse, equitable and public art collection that is reflective of the city’s community. | | **PS - 15** | Create and implement annual citywide arts and culture asset inventory. | | **PS - 16** | Encourage temporary cultural use in vacant commercial spaces. | | **PS - 17** | Invest in underserved communities by commissioning artists to transform neglected spaces. | | **PS - 18** | Include and center art in all public space developments, including transit hubs. | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC SPACES ## LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Affordable Community * Cultural Amenities * Desirable Place * Healthy Environmental Systems * History and Heritage * KC Uniqueness * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Mobility Options * Physical Beauty * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Environment for People of All Ages * Healthy Environment * History, Arts, and Culture * Parks and Open Spaces * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods * Well-Designed City ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT Transit provides connections to thousands of residents daily and is related to many elements of the KC Spirit Playbook such as sustainability, equity, access to jobs, and affordable housing. Equitable access to reliable, frequent, and seamless public transportation is essential in Kansas City. Public transit is an important mobility option for people who can’t or prefer not to drive. People use transit for its convenience, its sustainability benefits for the region, or because of personal needs and preferences. Public transit in Kansas City is integral to the city’s infrastructure and connects people to educational and employment opportunities, healthcare and healthy food. It links residents to the critical services and attractions available in the community. For decades, Kansas City has partnered with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), a bi-state transit authority with jurisdiction to build, operate, and maintain public transit services in a seven-county area in Missouri and Kansas. Then, in 2012, The Kansas City Streetcar Authority, in partnership with Kansas City, was formed to assist in implementing and managing the KC Streetcar system, which was successfully launched in 2016. In 2017 KCATA, with other regional transit providers, developed a common name and brand for all transit services including local buses, Bis Rapid Transit (BRT), and streetcars: RideKC. In Kansas City, transit routes primarily serve areas with the greatest population density and highly connected grid street systems. Transit service is more efficient in these areas because of the density of people, businesses, and activity centers. But in areas with less density and road networks that are less connected and walkable, it’s more challenging to operate transit efficiently. Bus routes in these lower-density areas often use highway corridors, which are even less accessible to pedestrians and have large distances between stops. Nearly 85% of people in Kansas City live within a 15-minute walk of a transit line, yet few can get to where they want to go quickly and reliably. A 2011 national study from the Brookings Institution found that fewer than 20% of all jobs in the Kansas City region were accessible in 90 minutes or less by public transit.[^p231-1] For Kansas City to grow as a more equitable, accessible, and connected community, the city needs to expand transit coverage and frequency of service. Improving public transit can increase access to employment (see Access to Jobs objective) and education; improve public health when people opt for more active modes of transportation; improve safety of the transit system; and improve air quality. The city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan aims to reach city-wide carbon neutrality by 2040. Expanded public transit will be important for the city to reach that goal.. | INDICATORS OF SUCCESS | BENEFITS | | :--- | :--- | | If this Objective is achieved, Kansas City residents will have a seamless experience riding transit throughout the metro area. People who rely on public transit will have access to more opportunities and spend less time on their commute or other essential trips. With a more convenient system, more users will use public transit over other modes, resulting in a more cost-effective transportation system and a smaller environmental footprint for the city overall. | • Efficient use of transportation assets (roads, highways, and bridges)
• Enhanced safety, with fewer cars on the road
• Improved health through active transportation, when transit riders walk or bike to access transit
• Improved mobility options for people without cars, who prefer not to drive, or can’t drive
• Improved access to jobs, education, and healthcare
• Improved environmental sustainability due to lower carbon emissions
• Increased equitable access to services across Kansas City and the metro region
• Lower transportation costs and lower cost of living for residents | [^p231-1]: Tomer, Kneebone, Puentes, and Berube. Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America. P. 36. Brookings Institution. May, 2011. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/0512_jobs_transit.pdf # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## CONTEXT Tens of thousands of Kansas City residents rely on public transit every day. Kansas City has a variety of transit expansion plans that would stabilize and grow transit ridership and make more opportunities accessible to people who need them the most. Additional sustainable sources of transit funding are required to introduce these valuable services. ## RECENT HISTORY **Existing and Planned Transit:** Kansas City's transit network is made up of multiple modes, including a streetcar, three Bus Rapid Transit Routes, commuter or express bus routes, local buses, flex bus routes, and supporting paratransit. The regional transit plan, Smart Moves 3.0, recommends seven Fast and Frequent Routes in Kansas City, MO. Kansas City has built three north-south oriented Fast and Frequent Routes and is currently upgrading the Main Street MAX to a streetcar. Additional recommended routes in Kansas City, Missouri, include North Oak, Independence Avenue, 31st/ Linwood Boulevard, and 39th Street. Many of these routes already have high ridership and operate with somewhat frequent service, though with fewer station amenities and more frequent stops than typical BRT routes. Other regional BRT routes, like Metcalf, 75th/ Quivira, and State Avenue would also connect to Kansas City, Missouri, but lie predominately in other communities. Most of Kansas City, Missouri's additional proposed Fast and Frequent Routes would require additional local capital sources to match Federal grants, as well as ongoing operating revenues. <
> **Ridership Trends:** Like much of the country, transit ridership has been steadily declining in Kansas City over the past several years. In 2016, the introduction of a new streetcar starter route service has had a net positive impact on system ridership. The pandemic brought steep declines nationwide in transit use, as many workers were ordered to shelter in place and physically isolate. Kansas City began offering zero fare transit service as the pandemic began. As a result, it saw a quicker ridership recovery than similar agencies. <
> **Peer City Transit Funding:** The Kansas City Region spends less per person on transit than many of its peer cities. While there are abundant Federal grants to pay for major capital projects, transit also needs sustainable operating dollars to be successful. Operating funds pay for bus and other transit vehicle drivers and support staff needed to have frequent transit that covers a significant portion of a region. There is a direct relationship between transit operating funding and transit ridership. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## CONTEXT The City of Kansas City, Missouri, pays the majority of transit operating costs in the region and is the only municipality with dedicated transit funding revenue. Other cities contract service with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) or third-party operators, but funding and service levels are modest in comparison to Kansas City’s. <
> ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Public transit is a lifeline for those that need it most. With adequate funding and regional collaboration in the future, public transit can connect people who cannot drive with more opportunities, like employment, healthcare, education, or housing. <
> Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021 Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available [here](https://example.com). ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Public transit access, half-mile radius by level of service; total jobs, total population, minority and low-income populations, zero-car households, affordable housing units (increase) * Transit funding per capita (increase) * Transit ridership, unlinked passenger trips (increase) # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## KEY CONCEPETS ### Support a frequent, regionally focused transit network For more than two decades, the Kansas City regional transit system has been developed under the framework of the SmartMoves Plan, last updated in 2017. Kansas City should continue to support the planning, design, and construction of the Fast and Frequent network of routes identified in SmartMoves, in partnership with KCATA, KCSA, MARC, and other regional partners, as needed. The SmartMoves Plan identified important transit corridors and set minimum service frequencies of 15 minutes or less, but purposefully did not assign a mode (i.e., BRT, streetcar, etc.), to allow for flexibility in each corridor. Kansas City should prioritize those corridors for feasibility studies, environmental clearances, and advancing them toward implementation. This all should be done by working with system partners to develop a clear path forward that details which corridors to prioritize, the timeframes for implementation, and clearly communicate with citizens about when improvements may be coming to the transit network. Kansas City also should regularly update the SmartMoves Plan to keep up with changing technology and transit demands. ### Grow and stabilize transit funding Funding for public transit in the U.S. mainly comes from federal and local sources. The federal government provides funding to large urban transit operators, like KCATA, largely for capital purchases (buses, facilities, equipment, etc.) and maintenance. A limited amount of this federal money can be used for transit service operations. Federal grants for public transportation are one of the best opportunities for Kansas City to share the costs of transportation investments. The city must advance planning and project development to a point where Kansas City can capture federal funds. Local funding is by far the biggest source of funds for transit operations and can be used to increase service frequency, expand coverage, or extend hours of service. The city must balance local and regional funding, such as transportation development districts (TDD) and the city’s dedicated sales tax, with efforts to obtain discretionary federal funding to grow and improve transit services. Kansas City’s transit is currently free for everyone through 2025. The city should examine this policy regularly to ensure it continues to balance transit revenue with the need for equitable transit access. Stable funding for local operations underpins all other strategies and action related to improving transit and equitable mobility in the city. A regional transit funding solution also should be sought by regional partners. ### Continue to partner with KCATA and KC Streetcar Authority for possible BRT and streetcar expansions The KCATA is the largest provider of public transit services for the city and the region. The city should continue to grow and strengthen its partnership with KCATA, planning for future transit service enhancements. As for the KCSA, the city owns all the streetcar’s capital assets (streetcar vehicles, vehicle maintenance facility, tracks, overhead power systems). The management and operations of the streetcar system are the responsibility of the Streetcar Authority and are supported through a dedicated funding mechanism, the Main Street Rail Transportation Development District. The city and the KCSA must remain closely aligned and should continue to advance shared priorities for further system expansion beyond the Main Street corridor to other parts of the city and region, an aim of the SmartMoves regional transit plan. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Incorporate innovative transit service models The demand for public transit service has shifted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and travel patterns have shifted, too. As these shifts become more apparent, the city should work closely with KCATA on innovative transit service models that can respond to changing travel patterns. These innovative service models could include new mobility services. New mobility services are transportation services, or innovations to existing services, made possible with electronic technology. Examples include car-, bike-, scooter-, and ride-sharing services; on-demand, app-based ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber; micro transit; and fare payment options such as smartcards and mobile payment. Johnson County, Kansas has successfully implemented micro transit services with coverage across much of the county, and the service is popular. KCATA and the city should identify areas of Kansas City with low efficiency in transit routes and seek innovative service models to provide service coverage as efficiently as possible. In 2022, the Kansas City Council passed the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan. This ambitious plan established goals for city municipal operations to be carbon neutral by 2030 and citywide carbon neutrality by 2040. A long-term plan to shift the city’s transit fleet to zero-emission vehicles would support the goals of the Climate Protection and Resiliency plan. ### Improve overall multimodal access to the transit system Almost all trips on public transit begin and end with walking to a transit stop. In many cases, this walk is several blocks long. Providing well-maintained, accessible sidewalks; covered/shaded pedestrian corridors (where possible); a network of trails; and safe bicycle routes, all connected to transit, would allow equitable and safe access to the transit system. Kansas City should prioritize filling in gaps in the sidewalk network within ½ mile of fixed transit routes, repair existing sidewalks in these areas, and ensure ADA-accessible curb ramps are installed. The city also should implement transit impact zones as recommended in the Walkability Plan to facilitate direct walking paths to transit. Implementing transit impact zones also would improve safety, continuity of the multimodal network, and street crossings. ### Expand transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities In 2017, Kansas City adopted a policy to guide development along transit corridors so that developments would be built on a pedestrian scale, provide a mix of uses, and have with higher population and employment densities. These types of development practices are known as transit-oriented development. Transit-oriented development recognizes that investment in high-frequency transit can support adjacent development along these corridors. The best local example is the area around the Main Street Streetcar’s 2.2-mile downtown starter line. Within five years of the project’s initiation, more than $2 billion in new investments were seen in the greater downtown area, with new residential, retail, entertainment, and office developments along the Main Street corridor. # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Expand transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities However, development adjacent to transit lines is not always transit-oriented development. City policy defines transit-oriented development as development that improves access to transit, increases density, generates a variety of uses and opportunities, and incorporates design elements that create an inviting environment. For future extensions of the streetcar system, the city should push for more transit-oriented development along the streetcar and other SmartMoves corridors. This will grow density that will support future transit expansion in the city. For more information on TOD policies and recommendations, see the Housing Affordability and Diversity, Parking and Curb Management, Access to Jobs, and Development Patterns Objectives. ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Grow and stabilize transit funding | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PT - 1** | Kansas City should support future reauthorizations of the existing 3/8 cent sales tax used to support public transit operations through service agreements with KCATA. | | **PT - 2** | The city should work with other municipalities, counties, and other local levels of government in the bi-state metro region to advance a regional public transit funding source. | | **PT - 3** | Work with transit partners, KCATA, and MARC to prioritize projects seeking federal funding and maximize federal funding opportunities. | ### Continue to partner with KCATA and KC Streetcar Authority for possible BRT and streetcar expansions | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PT - 4** | Continue and expand partnerships with KCATA and KCSA to grow the transit system and expand BRT and rail corridors. Work in partnership with the KCSA to jointly develop a system plan for the expansion and prioritization of the KC Streetcar network. | | **PT - 5** | Implement and regularly update the SmartMoves Plan that calls for regional fast and frequent transit routes across Kansas City and the surrounding region. Build out key routes with MAX BRT with long-term plans to graduate transit service to streetcar or fixed guideway if ridership and density grow in specific corridors to warrant investment in service enhancement. | | **PT - 6** | Continue to foster partnership with KCATA in planning for and implementing transit improvements in the city. City Planning and Development, Public Works, and other relevant departments should engage regularly with transit planning and operations at KCATA to plan, design, and implement transit service changes and improvements that impact the community. | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ### Incorporate innovative transit service models | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PT - 7** | Install innovative transit service models, such as on-demand micro transit, where appropriate. In partnership with KCATA, the city should examine areas where micro transit service would improve access for riders and lower the cost of providing services. | | **PT - 8** | Working with KCATA, transition the existing bus fleet to fully electric propulsion over the coming 10 – 15 years to support the goal of the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for carbon neutrality by 2040. The city should embrace this technology and improve air quality and sustainability for the region by adopting zero-emission bus technology. | ### Improve overall multimodal access to the transit system | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PT - 9** | Improve walkability and trail connections with a focus on neighborhoods within ½ mile of a transit route. Along with this, repair existing sidewalks in this same area and ensure all street crossings are ADA compliant with curb ramps, truncated dome tactile strips, and other accommodations, and use pedestrian ‘levels of service’ to implement transit impact zones as recommended in the Walkability Plan. | | **PT - 10** | In partnership with KCATA, place more passenger amenities at higher volume bus stops including benches, shelters, trash receptacles, and other amenities that make accessing transit and waiting for transit vehicles more comfortable for users where appropriate. | | **PT - 11** | Improve multimodal access to transit with the development of mobility hubs as defined in the SmartMoves 3.0 Plan. Mobility hubs are designed to facilitate biking, walking, and other modes of transportation to access important activity centers and high-volume transfer locations. | ### Expand transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities | | | | :--- | :--- | | **PT - 12** | Expand transit-oriented Development (TOD) opportunities along Streetcar and other BRT corridors. Create and Implement TOD plans in these corridors (see Transit-Oriented Development Policy). In collaboration with local and regional development agencies, the city should push for more truly TOD projects that encourage more mixed-use, increased density, housing affordability, and increased access to transit. (See Parking and Curb Management for recommendations about parking requirements in transit served areas, and Housing Affordability and Diversity for recommendations about housing availability along high-capacity transit corridors.). | # OBJECTIVE: PUBLIC TRANSIT ## LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Affordable Community * Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable * Innovation and Creativity * Mobility Options * Regional Collaboration * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City ### 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 * Smart City * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * City of Kansas City Transit-Oriented Development Policy * RideKC Next * SmartMoves 3.0 ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: # QUALITY DEVELOPMENT The overall quality of a city is determined by the quality of every development within it. to provide Kansas Citians with the best possible places to live, work, and play, the city must encourage developments that improve the quality of the area around them. The recommendations of this Objective draw from the best of Kansas City’s historical development patterns and add ideas that reflect today’s needs. Through new and updated guidelines and standards, the city will help establish development that responds to market conditions yet supports the strong community desire for quality development. These guidelines and standards will ensure new developments in all parts of the city reflect sound urban design principles and contribute to the overall desirability of the communities in which they’re built. Global Design Guidelines (see QD-1), will ensure characteristics suited to all areas of the city are incorporated into plans for new development. These are key development considerations desired in new development everywhere, regardless of community context. For example, all infrastructure should be designed to last 100 years or more no matter where it is located in the city. The city will create new Development Form and Context Guidelines to ensure new development responds to various building forms and community contexts in Kansas City (see the Community Context Checklist to learn how the context of community is determined). The Global Design Guidelines and Development Form and Context Guidelines together define what quality development is. They will shape the future of Kansas City’s built environment. These guidelines should be used with land use, building height, and other recommendations in relevant area plans to evaluate and guide future development proposals and zoning changes. By updating and codifying parts of the Development Form and Context Guidelines, Kansas City will ensure development citywide meets minimum standards for quality and responds adequately to unique contexts. As part of implementing the Playbook, Kansas City will explore changes to base zoning districts to align those districts with adopted plans. That alignment will reduce development that is incompatible with its surrounding area, something Kansas City communities have desired. To ensure development is compatible in areas that have special character, the city should expand and standardize overlay zoning districts as recommended by area plans. Finally, the city should complete a review of the development code to identify and remove barriers to building quality places, especially infill development projects. When paired with recommendations for land use and other area plan requirements, the Global Design Guidelines and the Development Form and Context Guidelines in the Playbook will be instrumental in creating a city that best serves all residents, can adapt to future needs and market trends, and is welcoming for everyone who wants to live, work, and play in Kansas City. ## INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will strengthen the character and physical beauty of all Kansas City neighborhoods. New development and redevelopment projects will value the existing character of surrounding communities. Zoning will be better aligned with land-use designations, and the development process will be improved by removing obstacles to quality development. ## BENEFITS * New development that helps to create a physically beautiful city (see Well-Designed City Goal) * New development that is compatible with a community’s context * Development tools to promote development that reflects community aspirations expressed in area plans * New development that supports the community identity and displays its collective values * Predictable and consistent outcomes for the built community * Expanded opportunities for affordable housing by promoting a variety of housing types in a neighborhood (see Housing Affordability and Diversity Objective) * Creation of complete communities by encouraging more walkable mixed-use development (see Complete Communities Objective) # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## CONTEXT Context-sensitive development standards are the key to ensuring quality development across a large, diverse city. ## RECENT HISTORY **Context-Sensitive Approach:** At 319 square miles, Kansas City has skyscrapers, farm fields, and everything in between. The city offers a variety of culturally distinct neighborhoods with their own existing and desired character. Each area in Kansas City also has its own distinct development form components – corridors, nodes, districts, and neighborhoods. Corridors and Nodes typically feature relatively dense, mixed-use development on major streets or at intersections of major streets. Neighborhoods refer to less dense, predominantly residential portions of an area. Districts are usually discrete geographies surrounding a specific institution or group of institutions, or a historic or entertainment district. | Urban Center | Urban District | Urban Community | Urban Neighborhood | Suburban Center | Town Center | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Main Street at 12th Street | Main Street at 19th Street | Main Street at 39th Street | Independence Avenue at Prospect Avenue | North Oak Trafficway at Briarcliff Parkway | Knobtown | <
> *Density typologies from Urban Center to Rural Town Center in the KCMO TOD Policy.* **Zoning Code and Overlays:** Kansas City adopted a new development code in 2011. The new code supports more mixed-use districts and has specific downtown districts. The new code also makes use of graphics and images to illustrate the intentions behind various regulations. Zoning overlay districts create additional standards on specific areas of the city to help promote the community’s desired goals for character and design. Additional design standards are in place for areas adjacent to boulevards and parkways. The City Planning Department, City Plan Commission, and City Council regularly review the text of the zoning code to make sure that it is meeting community needs. # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## CONTEXT <
> ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS Every neighborhood should expect quality development. Planners should work diligently to make sure that community members can help define quality development, especially where that definition is place specific. Community input and decisions about development should be made in transparent and accessible times and locations. Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. <
> *Development form illustrated near 39th and Main. (Kansas City, MO TOD Policy)* ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Land use entropy index; mixed-use development (increase) # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Ensure quality development citywide Include the Global Design Guidelines and Development Form and Context Guidelines into the development review process and explore codification of these elements. Revise the development code according to development form guidelines to implement minimum standards for development. For areas with unique context, the city will adopt special character zoning overlays and other tools, using area plans to determine where to apply these tools. ### Promote mixed-use and walkable developments throughout the city Through the area planning processes, the city will identify opportunities for new mixed-use development. Mixed-use development patterns generally offer a higher quality of life for residents, and many Kansas City communities want to see more of this type of development. ### Better align zoning with adopted land use plans Proactively change base zoning districts in accordance with area plan recommendations. Identify priority areas for these changes in area plans. Use zoning and land use planning to mitigate and limit sensitive uses. ### Remove barriers and obstacles to quality development The city will review development and building codes to identify challenges to quality development and remove or revise provisions that create unnecessary obstacles. The city will encourage infill and mixed-use developments and use brownfield clean-up tools and infrastructure improvements to better position infill lots for new development. New infill projects must not inhibit or complicate infill development on adjacent lots. # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Ensure quality development citywide **QD - 1** Incorporate Global Design Guidelines in new development. These guidelines relate to characteristics desired everywhere, regardless of community context, and should be used in the review of development proposals. **QD - 2** Create Development Context and Form Guidelines and improve their usage in development review. * Context and form guidelines * Create citywide development form guidelines to recognize the different form typologies within the city (corridor, node, district, neighborhood). * Create citywide development context guidelines to recognize the different context typologies within the city (downtown, urban, suburban, rural). * Adopt these form and context guidelines together as development review tool that provides site-specific guidelines for quality development. * Codify the development context and form guidelines when appropriate * Strengthen the role of development guidelines in the development review and decision-making processes. * Identify development context and form typologies within area plans: * Designate the appropriate development context and form typology for all areas. * Designate the existing context and future desired context (urban and suburban for example) and character of development for all areas. * Support walkable development patterns and the conversion of auto-centric developments into a more walkable/bikeable format. * Develop a process to update all area plans either simultaneously or phased in groups. **QD - 3** Adopt new development standards for all areas and establish a minimum level of design quality * Explore the codification of the Development Form and Context Guidelines (see above for recommended changes to these guidelines). * The standards could address things like exterior building materials, building design and entrance elements, windows and transparency requirements, building placement and orientation, parking and access, etc. **QD - 4** Create additional standards for areas with distinctive character and adopt overlay and special character zoning districts. * Adopt overlay zoning or historic districts where appropriate to ensure new development is consistent with character of area neighborhoods. * Develop quality design standards and a “traditional neighborhood” overlay district to preserve and enhance neighborhood identities. * Areas with a special or distinctive character should be identified during future area plan updates. * The city should create and adopt these overlays as recommended in the area plans. * Be consistent in the application of these overlays (to treat similar areas the same, avoid unnecessary customization) and to recognize and respond to the context of the area (suburban vs urban contexts for example). * Implement development standards to improve the visual appearance of development adjacent to highways and image streets identified in area plans. Standards should address building materials and design, landscaping and screening, and signage. # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Ensure quality development citywide | | | | :--- | :--- | | **QD - 5** | Adopt zoning overlays for pedestrian friendly mixed-use development. Encourage the use of zoning overlay districts to increase the walkability and development quality of urban and suburban corridors in the city. | | | • In urban corridors use existing overlays on Troost, Independence Avenue, or Main Street Overlays as templates for other urban corridors with similar character and development pattern (candidates will be determined during area plan update process). | | | • Develop similar overlays for suburban corridor contexts. | | | • Establish overlay zoning tools that can be applied with little or no customization and set criteria for what types of areas each overlay is appropriate for. | | | • Promote mixed-use and walkable developments throughout the city | ### Promote mixed-use and walkable developments throughout the city | | | | :--- | :--- | | **QD - 6** | Identify areas appropriate for mixed-use development during area plan updates. Opportunities include the following: | | | • Retail in areas with highest densities, pedestrian traffic, and transit service | | | • Increase housing supply within commercial areas/transit corridors | | | • Focus highest density uses in the Central Business Corridor | | | • Explore mixed-use zoning/overlays in industrial/commercial areas | | **QD - 7** | Identify strategies within area plans to improve the walkability of areas that currently have predominantly auto-oriented development. Include strategies and guidelines and zoning tools to retrofit these areas where appropriate as new development occurs. | | **QD - 8** | Implement transit-oriented development (TOD) zoning overlays in transit corridors. This recommendation would encourage the expanded use of zoning overlay districts that specifically aim to create a land use and development pattern that supports and increases transit access and ridership. | | | • TOD zoning overlays should incorporate the elements and guidelines provided by the transit-oriented development policy. | | | • Ideally these overlays should be preceded by a "station area plan" which identifies the development typology appropriate for the area; delineates the extent of the overlay and permitted uses and building scale; identifies needed public improvements to maximize pedestrian and bike access; provides strategies to ensure affordable housing in the area; and includes recommendations for managing parking and reducing parking requirements. | | | • Reduce parking requirements, set parking maximums to reduce/minimize the amount of parking, and allow greater densities along transit corridors. | ### Better align zoning with adopted land use plans | | | | :--- | :--- | | **QD - 9** | Ensure appropriate base zoning districts. Identify areas to correct during area plan update process. Candidate areas will have a mismatch between the existing or intended development pattern and existing zoning. | # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Promote mixed-use and walkable developments throughout the city **QD - 10** Adopt development code requirements to appropriately mitigate and condition the impacts of “sensitive uses”, such as landfills, quarries, halfway houses, late night liquor permits, etc. * Review the development code (and other sections of the city code) to identify what areas these sensitive uses are allowed and review the development standards that apply to each. Make amendments to the code as necessary to ensure that these uses are appropriately screened, that compatibility with adjacent properties and neighborhoods is adequately considered, to ensure that these uses are not overly concentrated in certain areas, to ensure that the operation of these uses will minimize any potential negative impacts to the surrounding area, and consider requiring that developers demonstrate their project would provide tangible benefit to the community. * Highlight community concerns and issues related to sensitive uses during area plan updates and provide recommendations and guidelines to address. ### Remove barriers and obstacles to quality development and infill development **QD - 11** Explore incentives for quality design. In addition to certain design and development standards, the city could also explore offering incentives to developers to adhere to higher standards voluntarily. These incentives could take the form of allowances for increased density, reduced parking requirements, etc. **QD - 12** Identify the issues and challenges inherent to infill development and develop strategies to minimize or reduce these issues: * Identify provisions in the development code that unintentionally inhibit infill projects (or require significant exceptions or variances) and explore revisions to better accommodate infill development. Issues to be explored include (but are not limited to) the following: * Irregular or substandard lots size or configuration. * Setbacks and density restrictions. * Improved flexibility. * Ensure that new infill projects do not inhibit or complicate infill development on adjacent lots. * Encourage developers to look beyond the land they currently have control of for larger development opportunities. At a minimum consider how current infill project will fit within and connect to broader context/future development (see Connected City Objective). * Issues to consider include: * Changes to roadways/access (no connection to adjacent undeveloped land) * Land locking * Transitions * Make infill development for smaller urban sites and larger suburban tracts more feasible for private developers through land reclamation and utility system improvements. **QD - 13** Periodically review the city’s development and permitting processes. Implement changes needed to make the development and regulatory process efficient and clear and to minimize confusion or delays in the development process. **QD - 14** Regularly review the city’s impact fee, dedication, and fee in-lieu of dedication requirements to ensure new development is paying its fair share of costs for new infrastructure including trails. # OBJECTIVE: QUALITY DEVELOPMENT ## LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Affordable Community * Desirable Place * History and Heritage * KC Uniqueness * Physical Beauty * Sustainable Growth and Resilient City * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services * Welcoming Spaces ### RELATED GOALS * Environment for People of All Ages * History, Arts, and Culture * Strong and Accessible Neighborhoods * Well-Designed City ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> # OBJECTIVE: # SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS The pace of change in the world has significantly accelerated over the past decade. International conflicts and global pandemics have affected the global economy and societies worldwide. Climate change has brought major shifts in weather patterns. And, of course, technological advances have changed nearly every aspect of daily life, particularly in the areas of mobility, energy production, internet connectivity, and automation. Rapid change introduces uncertainty about the future, which makes planning a challenge. Much of Kansas City’s planning and infrastructure investments are targeted to a 20- to 50-year period of relevance in design, after which point, the city may look dramatically different than it does now. In the future, new technologies, data analytics, and policy approaches will emerge that will help Kansas City address challenges, deliver city services more effectively, and improve quality of life for residents. Digital equity, technology-enhanced city services, new technology deployment, education, and the economy are all focus areas for Kansas City. Changes expected in Kansas City in the next 25 years can be grouped into four main areas: **Climate** * Chronic hazards * Extreme weather * Transitional policy impacts * Pollution **Society** * Demographics * Equity * Economy * Health * Transportation **Technology** * Manufacturing * Electrical devices * Zero-emission vehicles * Data * New mobility options * Artificial intelligence * Smart city infrastructure **Resources** * Materials * Energy-generation sources * Biodiversity * Water The city’s planning, development, and investment decisions will be affected by these changes. That’s why the city must monitor emerging trends and anticipate and plan for future changes. If it doesn’t, Kansas City could face significant risks or miss out on opportunities to leverage positive trends. By identifying the trends relevant to Kansas City and planning for them, the city can become more resilient, more sustainable, and well-positioned for a strong future. This can be achieved by developing a “future proofing” policy framework that uses data and smart city infrastructure to guide investment decisions and service delivery, while capitalizing on emerging technologies. ### INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will result in a city that uses real-time data to quickly and effectively address the needs of Kansas Citians and provides the services they depend on. All communities in the city will have a stable and robust internet connection, which will increase educational, economic, civic engagement, and social opportunities. The city will have a proactive approach in addressing and adapting to new technologies and trends that can affect service delivery. ### BENEFITS * Better preparedness and ability to respond to future events, trends, and changes in technology * Improved city service delivery and planning through access to real-time data and big data * Ability to evaluate and manage infrastructure and system changes through a digital model of the city * Improved ability to focus investments and services where they’re most needed and track metrics to gauge progress * More equitable access to high-speed internet and ability to participate in society, democracy and economy * More mobility options through new technology. Improved connections between neighborhoods and destinations * Through new public engagement methods, more robust involvement from residents in decision-making # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS ## CONTEXT Smart Cities make use of technology and data to take requests for service, be more transparent, and improve service delivery and infrastructure prioritization. ### RECENT HISTORY **Service Requests and Public Transparency:** Smart cities can improve resident and stakeholder access to information and services, as well as improve methods of collaboration and feedback between the City and residents and visitors. Technology can improve citizen communication and participation in Kansas City government as well as increase access to information and city services through online tools. In 2007, the City opened a 3-1-1 call center, which takes public requests for service on a wide variety of issues. That call center has since evolved to incorporate requests via the web, social media, and a smart phone application. <
> In 2014, the City adopted an Open Data Ordinance, which makes the City's large variety of datasets available to the public in downloadable, machine-readable formats. The Open Data portal also provides extensive metadata that explains the scope, accuracy, and recency of data. Open Data has evolved from simply providing data to explaining it using simple language and easy-to-understand data visualizations, often called Data Storytelling. **Efficient Infrastructure and Service Delivery:** City departments collect and analyze data from a variety of sources, including connected infrastructure, vehicle-based telemetry, data entered on mobile devices, and remote sensing sources (like satellite imagery or LIDAR). These systems are regularly used to make decisions about where best to deploy limited resources. For example, the City’s Public Works department uses a pavement-conditions index derived from LIDAR, photography, and other sensors to determine which needs have the highest need for resurfacing. <
> # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS ## CONTEXT ### EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS **Digital Equity:** Whether the destination is government services, personal records, banking, telehealth, portals for job applications, E-commerce storefronts, or online learning, internet access increases opportunity and connectivity. The COVID-19 pandemic increased society’s collective reliance on the internet as even more services were offered online. The COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for continued progress on digital equity in Kansas City, as many citizens, from school-age students to seniors experienced new barriers to accessing critical services. Digital equity is necessary for full participation in the community, employment, learning, and access to services. Since 2017, Kansas City’s strategy to promote digital inclusion has been documented in the City’s Digital Equity Strategic Plan. Additional equity indicators and important geographies are available here. <
> ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Broadband access (increase) # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Create a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to emerging trends and new technology With the accelerated pace of change in the world over the last decade, and the uncertainty that accompanies it, future trends will pose both risks and opportunities. Anticipated trends can be grouped into four categories where the city expects to see dramatic changes over the next 25 years: climate, society, technology, and resources. As the city plans for and invests in long-lived capital assets, making decisions under conditions of uncertainty requires a system of people, processes, and tools to watch for and respond to trends. ### Eliminate the digital divide through equitable access, affordability, and education While significant progress has been made to close the digital divide in Kansas City, the work is not done. Achieving digital equity – when all people and communities have the information technology they need to fully participate in society, democracy, and the economy – requires ongoing focus and investment. Continued collaboration and partnerships with educators, practitioners, community organizations, foundations, businesses, nonprofits, and other stakeholders is needed to close the digital divide and keep it closed as technology and Kansas City’s population continue to change. ### Deploy smart city infrastructure and data platforms that improve city services while protecting privacy and increasing transparency and engagement As a pioneer in deploying smart city technologies at a local level, Kansas City has a strong foundation on which to build future programs. Kansas City takes a people-first approach to assessing technologies. The city looks at the administrative, commercial, digital, ethical, legal, physical, privacy, security, and transactional contexts technologies are deployed in. The approach gathers well-informed, timely, meaningful input from stakeholders. It considers the trade-offs and consequences of using technology, and it assesses outcomes across stakeholder groups to develop programs to achieve the desired outcomes for all. # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Create a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to emerging trends and new technology | | | | :--- | :--- | | **SC - 1** | Develop an anticipatory policy process to respond to reasonably well-understood emerging trends. This should include consideration of policy changes that have already been proposed that could improve preparedness. Proactively develop strategies to prepare for new emerging trends that impact the built environment.
• Establish a system of people, processes, and tools to watch for, prioritize, and respond to trends across climate, society, technology, and resources.
• Identify infrastructure and policy needs to adequately incentivize and regulate technologies so they support the city's goals. Recent examples include the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs/drones), electric vehicles, dockless bikes and scooters, ride-hailing platforms, and short-term rental platforms.
• Annually identify and/or update a list of trends to monitor and prepare for. | | **SC - 2** | In collaboration with the Emerging Technology Board, Climate Protection Steering Committee, Environmental Management Commission, and other stakeholders, proactively develop strategies to prepare for new emerging trends. | | **SC - 3** | Establish a task force to review how the city has been impacted by a global pandemic and how the event changed trends in physical development. Incorporate findings into adaptation planning moving forward. | | **SC - 4** | Develop a comprehensive strategy to address changes to how and where people will live, work and learn. The strategy should address the following issues:
• The long-term impacts of remote working trends on future office space demand and vacancies.
• Potential reuse strategies for employment centers and land use considerations for area plans.
• The opportunity to attract new residents who are no longer tied to the city where their employer is located.
• Potential reduced need for travel and impacts to conventions and other activities and events that bring visitors to our city.
• Ability to absorb residents migrating from less climate-resilient locations. | ### Eliminate the digital divide through equitable access, affordability, and education | | | | :--- | :--- | | **SC - 5** | Create a designated task force that specializes in advancing digital equity efforts across departments in order to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and focus on prioritizing digital equity in each department's technology-related efforts. | | **SC - 6** | Regularly update and implement the Digital Equity Strategic Plan and similar initiatives to bridge the digital divide across underserved neighborhoods. | | **SC - 7** | Increase the number of households with consistent access to a computer with reliable Internet access by leveraging programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program. | # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Deploy smart city infrastructure and data platforms that improve city services while protecting privacy and increasing transparency and engagement | | | | :--- | :--- | | **SC - 8** | Deploy smart city infrastructure and data platforms that improve city services while protecting privacy and increasing transparency and engagement | | **SC - 9** | Incorporate user experience design into the City's digital presence on all platforms, making common business, service delivery, and community engagement functions easily accessible to users via web, mobile applications, and integrations with commonly used platforms or applications. | | **SC - 10** | Integrate smart city data and infrastructure into city decision-making, operations, maintenance, planning, public information and service delivery and continue to explore new and innovative ways to collect and incorporate this data. | | **SC - 11** | Continue to expand the deployment of devices to collect data about transportation, infrastructure, and natural systems that can be used to monitor real time conditions and relay information to users; improve service delivery and response; and plan future system improvements. | | **SC - 12** | Explore the use of location-based services data and other data sources to supplement public smart city data, while protecting privacy. | | **SC - 13** | Continue to support data sharing across jurisdictional boundaries, making data publicly accessible using open data tools and APIs (Application Programming Interface) and interactive dashboards. Use and promote standardized data formats (e.g., the Mobility Data Standard) where applicable. Develop the agreements, privacy protections, and tools necessary to support this action. | | **SC - 14** | Explore the integration of all data into a city model or digital twin that simulates the physical elements of the city and allows for real time monitoring of existing conditions as well as exploring future scenarios and to test the impacts of proposed changes. Incorporate existing and future land use and mobility data (i.e., a new, multimodal traffic mode) into the digital twin.
• Adopt a policy to generally support and promote new transportation innovations, shared active transportation systems, and technologies that:
• Improve user experience, convenience, and safety for non-motorized modes, as well as to provide better non-motorized data.
• Improve and maintain reliable, efficient system operations, including transportation demand management strategies, transportation system management and operations, and intelligent transportation systems consistent with regional congestion management policies.
• Integrate real-time information for multiple modes that provides users with better information and makes it easier to walk, bike, take transit, or carpool. Such tools can improve user information, trip planning, wayfinding, locating and paying for parking | # OBJECTIVE: SMART CITY TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS # LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable * Innovation and Creativity * Thriving Economy ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design * Providing Services ### RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Diversity and Opportunity * Environment for People of All Ages * Smart City * Well-Designed City ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan * Connected KC 2050 * Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan * Digital Equity Strategic * Regional ITS Architecture Plan * Regional Unmanned Aircraft Strategic Framework * Regional Wayfinding Plan ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> Vision Zero is an initiative that aims to make all roads safe for all users. Its approach rejects the idea that fatalities and serious injuries are inevitable consequences of mobility on the city’s roads. Vision Zero aims to create a transportation system where no one is killed or seriously injured on Kansas City streets. Over the past 10 years on Kansas City streets:[^p254-1] * 783 lives have been lost * 3,879 people have been seriously injured * 37% increase in injuries and deaths since 2010 Specific groups are at higher risk of dying or being seriously injured in traffic crashes on city streets. Over the past 10 years: * 37% of these crashes involved young people * Black people were twice as likely to be killed as white people in crashes Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries will not be easy. Only with the efforts of everyone involved in the transportation system – from drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists to emergency responders, public engineers, city planners, and elected officials – can the city achieve this goal. Vision Zero’s approach differs from the way cities traditionally have addressed traffic crashes in these ways: | | Traditional/Prevailing Traffic Safety Approach | Vision Zero Traffic Safety Approach | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Premise | Deaths are inevitable | Deaths are preventable | | Goal | Preventing all crashes | Preventing fatalities and serious injuries | | Focus | Perfecting human behavior | Designing a road system that accounts for human error | | Responsibility | Individual users: drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists | Shared responsibility: all system designers, operators, and users | Integrating a Vision Zero mindset into traffic safety planning requires a long-term commitment, and Kansas City has made this commitment. In May 2020, the City Council passed the Vision Zero resolution, aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets by 2030 while providing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for everyone. The goals of the Vision Zero resolution are to: * Create safer conditions on roadways for all users * Eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 * Prioritize low-cost, high-impact pilot projects; evaluate outcomes; and gather feedback * Implement the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan and integrate Vision Zero practices into every aspect of planning, design, and engineering ## INDICATORS OF SUCCESS Successful implementation of this Objective will result in a physical environment designed to prevent car crashes that cause injury or death. All pedestrians, bicyclists, and those using alternative modes of transportation will safely navigate throughout the city. People driving vehicles will be more alert to other users of the city’s transportation infrastructure and will be more proactive in preventing crashes ## BENEFITS * No deaths or serious injuries resulting from traffic crashes * Improved equity * Increased rates of walking and biking * Improved access to transit * Slower traffic and less traffic cutting through neighborhoods * Increased economic productivity [^p254-1]: Over the past 10 years on Kansas City streets:1 # OBJECTIVE: VISION ZERO ## CONTEXT Fatal and serious injury crashes are on the rise in Kansas City, like much of the country. This increase is disproportionately impacting non-motorized road users and disadvantaged communities. Fortunately, there is a significant amount of funding and resources to improve roadway safety. Kansas City has taken many of the initial steps to prioritize safety and secure resources to improve road safety. ## RECENT HISTORY **Troubling Crash Trends:** Kansas City has seen a troubling trend in the increase of fatal and serious injury crashes. This pattern holds true for much of the country, but Kansas City is among the highest of its peers when it comes to crash fatalities, in a nation with an already-high crash rate among rich-world peers. Crashes for all modes have increase since 2010, but crashes involving nonmotorized users have increased at an even greater rate. As protective equipment for vehicle occupants has advanced in recent years, bicyclists and pedestrians have remained vulnerable. The focus of traffic engineers and roadway designers tends to default to optimizing streets for traffic flow. This often results in a trade-off: faster-moving traffic but more dangerous streets, especially for people walking and biking. **Prioritizing Safety with a Vision Zero Action Plan:** Kansas City is one of several cities nationwide to adopt a Vision Zero policy. Federal policy and funding sources are beginning to prioritize safety planning and implementation, primarily through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. In 2022, Kansas City adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan. By focusing on high-crash locations, like the High Injury Network below, Kansas City can make the biggest impact with limited funding. 58% of the city’s fatal and serious injury crashes are concentrated on just 12% of city roads, which are shown in the map below. <
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> # OBJECTIVE: VISION ZERO ## CONTEXT Addressing speed and high-risk road attributes are also critical. Four-lane and six-lane roads, roads with 30-35mph speed limits, roads with excess capacity, and roads with signalized intersections have three to five times more crashes on average. ## EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS At the core of Vision Zero is the belief that recognizes that all people have the right to move about their communities safely. The results of decades of racial inequality have imprinted themselves in the design of the road network resulting in a city where Black road users are twice as likely to be killed in Kansas City as white road users. The highest concentration of fatal and serious injury crashes in the city are in disadvantaged areas. <
> Additional equity indicators and import geographies are available here. ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS * Miles of reduced speed limit (increase) * Miles of roadway capital projects on high injury network completed (increase) * Number of systemic improvements completed (increase) * People killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes on city streets; in equity areas (decrease) # OBJECTIVE: VISION ZERO ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Prioritize Vision Zero in plans and budgets To eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries, the city must apply the fundamentals of Vision Zero in all types of plans. Area plans, the Major Street Plan, and other multimodal plans should prioritize Vision Zero over other transportation considerations. Future Capital Improvement Project (CIP) planning and other funding decisions should consider Vision Zero and focus on improvements in areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment. Improving safety requires funding for roadway improvements. Unsafe areas are highly concentrated in certain roadway corridors and neighborhoods, especially in transportation-disadvantaged areas and areas where the population is predominantly people of color. Funding for safety projects won't be effective if it's widely distributed throughout the city instead of targeted to areas with the greatest need. ### Create environment for safe speeds Speed drives both the severity and frequency of traffic crashes. Speed is particularly important in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. A pedestrian or cyclist has only a 10% chance of dying from being hit by a car traveling at 20 mph. That risk jumps to 50% if a pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a car traveling at 40 mph and to 90% if the car is traveling at 60 mph. Lowering speeds for drivers is a highly effective way to reduce fatal and severe-injury crashes. The city should pursue actions to decrease speeds citywide by lowering speed limits, posting speed limits more abundantly, installing traffic-calming measures, implementing road diets, and using automated speed enforcement. ### Construct safe streets and intersections for all users How a street is configured and how its traffic is controlled can dramatically increase or decrease the risk of a fatal or severe-injury traffic crash. For example, wide streets with four lanes or more, streets in urban areas with speed limits over 30 mph, and streets without bicycle and pedestrian facilities have a high risk of these crashes. Intersections with traffic signals also have a high risk of fatal and severe-injury crashes. The city should analyze risk factors, update policies, and implement the Complete Street ordinance requirements to both reconstruct existing high-risk streets and build new streets in the safest configuration possible. All new streets should have high-quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities, such as protected bike lanes and lighting. New streets should use roundabouts instead of traffic signals where appropriate. New streets should be built with only enough lanes to serve today's traffic yet preserve right-of-way space in case capacity needs to be expanded in the future. The city should analyze all existing streets on the High Injury Network and High-Risk Network to consider implementing: * Road diets * New bicycle facilities and sidewalks * Additional safe pedestrian and bicycle crossings * Removal of unnecessary traffic signals, replacing them with all-way stop signs or roundabouts where appropriate * Improving the safety of traffic-signal intersections # OBJECTIVE: VISION ZERO <
> ## KEY CONCEPTS ### Encourage safe user behavior through education and enforcement A basic tenet of Vision Zero is that everyone involved in the transportation system shares responsibility to make it safe. But system designers, operators, and elected officials have the greatest responsibility. In the past, the focus was on perfecting the behavior of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Today it's understood that this is not practical or effective. Now the focus is policy, design, and operations. Of course, road users share responsibility for their safety, and some behaviors are especially dangerous on the roads. The city should conduct educational efforts and work with the KCPD on targeted traffic safety law enforcement. This enforcement should concentrate on areas that have experienced distress and disinvestment and be targeted to the most dangerous behaviors including speeding, aggressive driving, and driving while intoxicated. ## COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ACTIONS ### Prioritize Vision Zero in plans and budgets | | | | :--- | :--- | | **VZ - 1** | Develop new metrics to prioritize Capital Improvement Projects that include safety and equity as the highest priority. | | **VZ - 2** | Update city policies related to safety, including the Traffic Engineering Handbook, the Neighborhood Traffic Calming policy, and the Major Street Plan. | | **VZ - 3** | Create a dedicated funding mechanism to address safety on high-injury and high-risk roads. | | **VZ - 4** | Adopt and regularly update a comprehensive Vision Zero Action Plan. The plan should include:
• Complete Street Design Guide
• Detailed data analysis
• Public and stakeholder engagement
• List of strategies and countermeasures to achieve Vision Zero
• Detailed list of specific actions for the city to take to achieve Vision Zero | ### Create an environment for safe speeds | | | | :--- | :--- | | **VZ - 5** | Decrease statutory speed limits on all local streets to 20 mph and collector and arterial streets to 30 mph. Evaluate all streets in the city with posted speed limits over 35 mph and consider reducing posted speed limits on these streets. | ### Construct safe streets and intersections for all users | | | | :--- | :--- | | **VZ - 6** | Adopt a “roundabout-first” policy for all new major intersections so new intersections are planned as roundabouts and a traffic signal is only considered if a roundabout isn’t feasible. | | **VZ - 7** | Construct high-quality bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city. | # OBJECTIVE: VISION ZERO ### Encourage safe user behavior through education and enforcement **VZ - 8** Evaluate use of automated speed enforcement to reduce speeding on High Injury Network streets. # LINKS ### RELATED VISION STATEMENTS * Desirable Place * Innovation and Creativity * Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing * Mobility Options * Walkable, Clean, and Safe ### RELATED EQUITY STATEMENTS * Addressing Disinvestment * Citywide Accessibility * Community Collaboration * Community Engagement * Complete Communities * Inclusive Design ### RELATED GOALS * Connected City * Environment for People of All Ages * Parks and Open Spaces * Smart City ### RELATED PLANS AND POLICIES * Vision Zero Resolution * Complete Street Ordinance * Bike KC Plan * Walkability Plan * Major Streets Plan * Street Design Guide * MARC Safety Blueprint * MARC SmartMoves 3.0 * Missouri Strategic Highway Safety Plan * Transit Oriented Development Policy ### RELATED OBJECTIVES <
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> Successful implementation of this plan will require close coordination between the city, other government and quasi government agencies, community organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and individuals. A successful implementation program will require ongoing feedback and engagement with these entities to maintain support and awareness of plan initiatives. It is imperative that community and city leaders see this plan’s recommendations as the result of a collaborative effort and are willing to take a proactive role in ensuring the best possible future for Kansas City. Likewise, each city department must take ownership of its appropriate sections and communicate those responsibilities effectively to the public. This chapter outlines the overall framework to guide plan implementation, including priorities and resources necessary to fully realize the Playbook’s goals. The Implementation Dashboard shows the timeframes, relevant metrics, and responsible parties for each of the Playbook’s recommendations, the Community Supported Actions (CSAs). There is a static version of this Dashboard included in this document. ## PLAN OWNERSHIP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT This plan is written specifically with implementation and accountability in mind, including: * Recommendations derived from extensive public input and community support (see the Public Engagement Summary for more information) * Emphasis on concise, understandable language * Practical recommendations with enough detail to aid decision making and implementation * Trackable metrics for every objective * Filterable and sortable tags that help everyone quickly find the most relevant plan recommendations to them The Playbook’s focus on organization, readability, and feasibility makes the plan accessible to everyone in the community and ultimately results in greater understanding, leadership, and real-world impacts. Every successful community plan hinges on meaningful engagement and transparency with those that it impacts. Therefore, the Playbook implementation program should maintain a productive connection to the people of Kansas City and keep community informed. Accurate and up-to-date information about implementation progress and initiatives should be published regularly. A well-informed community is also more likely to stay interested, involved, and diligent when it comes to ensuring accountability for each of the Playbook’s sections. Coordination with city departments and with other governmental agencies is necessary for implementation of a plan with such a wide scope. The plan’s recommendations and responsibilities span nearly all city departments, as well as other local agencies including KCATA, Housing Authority, EDC, MODOT, MARC, and county and state governments. This coordination must begin as early as possible and continue through the duration of the plan’s lifecycle. The vision of the plan is kept by everyone who contributed to the work, but they will need the support of City departments to coordinate efforts in order to be effective. It is critical that new City initiated projects from every department # IMPLEMENTATION happen in conjunction with the plan. Continued dialogue and coordination between city departments is vital to ensure that service and project delivery are in line with the goals and priorities of the plan. ## TOOLS In this section there are new tools to be applied to the development review process citywide. The list of **Goal Supporting Criteria** is a reference tool to be used to evaluate projects, development applications, ordinances and other proposals for their agreement with the comprehensive plan. It is also intended to be a tool used by the development community when putting together development applications. The **Global Design Guidelines** are an evaluation tool that aims to ensure that quality development is happening in all communities in Kansas City. More specific design guidance for specific community contexts and predominant development forms can be found in the **Development Form and Context Guidelines**. ## SOLIDIFY THE PLAYBOOK'S ROLE IN CITY ORDINANCES, POLICIES, AND PLANS The Playbook is intended to be a guide for decision-making at all levels of governance. The Playbook’s goals and recommendations should be integrated into city codes and ordinances, policy documents, budgets, city initiatives, and capital improvement planning processes to help ensure consistent implementation of plan goals (see Goal Supporting Criteria). Likewise, the Playbook should be reviewed for its agreement with all current city plans and guide the creation of all future plans and updates. The Global Design Guidelines and Development Form and Context Guidelines should be consulted as capital improvements are being planned and designed and as development plans are being evaluated to ensure agreement with the community’s goals. ## GOAL SUPPORTING CRITERIA The **Goal Supporting Criteria** is a set of questions that provide a practical framework for evaluating future projects and decisions in Kansas City. These questions should be used to help determine whether a proposed project, initiative, development, or policy is generally consistent with the comprehensive plan or not. Each question relates to one of the ten main community-identified goals of the plan and answering each question will provide a picture of how well a project does or does not advance the goals of this plan. Below each question are a few examples of ways to further each goal. **Goal Supporting Criteria: All proposed projects/improvements/developments in Kansas City should:** **Attract and retain new residents while ensuring current residents can age in place** * Providing diverse housing options that cater to people of all ages and incomes * Providing affordable housing units that allow current residents to remain in their homes * Supplying adequate modes of transportation to allow access to daily needs such as jobs, groceries, and other community centers **Contribute to the City’s environmental sustainability and resiliency** * mproving water quality and manage stormwater through “green” approaches * Preserving and enhance sensitive natural areas and habitats * Using permeable surfaces, rain gardens, bioswales, and other green infrastructure techniques * Incorporating energy saving techniques, clean energy sources, and sustainable building design, methods and materials # IMPLEMENTATION **Enhance or create new mobility options and foster a more connected city** * Promoting pedestrian scale blocks and streetscapes * Creating "complete streets" and adhering to Transit Oriented Development policies * Removing or mitigating physical and social barriers in communities **Incorporate new technology and innovation to further the City's Smart City goals** * Increasing access to broadband internet * Utilizing real-time or geographic information to improve user experiences and city service delivery * Complying with the Digital Equity Strategic Plan, the Digital KC Now initiative, or other similar plans **Increase equity by embracing diversity and creating economic opportunity** * Providing a diverse array of affordable housing near job centers * Incorporating multiple modes of access, such as bike parking and safe pedestrian connections * Increasing access to worker supporting amenities near job centers, such as childcare, groceries, pharmacies, etc. **Increase housing choice and improve access to affordable housing for all Kansas City residents** * Providing a wide array of housing types, especially "missing middle" styles * Utilizing accessory dwelling units as an attainable housing option * Providing greater housing density in areas served by transit and connected to job centers **Lead to equitable and sustainable growth or revitalization** * Contributing to development patterns that are fiscally sustainable * Prioritizing infill or contiguous development that utilizes existing infrastructure and services over "leapfrog" developments * Focusing capital improvements and incentives toward areas in need of revitalization **Preserve and celebrate community character, history, art, and culture** * Creating or preserving public art * Preserving and enhancing historic buildings or landmarks * Complementing and building upon existing character and culture of the area **Promote high quality-design** * Complying with the Global Development Guidelines * Complying with Development Context and Form Guidelines * Using high quality, attractive, and durable construction materials **Protect or expand the system of parks, boulevards, and open spaces** * Incorporating or creating new parks and open space * Creating sufficient connections to surrounding parks, trails, and open spaces * Creating usable public spaces like streetscapes, plazas and courtyards and repurposed street right of way ## GLOBAL DESIGN GUIDELINES The Global Design Guidelines relate to physical characteristics that are desirable everywhere, regardless of the community context and should be used during the review of development proposals. These guidelines should be consulted during the design phase of any public or private projects in order to ensure consistency with the comprehensive plan. They should also be paired with the Development Form and Context Guidelines, which provide more specific criteria based on the specific context of each project. # IMPLEMENTATION **To ensure that a project is providing quality development to the city, the project should be analyzed to determine if it:** * Avoids creating or perpetuating barriers, including barriers to connectivity/access and social/economic barriers * Is supported by infrastructure designed to be useful for 100 years or more * Creates new neighborhoods and districts with distinct and identifiable character * Effectively uses infill sites or existing infrastructures contiguous to existing development * Embraces and integrates with the surrounding areas and should not be inwardly focused * Fits within or adds value to the character of the surrounding area * Improves access to daily needs, particularly in equity priority areas, and help to create a "complete community" * Improves opportunities for affordable housing, particularly near transit and employment centers * Makes walking, biking, transit riding and scooter riding safe, convenient and inviting and accommodates safe and convenient access for all modes of travel * Preserves or creates open space, respect existing topography, and minimize the impact of development on the natural environment * Preserves, refurbishes, and reuses historic buildings and landmarks on the site * Provides a desirable mix of uses or increase housing diversity * Provides features expressly intended to enhance safety and inclusiveness for persons of all ages and abilities * Provides streets that form a continuous network with frequent connections * Provides well-designed and activated public spaces # DEVELOPMENT FORM AND CONTEXT GUIDELINES **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. [Click here to go to the Development Form and Context Guidelines] 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. Development Form Guidelines contain specific guidelines across several categories that are related to development. These development form categories include: **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. **Development Form and Context Guidelines** should be used in conjunction with the Global Design Guidelines (see CSA 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. # IMPLEMENTATION ## MEASURES OF SUCCESS The Playbook’s measures of success are a collection of quantifiable metrics that give insight into the progress being made towards each goal or recommendation. These measures are intended to provide supporting data over the lifetime of the plan and must be regularly tracked and updated to stay current. Some metrics will be updated more often than others due to the specific time requirements of each. Each measure will be paired with a responsible party, whether that be the City of Kansas City or another agency already tracking a specific metric, as well as paired to its most relevant Objective and CSA. Some measures may be tagged to multiple objectives. | Measures of Success | Intended Direction | | :--- | :--- | | 1% for art locations | Increase | | Annual visitors to Kansas City | Increase | | At-risk affordable housing units | Decrease | | Average site EUI buildings (new vs. renovated; use category) | Decrease | | Broadband access | Increase | | Displacement risk ratio | Decrease | | Evictions | Decrease | | Greenfield development residential density | Increase | | Greenhouse gas emissions | Decrease | | Historic register listing (or eligible) resource demolition | Decrease | | Hotel tax revenue | Increase | | Infrastructure lifecycle costs (infill vs. greenfield areas) | Decrease | | Jobs accessible by 30-minute transit trip | Increase | | Jobs in traded sectors | Increase | | Land use entropy index (mixed use development) | Increase | | Life expectancy | Increase | | Low-income cost-burdened renter households | Decrease | | 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 | | New housing permits (infill vs. greenfield areas) | Increase | | New income-restricted affordable housing units | Increase | | Number of bedrooms per unit entropy score | Increase | | Number of systemic improvements completed | Increase | | Pedestrian crossing distance between major barriers | Decrease | | People killed or seriously inured in traffic crashes on city streets | Decrease | | Permit construction value (infill vs. greenfield areas) | Increase | # IMPLEMENTATION | Measures of Success | Intended Direction | | :--- | :--- | | Population with access to a park | Increase | | Population with access to a trail | Increase | | Public garage, lot, curb subsidies (by area type, i.e., in TOD areas) | Decrease | | Public transit access (half-mile radius by level of service) | Increase | | Ratio of transit commutes to drive-alone commute times | Decrease | | Residential building size entropy score | Increase | | Share of population in complete community areas (minority population, low-income population) | Increase | | Small, minority, and women-owned businesses | Increase | | Surface parking lot area (by area type, i.e., in TOD areas) | Decrease | | Total vehicle miles traveled | Decrease | | Transit funding per capita | Increase | | Transit ridership (unlinked passenger trips) | Increase | | Truck travel time reliability | Increase | | Urban tree canopy coverage | Increase | | Vacant lots (continually distressed vs. elsewhere) | Decrease | | Value of freight throughput | Increase | | Vehicle-light households | Increase | ### Limitations of data While this data will form the quantitative portion of the Playbook, it is important to remember that this is a people and community focused plan. Therefore metrics, while helpful for tracking physical changes, are unable to tell the full story of an objective and should always be considered in context and alongside other qualitative measures. It is also important to maintain open and constant communication with all communities so that lived experiences can be accounted for and data can be interpreted through a data equity lens. Some limitations to consider when it comes to quantitative measures are: * Highlighting differences between communities, but not explaining why those differences exist. * Showing correlations between variables or outcomes, but not proving causational relationships. * Helping to compare communities, but not accounting for individual or lived experiences. * Defining intentions but not explaining the historical, cultural, or political contexts that lead to outcomes. ## IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX The Implementation Matrix shows the estimated timelines, responsible parties, and cost categories for each Community Supported Action (CSA) in the Playbook, as well as linking CSAs to their relevant measures of success. The dashboard matrix is a tool to track responsibilities and improve transparency as the Playbook’s recommendations become realized. | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Access to Jobs** | | | | | | | | | Promote Concentration of Jobs in Transit-Accessible Areas | AJ-1 | Guide new office and employment uses to locations that are well-served by public transit using business attraction and development efforts. Include the public transportation providers in early conversations with employers as they relocate or expand in Kansas City. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | | AJ-2 | Identify employment centers during area plan updates and make changes to the land use plans, and zoning to allow multiple uses and higher densities in these centers. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Business Community | Staff Time Cost | | | | AJ-3 | Encourage compact development for employment centers and campuses (medical, educational, institutional, etc..). Use the zoning and development code, overlays, and master planned districts to encourage compact development in these districts to create employment centers that can be served by future alternative transit hubs. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | AJ-4 | Implement Smart Moves 3.0 strategies and related strategies in the Public Transit objective to increase transit service coverage to more parts of the region and increase transit service levels in areas already served by transit.
>At full buildout of Smart Moves 3.0 fixed route recommendations are projected to increase the number of jobs accessible to the average worker by transit by 47 percent in the morning peak and 122 percent in the late evening. | Long | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | Create Affordable, Mixed Use Jobs Centers | AJ-5 | 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. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Create Affordable, Mixed Use Jobs Centers | AJ-6 | Increase housing near employment centers. Use base zoning districts or overlays to permit more multifamily housing in employment areas. Continue to use incentive tools and the affordable housing trust funds to increase affordable housing in areas with the highest needs. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | AJ-7 | Increase worker supporting amenities (such as childcare, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, fitness centers) near employment centers to make transit trips to and from work more convenient. | Ongoing | Business Community | City Government Agency | Other Non-City Cost | | | Develop Programs that Encourage a Variety of Commuting Options | AJ-8 | Create Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) to assist commuters. in traveling to and from work. Strategies might include carpool clubs, increased fixed route bus service, free or reduced transit fares, guaranteed rides home, bike and vehicle sharing, and shuttles. Work with MARC and the KCATA to establish these TMAs which can be funded by employers, business park managers, commuters, special districts, or economic activity or property tax redirections. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | AJ-9 | Coordinate with the public transportation providers on service planning and upgrades in office and industrial parks and other freight and logistics hubs. | Short | Business Community | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | Improve Access to Remote Work and Other Commute Alternatives | AJ-10 | Continue to increase home internet access by working with non-profits and Internet Service Providers. Work with KC Biz Care to help improve permitting and regulation processes for home-based businesses. | Short | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | **Business Attraction and Retention** | | | | | | | | | Build Upon Strengths to Promote Economic Resiliency | BA-1 | Invest in infrastructure to improve highway and public transit accessibility to better encourage the multimodal movement of goods across the region and country. | Long | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | BA-2 | Work with partner organizations to market our diversity as an asset to attract desirable firms and seek ongoing feedback as to what attracts firms to Kansas City. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | BA-3 | Continue to market Kansas City as a destination for firms in the health sciences, engineering and design, and information technology realms- highlighting the competitive advantages of Kansas City. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | Facilitate equitable access to economic prosperity | BA-4 | Utilize Area Planning to identify locations with potential for future business and employment development. Utilize area plans to inform economic development investments and identify catalyst projects. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Encourage growth of local businesses | BA-5 | Work with Landbank and Homesteading Authority to review/update current processes and eligibility criteria to remove barriers for small scale incremental development. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | BA-6 | Create a holistic business attraction strategy to support entrepreneurs through capital access, affordable commercial spaces, employee attraction, and retention efforts. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | BA-7 | Continue promoting and funding KC BizCare. Particularly the "City of Entrepreneurs" initiative which is designed to remove barriers to entrepreneurship particularly for communities of color. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | | | | BA-8 | Explore state and local tax credits to support small businesses, through payroll deductions or property tax abatement. | Short | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | **City Attractions** | | | | | | | | | Expand and Support City Attractions | CA-1 | Create or identify gathering places throughout the city to hold major citywide events as well as smaller events. | Ongoing | Business Community | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | CA-2 | Conduct a comprehensive assessment of Kansas City parks and boulevards to determine how they can be better leveraged for public-event programming, recreational purposes, arts uses, and other benefits. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CA-3 | The City will continue to work with partner organizations to coordinate and support existing festivals and events and create new events. Expand the number and types of festivals and community events in the city and ensure that Kansas City is home to the region's major events. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Business Community | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CA-4 | Provide resources on how to start or enhance a neighborhood street festival. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CA-5 | Promote the design of street rights of way to accommodate "street festivals" where the businesses and residents of a particular street sponsor a festival closing the street to automobiles and filling it with live music, entertainment, special food service, and street retail activity. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Expand and Support City Attractions | CA-6 | Develop District Plans - Develop plans for cultural hubs and other districts that are destinations or that have a concentration of amenities (see Cultural Heritage District Plan as an example). Identify strategies for future development and prioritize needed public improvements and enhancements to support and maintain these areas. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | CA-7 | Create new and utilize existing special taxing districts to provide support and services for destination cultural and entertainment districts. In areas with diverse ownership and a variety of destinations, encourage the creation of organizations to advocate for the interests of the area, bring district stakeholders together, and provide other services as needed (e.g., Community Improvement Districts or other special districts to assist with security, trash cleanup, programming of public spaces, and other items). | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CA-8 | Identify Cultural Hubs and Other Destination Districts. Identify emerging, new, and existing cultural hubs and destination districts throughout the city during area plan updates and include strategies to support these areas. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | CA-9 | Provide enhancements and public Improvements to support events and attractions. Focus public art installations and streetscape enhancements to support cultural hubs, community gathering spaces, regional destinations, and other areas with amenities and attractions. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | CA-10 | Promote and market Kansas City districts, attractions, and events.
>Work with Visit KC, the KC Area Development Council, and other similar organizations to enhance regional and national perceptions of Kansas City, its people, its Downtown, its districts and its neighborhoods
>Increase the promotion of Kansas City neighborhoods, community events, cultural destinations, parks, sporting events, and other activities and attractions
>Ensure recommendations related to fostering cultural tourism are effectively integrated into the Kansas City Convention and Visitor Association programming | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | CA-11 | Invest in local, regional, and nationwide marketing plans for arts and cultural events in the city and broaden Kansas City's appeal and reputation as an arts and cultural destination. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | CA-12 | Improve connections and access to city attractions with transportation improvements and wayfinding. Include connections to cultural and entertainment destinations and districts as a key consideration in planning for future streetcar extensions. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | CA-13 | Create and enhance a wayfinding system that will link people to regional destinations such as key landmarks, cultural institutions, and transit centers as well as local destinations such as parks. Use signage to identify recreational and entertainment corridors. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | CA-14 | Develop and update guided and self-guided walking tours designed for all ages and available at public sites in tour areas. Integrate this into the city and region's tourism program. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | CA-15 | Cluster destinations, events, and attractions together and within or near existing cultural hubs or entertainment districts.
>Kansas City's densest concentration of existing amenities and destinations is within the downtown area, and therefore this area should be reinforced with additional major cultural facilities, amenities, and attractions. Use Imagine Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan (and other plans applicable to the downtown area) to identify gaps in available amenities.
>Use the area plan process to identify additional cultural hubs and entertainment districts that are outside of Downtown where attractions should be targeted | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | Improve Access, Connections, and Wayfinding | CA-16 | Continue to support and explore additional opportunities to connect to and collaborate with attractions in adjacent communities to enhance and expand attractions in Kansas City. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Work Towards Equitable Access to Amenities for Everyone | CA-17 | Improve access to amenities for all residents and visitors, particularly in areas where these amenities have historically been lacking. Create a map and database of city attractions and amenities and evaluate access for residents in Equity Priority Areas. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Work Towards Equitable Access to Amenities for Everyone | CA-18 | Work with communities in distressed or disinvested areas to determine the types of attractions and amenities that best meet their needs and increase their access to attractions, cultural facilities, and entertainment amenities. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Complete Communities** | | | | | | | | | Conduct a complete community asset analysis | CC-1 | Address communities with critical gaps in a citywide plan independent of the Area Plan update process. In these areas identify travel time boundaries and analyze asset gaps within those boundaries through a market analysis, identify strategies to create the density needed to support those assets or other economic development tools to attract missing assets. Determine what walking, biking, and transit improvements are needed to serve the area. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CC-2 | Apply the citywide Complete Community goal to specific areas within the Area Plan update processes. This effort should identify additional priority areas for complete community analysis described in CC-1. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Prioritize asset-based community development | CC-3 | Implement the Smart Moves fast and frequent transit network and identify additional fast and frequent corridors in the next Smart Moves plan update (see also Access to Jobs, Connected City, and Mobility objectives). | Long | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Prioritize asset-based community development | CC-4 | Create and implement comprehensive development strategies to attract desired assets to Complete Community Priority Development Areas. These strategies should address all elements needed to attract these establishments and services include funding, marketing, potential partners, and recommended public improvements (see also Community Development and Revitalization and Business Attraction and Retention objectives).
>Once services gaps are identified, collaborate with economic development entities and community organizations to identify strategies to target those missing services and bring them to these areas.
>Engage development and business attraction partners and community organizations to bring needed businesses and services. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | Improve walking and biking infrastructure | CC-5 | Formalize a citywide Complete Community goal for walking and biking trips based on varying community contexts and services or establishments that are essential (required) or supportive (nice to have) to a complete community. Develop an analysis with relevant and 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 | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CC-6 | Incorporate walking and biking infrastructure recommendations from citywide planning and the Area Plan update process into the city's Capital Improvement Plan. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 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. Area Plans will identify areas where zoning changes are needed and where they are prioritized by the community. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | 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. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | 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). | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | **Community Development and Revitalization** | | | | | | | | | Empowering Neighborhoods | CD-1 | Continue to explore new techniques and technologies to improve public outreach and engagement and to improve resident and neighborhood involvement in all decision-making processes. Emphasize outreach to areas, persons, and community groups who are typically less engaged and/or hard to reach by utilizing alternative outreach and engagement strategies. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-2 | Create and improve mechanisms to allow neighborhoods to share information with each other; to communicate with city staff and elected officials; and to learn about city processes, legislation, services, and online data and mapping tools | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CD-3 | Continue to improve resident access to online data and mapping, including zoning, land use, development cases, census data, ownership, permits, city meeting schedules and agendas, code enforcement information, city polices and plans, and other information. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | | | | CD-4 | Identify areas without a neighborhood organization and proactively work to increase the number of neighborhood organizations and their effectiveness | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CD-5 | Create and promote a comprehensive service directory for neighborhoods for all programs provided by the city and other providers that are related to housing, neighborhood improvement and other services. Work with regional partners to provide additional information from counties, MARC, and the state. | Short | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Empowering Neighborhoods | CD-6 | Use communication with neighborhoods to encourage volunteer activities for community cleanups, vacant lot upkeep, block watching, etc. | Ongoing | Neighborhood Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-7 | Guide neighborhoods through a strategic self-assessment process and incorporate revitalization plans into the relevant area plan. Establish metrics for ongoing monitoring and action. | Medium | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-8 | During neighborhood strategic self-assessment processes and area plan updates, develop neighborhood strategies to improve and stabilize neighborhoods. Empower neighborhoods to plan their future activities and identify desired improvements to their areas. | Medium | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-9 | Create a standardized set of public improvement evaluation criteria based on KC Spirit Playbook goals and objectives (consider utilizing the Goal Supporting Criteria). Use these evaluation criteria to prioritize funding decisions. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Building Capacity through Partnerships | CD-10 | 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. | Ongoing | Community Organization | Business Community | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-11 | Develop a program to identify, recognize and reward community anchors that make a significant positive impact. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | | CD-12 | During neighborhood self-assessments, area plan updates, and implementation processes identify community anchors and other partners who could help with implementing community strategies. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-13 | Partner with community development corporations (CDCs) in improving neighborhoods. 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. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Revitalize Distressed and Abandoned Areas | CD-14 | 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 or revitalization plans for distressed neighborhoods and business district with 5- and 10-year implementation timelines. These plans should emphasize the following:
i) Strategies to identify, asses, and remediate potential brownfield sites so that they can be more easily redeveloped.
ii) Strategies for targeting incentives to spur reinvestment in these areas.
iii) Identify compatible land uses and development guidelines and remedy adjacent land use problems to encourage investment.
iv) Develop strategies to improve area infrastructure including basic services, aesthetic improvements, and telecommunications and smart city infrastructure. | Medium | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Revitalize Distressed and Abandoned Areas | CD-15 | Target public improvements (particularly basic infrastructure) and city services to support community development and revitalization efforts. Taking care of deferred maintenance of infrastructure will be important to the promotion of infill development. Redevelopment that will accompany upgraded infrastructure will produce additional tax revenues to further reduce deferred maintenance obligations. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | CD-16 | Continue dangerous buildings initiatives to inventory, demolish, salvage, or rehabilitate the city's baseline dangerous buildings | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CD-17 | Provide ongoing monitoring of neighborhood health to ensure problems do not worsen and to measure improvement.
>Regularly update the Market Value Analysis (MVA) and track changes and trends over time in neighborhood conditions and stability.
>Perform targeted neighborhood conditions assessments and surveys to determine a neighborhood’s health and livability conditions (roof to curb assessments). These can be performed as a deeper-dive assessment in conjunction with Market Value Analysis (MVA). Resident volunteers can be trained to help with assessments.
>Create a dashboard of metrics to monitor neighborhood health, including (but not limited to): census data, Market Value Analysis (MVA), population/households, housing vacancy and status, resident satisfaction surveys, building permit activity, number and value of new projects, crime statistics (trends), and homeownership. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | CD-18 | Continue to explore improvements to code compliance, housing rehabilitation, and preservation of historic resources. Emphasize collaboration, community engagement, and problem solving in code compliance. Explore a proactive and systemic approach to code compliance in areas targeted for revitalization, including areas targeted in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-19 | Make home repair and renovation information and resources readily available, particularly in areas where code compliance issues are prominent. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Revitalize Distressed and Abandoned Areas | CD-20 | Improve enforcement and compliance with existing rental property registration requirements. | Short | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | | | | CD-21 | Increase opportunities for neighborhood cleanup programming. Engage with community leaders and use 311 and other data sources to identify major illegal dumping sites and strategies to deter dumping. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | | CD-22 | Continue to explore legislation and other initiatives to provide the city and local neighborhoods with more say in the future of vacant properties. | Short | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-23 | Create and adopt a comprehensive Vacant Lot Strategy for the city and identify specific target areas and strategies during area plan updates
>Conduct an assessment of vacant lots to determine suitability for infill development or other uses.
>Encourage and support infill development on appropriate vacant lots that use existing infrastructure.
>Explore and encourage alternative uses for undevelopable vacant lots. These uses could be greenways, gardens, or other community assets (see also Urban Neighborhood Initiative’s (UNI) Vacant to Vibrant initiative and recommendations). | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Reduce Contamination through Brownfield Programs | CD-24 | 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. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CD-25 | Educate neighborhood leaders, non-profits, developers and other stakeholders about available brownfield funding and opportunities from the EPA and the city. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-26 | 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. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Reduce Contamination through Brownfield Programs | CD-27 | 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. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | CD-28 | 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 Action Plan, and more. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | **Connected City** | | | | | | | | | Improve street connectivity in existing neighborhoods and provide high connectivity in new developments | CN-1 | Eliminate gaps in the street grid or restore the street grid. Take advantage of opportunities to create, improve and restore street connectivity in conjunction with area planning, new development, and capital projects. When creating street connections is not feasible, the city will pursue alternative connections for use by pedestrians, bicyclists or transit users. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | CN-2 | Maintain city ownership of streets by discouraging and avoiding street and alley vacations. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | CN-3 | Ensure that streets in new development are connected to adjacent areas with as many connections as is feasible. Connections should provide pedestrian and bicycle access. Connectivity should be measured and regulated using a maximum block size (scaled to be appropriate for the context of the area) and maximum distance between street connections | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | CN-4 | Update the Major Street Plan and Area Plans to identify and establish a system of through arterial and collector streets with frequent multi-modal connections. Ensure that new development incorporates these through streets. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Identify and remove barriers to connectivity. | CN-5 | Identify barriers and priority locations to mitigate these barriers. The area planning process and other citywide transportation plans can be used to identify network connectivity gaps. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CN-6 | Improve connections across barriers like railroads, highways, rivers, or other features. Particularly in places with existing connections (for example, highway underpasses or overpasses), ensure that connections are accessible to all modes. Prioritize new or enhanced connections in Equity Priority Areas, where barriers have had a disproportionate impact. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | CN-7 | Improve pedestrian crossings on major streets to a level of service recommended in the Kansas City Walkability Plan. Improve these crossings as new development occurs and as street improvements are implemented. Focus on crossings that provide access to transit stops or schools. Prioritize locations identified in area plans and other plans. Neighborhoods should use the walkability assessment tool in the Walkability Plan to identify priority locations and request improvements. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Link transportation connections with cultural and social connections | CN-8 | Create strategies for connecting and improving corridors during area plan processes. Plans should reinforce the existing strengths within corridor, increase the diversity of uses, and recognize the unique character of each corridor. Create context specific streetscape design guidelines for public improvement along areas identified as corridors within the development form and context guidelines. See quality development | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | CN-9 | Implement streetscape plans and street improvements by focusing on corridor streets that connect activity centers. Streetscape improvements should be identified and prioritized during the area planning process. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | CN-10 | Initiate special assessments or other district-level funding through community or neighborhood improvement districts, or other mechanisms that can help fund corridors improvements and maintenance. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Develop regional and district-specific wayfinding | CN-11 | Within an area plan or other appropriate process, engage the community to identify priority areas for wayfinding efforts, focusing on busy activity centers or areas with large numbers of visitors. Create new wayfinding plans where needed, focusing on regional-scale efforts and district scale wayfinding programs. Wayfinding should have elements and information that are consistent across the region but also distinct within a district or corridor. Wayfinding should be designed to work for all users, regardless of mode or ability. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | CN-12 | Incorporate digital and smart city tools into a wayfinding strategy, using existing platforms (e.g., Google Maps, the Transit App) to enhance wayfinding within a corridor. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Consultant Services Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | CN-13 | Include enhancements that reflect the local culture and history into wayfinding improvements that help reinforce a sense of place for visitors. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Displacement Mitigation** | | | | | | | | | Measure Gentrification and Displacement and Identify At-Risk Areas | DM-1 | Identify and employ a methodology to measure and track gentrification and displacement risk | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DM-2 | Assist with the formation of community coalitions in neighborhoods being impacted, or at risk of being impacted, by displacement due to gentrification to help with community organization, advocacy, access to resources and to provide direct funding to prevent the displacement of businesses and residents | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Staff Time Cost | | Create a Displacement Proofing Policy Agenda | DM-3 | Employ measures to help minimize and prevent displacement, sometimes referred to as a “Displacement Proofing Policy Agenda” (preferably in advance of displacement problems). Examples of these measures include (but are not limited to) the following:
>Tenant Opportunity to Purchase legislation
>Zoning and land use regulations that encourage or require smaller scale development, missing middle housing, and affordable housing units
>Just Cause Eviction Controls and/or creating a Rent Board
>Programs to provide direct assistance with housing costs, including energy costs
>Property tax relief
>Focus programs and activities specifically on minimizing housing foreclosure
>Home repair assistance
>Measures to increase affordable housing supply (see Housing Affordability and Diversity)
>Support small developers and incremental development | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Staff Time Cost | | | DM-4 | Consider the potential displacement of existing residents and businesses as an evaluation factor when reviewing development plans or investment decisions, particularly in Areas of Disinvestment or Distress or areas that are currently threatened by displacement forces (see DM-1)
>Consider the use of tools like social impact assessments to evaluate development plans and proposals to identify potential issues early in the process | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Create a Displacement Proofing Policy Agenda | DM-5 | Engage and advise community members who may be impacted by changes to the built environment so they will be assured an opportunity to participate in designing their future. Create a program that includes awareness, discussion, and engagement with stakeholders to get feedback on proposed investments and development. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | DM-6 | Enlist the assistance of community partners (non-profits, anchors, etc.) to implement measures within or near potentially impacted communities. Examples include but are not limited to the following:
>The purchase of properties by non-profit community land trusts who then lease housing to members of gentrifying communities at affordable rates
>Assist tenants in organizing, raising equity, and purchasing buildings threatened by development pressure
>Assistance from community anchors and philanthropic institutions with funding trusts and other community initiatives to combat displacement
>Encourage inclusive financing by encouraging community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to provide credit to support local businesses and provide other financial services to impacted communities | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | DM-7 | Partner with cultural anchors and strengthen cultural organizations to promote and preserve the unique histories and cultural identities of Kansas City communities affected by displacement. | Ongoing | Community Organization | | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Development Patterns** | | | | | | | | | Create and Implement Strategic Development Plans for Priority Development Areas | DP-1 | Create strategic development plans for undeveloped and underdeveloped areas within the urbanized area (areas which have infrastructure in place) as well as those areas contiguous to the urbanized area.
>Priority areas for strategic development planning should be identified during area plan updates
>Focus on maximizing utilization of existing infrastructure and upgrading and improving existing infrastructure as development occurs
>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 equitable and fiscally and environmentally sustainable development | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | | >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 | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Create and Implement Strategic Development Plans for Priority Development 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. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Develop the Tools Needed to Evaluate Fiscal and Environmental Impacts of Future Development and Infrastructure Investment | DP-4 | Establish a procedure to conduct periodic reviews of city codes related to development (zoning and subdivision) to identify amendments that would promote the goals of this objective and the KC Spirit Playbook. Potential subjects include but are not limited to: | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-5 | Obtain or develop the tools/models and processes necessary to allow the city to evaluate future land use plans, infrastructure investments (roads, water, and sewer in particular), and development proposals for equity and for fiscal and environmental sustainability. These tools should produce an overall assessment on whether the planned policy, project, or investment is fiscally or environmentally sustainable and equitable. Develop and utilize tools to help evaluate future development proposals from the standpoint of maximizing the efficiency of the city's existing utility infrastructure. | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-6 | Assess the impacts of large format uses that consume substantial amounts of land and energy with a low density of employment. Identify criteria for appropriate location, development code considerations, and strategies to mitigate environmental impacts. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Develop the Tools Needed to Evaluate Fiscal and Environmental Impacts of Future Development and Infrastructure Investment | DP-7 | Assess how the current development incentives provided by the city align with the city's hazard mitigation and resilience goals and, if it is identified that some of them produce unintended consequences, implement the needed modifications. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-8 | Develop a strategy and funding to provide new sewer lines and/or connections to developed areas that are on septic systems. | Long | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | DP-10 | Explore development code amendments that ensure new development is in harmony with natural systems and sensitive habitats.
>Identify new requirements for tree preservation and replacement associated with new development.
>Explore rewards that encourage developers to meet high quality rather than minimum standards.
>Designate appropriate criteria for large lot, "mini-estates," "ranchettes," or other exurban development forms that consume extensive proportions of open space or cause additional costs of infrastructure extension | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Align City Department Actions, Standards, and Funding and Coordinate with Regional Agencies and Jurisdictions | DP-11 | Enhance the feasibility of infill development, redevelopment, or development proposed as a contiguous or an efficient extension of existing development patterns through direct assistance or development incentives in strategic areas. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-13 | Continue to “sunset” zoning and development plan approvals if the property remains undeveloped and periodically evaluate the effectiveness of these requirements. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-14 | Develop and update sustainable infrastructure plans that include a comprehensive asset management strategy with the goal of keeping critical infrastructure assets at good or better condition | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Align City Department Actions, Standards, and Funding and Coordinate with Regional Agencies and Jurisdictions | DP-15 | Concentrate public capital investments, such as arterials, boulevards, parks, and public services into areas that are contiguous with currently developed land and that are currently or easily served by utilities. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | DP-16 | Allocate the costs of infrastructure extensions to the property owner or developer where development is proposed in a non-contiguous location, is below a defined density, or requires a non-logical extension of infrastructure unless there is a significant public benefit. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Non-City Government Cost | | | | DP-17 | Regularly review the city’s impact fees, dedication requirements, and fee-in-lieu of dedication requirements to ensure new development is paying its fair share of costs for new infrastructure including trails. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-18 | Direct development away from floodplains and establish environmentally sensitive methods for reducing flood risks by using clustering incentives, planned developments, conservation easements, or down zoning. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | DP-19 | Continue to address the problems of combined sanitary and storm sewers through the identification and implementation of innovative and equitable solutions.
>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. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Program Delivery Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Environmental Health and Resiliency** | | | | | | | | | Be a Regional Leader in Environmental Protection and Resiliency by Cultivating Regional Partnerships and Coordination | EH-1 | Implement and regularly update the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan (adopted in 2022) that aims to achieve the City’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of climate neutrality for city operations by 2030 and citywide by 2040. It also aims to help our city adapt to flooding, extreme heat, and other climate change impacts. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | EH-2 | Implement and regularly update the Regional Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan addresses severe weather (including tornadoes), dam and levee failures, and flooding (including floodplain mapping, management, and flood monitoring) >Continue to work with other metropolitan jurisdictions and the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) to plan for and coordinate issues of hazard mitigation and the natural environment. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Support Implementing Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan Goals | EH-3 | Identify and protect sensitive natural habitats
>Identify areas for protection and restoration through the Open Space Master Plan and area plans (as proposed in the Parks and Open Space objective).
>Work with regional partners to regularly update the natural resources inventory and other data sets that help to identify and prioritize areas for conversation, restoration, and protection. Use these data sets to inform open space and habitat planning.
>Identify and engage partners who have the capacity and funding to restore and maintain natural habitats. Create internal processes and policies necessary to manage and facilitate these partnerships and standardize/simplify processes (easements, agreements, etc.) needed to implement habitat projects on public lands. | Long | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | EH-4 | Restore and protect our streams and waterways (see also Parks and Open Spaces objective)
>Regularly measure stream health and update stream health mapping.
>Monitor changes in stream health over time. Identify and prioritize streams at high risk for degradation for additional protections and improvements.
>Seek out and engage partners who can adopt individual stream corridors and assist with restoration, monitoring, and management. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | EH-5 | Implement green stormwater management solutions in public improvements and private development.
>Implement the city’s Smart Sewer Program by practicing adaptive management approaches and integrating green infrastructure
>Implement stormwater management improvements, programs, and policies that focus on reducing/preventing flood events and combined sewer overflows, while also improving stream health and stability and water quality.
>Periodically review and update relevant codes and standards to ensure they reflect best practices. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Support Implementing Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan Goals | EH-6 | Increase the use of green infrastructure and pervious surfaces throughout the city.
>Adopt codes and standards that require green and pervious surfaces in new development and capital improvements.
>Utilize open space areas within public rights of way (including areas around streets and highways) for native plantings or urban forestry or other projects that improve air and water quality, mitigate heat island effect, or help mitigate climate change.
>Explore incentives and development code requirements to increase the use of native landscaping, preservation of existing mature trees and vegetation, creation of open spaces, and other measures to mitigate the urban heat island in new development.
>Explore requirements for new development to take into consideration the physical character (existing vegetation, topography, viewsheds, streams, etc.) of the site and neighboring sites and work within that physical character. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Support Implementing Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan Goals | EH-7 | Increase the tree canopy and preserve existing trees.
>Implement and regularly update the Urban Forest Master Plan (2018) to achieve the tree canopy goal of 35%.
>Regularly update the tree canopy inventory.
>Enhance existing tree preservation and planting programs and exploring new policy mechanisms (e.g., tree preservation ordinance) as recommended in the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Develop Sustainably | EH-8 | Encourage compact design of new development and transportation infrastructure
>Adopt codes and standards that encourage compact design in new development.
>Adopt codes and standards for capital improvements that maximize open spaces and minimize the impact on the natural environment. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Develop Sustainably | EH-9 | Enhance code requirements to promote open space conservation near stream corridors and in floodplains.
>Direct non-sustainable development away from floodplains and environmentally sensitive areas by expanding the use of open space and conservation development options and identifying areas where these development styles should be required.
>Prohibit deforestation within floodplains and other environmentally sensitive areas.
>Periodically review and refine the City’s stream setback requirements | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Housing Affordability and Diversity** | | | | | | | | | Increase Access to Affordable and Low-Cost Housing Units | HA-1 | Explore partnerships between local government, lenders, and the business community to offer unique financial products including refinancing existing loans and forgivable loan subsidies to low income households | Short | Business Community | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | HA-2 | Partner with utility providers to adopt Inclusive Financing to reduce financial barriers of credit score and upfront cost to participation in home renovations to increase energy efficiency for renters and homeowners to reduce monthly utility bills. | Short | Business Community | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | HA-3 | Preserve existing affordable housing. Strategies include incentivizing rehabilitation of existing housing into affordable housing through workforce housing tax credits and providing low-interest loans for repairs to decrease abandonment and blight. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | HA-4 | Creation of a rehabilitation loan fund to allow for the acquisition/rehabilitation of vacant or abandoned single-family structures to be repurposed into improved residences by citizens wanting to become a homeowner. The proposed fund would be jointly funded by the City and a group of local financial institutions and administered by a Loan Originator/Servicer. | Short | City Government Agency | Business Community | Program Delivery Cost | | | | HA-5 | Continue and expand the use of Low-Income Housing Tax credits for the preservation and construction of new affordable housing units. Preserve existing affordable rental housing units citywide. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | | HA-6 | Work in a renewed partnership with the Housing Authority, City, and stakeholders to actively create and integrate affordable housing into all areas of the city. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | HA-7 | Create a range of homeownership assistance programs which empower residents to be new homeowners, including homeowner education programs, down payment assistance, expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership program, and exploring other innovative ways of funding alternate housing solutions. | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Increase Access to Affordable and Low-Cost Housing Units | HA-8 | Coordinate and layer tax incentives with other resources including CDBG funds, home rehabilitation programs, tax credits, and Opportunity Zones, to collectively support the improvement of housing stock in targeted areas (see also Community Development and Revitalization objective for guidance on how to identify target areas) | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | HA-9 | Coordinate and support local utility cost resources in order to lower utility bills for households in economic development areas, TIF areas, and other Areas of Distress and Disinvestment. Local resources include Weatherization Assistance through the Minor Home Repair program, energy rebates through local utilities, and local non-profits with homeowner assistance. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Business Community | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | HA-10 | Support Housing First and Rapid Rehousing initiatives funded by the City of Kansas City. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Increase Variety of Housing Types | HA-11 | Continue to explore opportunities to allow dense housing types, particularly missing middle housing styles, in all areas of the city.
>Use area planning to identify appropriate areas for additional density.
>Explore amendments to development code that increase opportunities for additional density.
>Create pre-approved higher density housing types with an expedited review period, and identify target areas for their implementation, e.g., transit corridors and employment centers. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | HA-12 | Review land use regulations for opportunities to remove barriers, or add strategies, to increase and diversify housing stock. Examples include (but are not limited to) increasing zoning designations in which multi-family housing are permitted by right, decreasing minimum lot sizes, encouraging compact housing types, or more broadly permitting alternative housing types. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | HA-13 | Increase worker supporting amenities (such as childcare, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, fitness centers) near employment centers to make transit trips to and from work more convenient. Study and identify alternative housing demand from a variety of consumer types to develop strategies aimed at facilitating these units' provision. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Strategically Promote Housing Density | HA-14 | Utilize the area plan update processes to identify and explore opportunities for increased housing density throughout the city, particularly in transit corridors and near employment and activity centers. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | HA-15 | Explore partnerships and funding mechanisms to encourage adaptive reuse of existing developed and under-developed property (i.e., brownfield redevelopment, infill). | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | HA-16 | Assess all Land Bank(External link)- and Homesteading Authority(External link)- owned real estate (publicly owned) and develop a plan for re-purposing and redevelopment that is consistent with the goals of this plan and area plans. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | HA-17 | Continue to monitor accessory dwelling unit (ADU) creation and the effectiveness of the ADU provisions in the development code. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Historic Preservation** | | | | | | | | | Accelerate the Identification and Evaluation of Historic Resources | HP-1 | Increase the volume of historic/ architectural properties surveyed beyond current levels.
>Create volunteer survey guide as part of creation of online survey database.
>Create an online survey database with mapping that allows the public to view and submit survey information on historic properties.
>Create a framework to prioritize survey areas that includes equity, underrepresented communities and resources and sustainability goals for the city.
>Create an online map to identify future areas for preservation and survey. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | HP-2 | Establish a formal archaeological survey program in conformance with "Planning for the Past: Archaeological Resources Management in Kansas City, Missouri - Program Recommendations"
>Update predictive model for Kansas City to identify areas of high, medium and low probability for archaeological sites.
>Update Kansas City Archaeological Survey Master Plan.
>Provide guidance to individuals whose projects impact archaeological resources to minimize impacts and what are the appropriate procedures to recover resources. | Medium | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | HP-3 | Improve ability to evaluate, apply and disseminate survey data.
>Update Kansas City Historic Resource Survey Plan
>Post existing historic resource surveys online | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Accelerate the Identification and Evaluation of Historic Resources | HP-4 | Work with Parks Departments on strategies to preserve the historic character of the system.
>Complete the National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the historic resources identified in the Kansas City System of Parks and Boulevards National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form.
>Develop historic landscape preservation guidelines
>Collaborate with the Parks Department when adding new facilities to the boulevard system, such as bike lanes.
>Initiate a historic resource management plan for Parks and Recreation according to the Certified Local Government Standards which incorporate a project impact analysis by independent preservation professionals in an advisory capacity to the staff and Board of Park Commissioners. | Medium | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Improve Economic Viability and Better Utilize the Benefits of Historic Preservation | HP-5 | Target public incentives to projects in areas with existing public infrastructure and significant historic resources.
>Give incentive priority to significant historic resources that are economically viable and/or those that will have an impact on surrounding properties.
>Partner with Economic Development Corporation to train a staff person that specializes in the rehabilitation of historic properties.
>Maximize the use of incentives by combining them into "tool kits" to address preservation in the context of other issues in older neighborhoods and commercial centers.
>Target the use of CDBG funds to programs which positively affect areas with historic resources.
>Target historic multi-family residential development and small to medium neighborhood commercial centers for incentives. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Improve Economic Viability and Better Utilize the Benefits of Historic Preservation | HP-6 | Develop new economic and regulatory incentives to encourage the renovation and occupancy of historic buildings.
>Develop a tax abatement program for the rehabilitation of Kansas City Register designated properties.
>Provide incentives to owners who occupy or businesses who lease space in historic non-residential buildings.
>Provide financial assistance for home improvements within residential historic districts.
>Utilize Federal and State grant funding to establish revolving rehabilitation loan funds and emergency stabilization loans for significant residential and commercial historic properties in neighborhoods which have adopted revitalization plans.
>Complete a study of the economic impacts of historic preservation in Kansas City to guide future incentives. | Medium | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | HP-7 | Eliminate disincentives to preservation of historically significant commercial and residential properties.
>Revise appraisal policies for historic properties to reduce property taxes and, therefore, reduce incentive to demolish or allow demolition by neglect.
>Revise the property tax code to encourage rehabilitation rather than demolition.
>Utilize, where possible, incentive programs for abatement of environmental hazards in significant historic buildings.
>Provide small development projects funding support for the administrative costs of incentive programs.
>Develop a fee schedule for building permits that is lower for rehabilitation than for new construction.
>Exempt owners of property listed on the Kansas City Register from building permit fees upon issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Modify Regulatory Processes to Encourage Preservation | HP-8 | Strengthen and streamline the historic preservation ordinance.
>Create a demolition delay review as part of historic preservation ordinance and a deconstruction requirement.
>Integrate assessor building dates into parcel viewer to assist in the determination of potentially historic buildings that are over 40 years old.
>Create regulations to specifically address protection of historic landscapes, greenspaces, parks and boulevards
>Work with Parks Department on guidelines and a review process for properties adjacent to historic boulevards and within a local historic district
>Create strategies to increase awareness of requirements within a local historic district and new enforcement methods.
>Work with counties on agreement to notify new property owners of the historic designation of their properties | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | HP-9 | Streamline and tailor the City's general review and regulatory processes to keep them from becoming a disincentive for renovation projects. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Modify Regulatory Processes to Encourage Preservation | HP-10 | Integrate preservation goals into City processes, policies and plans. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Increase Public Awareness of the City's Heritage and Preservation Values and Issues | HP-11 | Create and promote a Heritage Tourism program or other tourist destinations that will attract visitors to Kansas City (like our African American Heritage Trail). | Long | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Increase Public Awareness of the City's Heritage and Preservation Values and Issues | HP-12 | Promote existing cultural programs, community events and festivals and partner in new programs that highlight the character of the variety of cultures in Kansas City. | Long | Community Organization | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Increase Public Awareness of the City's Heritage and Preservation Values and Issues | HP-13 | Pursue strategies to enhance cultural tourism, improve arts promotion, facilitate redevelopment through the arts, leverage the arts to help “brand” Kansas City, and other opportunities. | Long | Community Organization | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Increase Public Awareness of the City's Heritage and Preservation Values and Issues | HP-14 | Utilize the City as a laboratory for heritage education for life-long learning.
>Encourage area schools to make the history of Kansas City part of the history curriculum, just as national and State history are now incorporated into the curriculum
>Encourage area schools to require in-service training for educators at historic sites through grants, incentives and regular budgetary allocations.
>Develop guided and self-guided walking tours designed for all ages and available at public sites in tour areas. Integrate this into the city and region's tourism program.
>Develop educational curricula that links historic preservation with environmental issues.
>Develop a public archaeology program in cooperation with other metropolitan area sites to provide learning experiences "in the field."
>Work with local contracting, trade, building and educational institutions to create programs to train craftsmen that specialize in the rehabilitation and restoration of historic properties. | Long | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Increase Public Awareness of the City's Heritage and Preservation Values and Issues | HP-15 | Develop marketing/education programs to promote economic investment in heritage areas. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | HP-16 | Create products and activities to educate elected officials and City staff, developers, investors, planners, contractors and design professionals about the advantages of preservation.
>Create an annual report on historic preservation activities in the city and present during Historic Preservation Month.
>Target private groups for specific educational programs, including:
>Develop training modules for City staff on the processes, applications and benefits of historic preservation. | Medium | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Promote Heritage Tourism as an Economic Development Program | HP-17 | Develop a comprehensive heritage tourism program which integrates historic sites and vendors into program planning and implementation.
>Develop a significant historic destination at the Kansas City River Front area which incorporates the Town of Kansas Archaeological Site
>Through the National Trust Heritage Tourism Program, enlist the participation of all metropolitan historic sites and museums to conduct a comprehensive management and interpretive assessment and develop a cooperative marketing and program plan. | Long | Non-City Government Agency | Business Community | Consultant Services Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Movement of Goods** | | | | | | | | | Develop Freight Routing and Investment Plan | MG-1 | Develop a Freight Routing and Investment Plan for Kansas City. Include regional partners and considerations. Include opportunities to link to the existing or future Long Range Transportation Plan.
>Identify freight/warehousing activity clusters and truck route typologies (local, connector, through)
>Assign route typologies to highway network
>Identify necessary infrastructure investments (short, mid, long-term) | Medium | City Government Agency | Business Community | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MG-2 | Promote truck routes through appropriate channels, including outreach to business groups, intermodal facilities, major operators and industrial/warehousing centers | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Business Community | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | MG-3 | Work with stakeholders to prioritize and target highly impactful improvements as identified in the Freight Routing and Investment Plan that can be quickly implemented to build momentum for larger more costly capital improvements. | Medium | City Government Agency | Business Community | Consultant Services Cost | | | Develop Freight Routing and Investment Plan | MG-4 | Working with the Mid-America Regional Council to implement the Heartland Freight Technology Plan. Include business and industry leaders and State and local transportation officials in planning efforts. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | | | Identify Areas for New Truck Parking in Industrial Areas | MG-5 | Working with the Mid-America Regional Council to implement the Heartland Freight Technology Plan. Include business and industry leaders and State and local transportation officials in planning efforts.
>Analyze utilization of major truck parking facilities and review probe data to understand where truck parking is occurring in undesignated areas. Based on an analysis of parking in undesignated areas, identify locations where truck parking for staging vehicles is most needed.
>Promote the importance and benefits of truck parking and provide informational materials to decisionmakers to help them understand the importance of making investments in truck parking. | Short | Business Community | City Government Agency | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Review Highway Connections with Rail, Maritime, and Air Freight Nodes | MG-6 | Identify deficient roadway connections associated with intermodal facilities and intermodal transfers in the Freight Routing and Investment Plan. Explore options to improve associated infrastructure. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MG-7 | Use crash cluster analyses to understand where truck crash incidence is highest. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Promote Freight as Part of Complete Streets | MG-8 | Consider advancing a regional truck mobility study to understand where truck trips most substantially conflict with non-motorized modes.
>Identify areas where truck crash clusters and bicycle or pedestrian crash clusters overlap and identify potential improvements to address existing deficiencies. | Medium | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MG-9 | Develop curb-space management standards to formalize freight loading and delivery zones (as discussed in the Parking and Curb Management Objective) | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Promote Freight as Part of Complete Streets | MG-10 | Explore opportunities to advance freight and complete streets in mode specific plans (i.e., freight within complete streets plans or complete streets within freight plans). Engage freight and complete streets subject matter experts concurrently during project-specific planning and design phases. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Improve Connections Between Blue River Industry and the M-29 Marine Highway | MG-11 | Advance maritime corridor plan for the Blue River and potential connections with the proposed MRT. | Medium | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Regional Collaboration | MG-12 | Explore creating a formal local freight transportation committee that can bring together freight transportation stakeholders, industry or business leaders, State or local elected officials, as well as DOT and MPO partners. | Short | Non-City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Mobility** | | | | | | | | | Implement Multi-Modal Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Investment | MO-1 | Create a Transportation Master Plan that combines the Major Street Plan, Bike KC Plan, Walkability Plan, Trails KC Plan, and Transit Plans under a single coordinated framework using demographic, operational, and asset condition data to inform citywide needs and key equity, safety, and accessibility issues. The plan should be guided by the Playbook Goals and provide strategies that respond to the different contexts throughout the city. The plan should have a robust public engagement component, and it should establish guidelines to identify transportation system solutions based upon the unique context in which those systems are located. | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MO-2 | Create a Complete Streets Design Guide with typical sections that include all modes and have performance-based criteria (such as safety, multi-modal level of service, lifecycle cost, existing and future land use) that provide specific guidelines for when and where to use a typical section, as well as engineering standards that can be used to develop plans for construction. | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Implement Multi-Modal Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Investment | MO-3 | Integrate land use planning and transportation investments. Ensure that area plans support land use patterns that promote complete communities and identify transportation investments that are incorporated into the Capital Improvements Planning process. Ensure that all new development actively implements multi-modal infrastructure, site layout and design. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MO-4 | Use the Area Plan process to engage stakeholders, further refine Transportation Master Plan elements and Complete Street Design Guide contexts for individual corridors, and identify improvements. Area Plans should identify preferred street types in specific locations, approximate project costs, and a timeline for implementation. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MO-5 | Set an investment target for multi-modal infrastructure that is incorporated into the Transportation Master Plan, recognized in an annual capital improvement planning and budgeting process, and tied to mode shift targets | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MO-6 | Continue to support the Sidewalk Asset Management Plan by increasing investment in sidewalks and ADA curb ramps and find new funding sources to address the need for new sidewalks (filling critical gaps) and provide additional funds for the sidewalk maintenance backlog. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | | MO-7 | Expand access to bicycling for all ages and abilities by creating safe and protected bicycle facilities, expanding bike share, providing grants or rebates for electrical-assist bicycles, and prioritizing lower-income households. Update the BikeKC bike route network. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Implement Transportation Demand Management Programming Strategies to Support Diverse Transportation Options | MO-8 | Establish Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) in employment, institutional, and shopping areas throughout Kansas City. TMAs are voluntary associations of businesses and employers that can create programs like vehicle sharing, carpool groups, bike share, guaranteed & emergency ride home programs, shared parking, and campus or district-level shuttles. TMAs could be subsidized or otherwise supported by Community Improvement Districts or similar districts. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | | | | MO-9 | Develop incentives to reduce Single-Occupancy Vehicle trips and peak hour trips by encouraging employers to allow telework on certain days, encourage staggered shift times, and providing employee subsidies for walking, biking, transit, and carpool. | Medium | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Consultant Services Cost | | | | MO-10 | Establish a car-sharing program that can be used to reduce individual automobile ownership (and off-street parking in large multifamily projects) and support occasional errands, shopping, or other trips. Initial subsidy may be required in order to make such a program successful, but it can be offset by savings from other subsidies (i.e., for structured parking). | Short | Business Community | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | **Public Health** | | | | | | | | | Improve Health by Monitoring and Improving "Lifestyle Environments" throughout the Community | PH-1 | Reduce homelessness through the creation and expansion of long-term supportive housing, mental health services, counseling, and alcohol and drug treatment. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | PH-2 | Require CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) strategies in new or redevelopment projects. Encourage closer relationships between public safety personnel and neighborhoods to increase a sense of safety. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | PH-3 | Conduct a Community Health Assessment at least every 5 years to summarize the state of public health and the related physical environment characteristics in Kansas City. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Increase Access to Healthy Foods by Working with the Private Sector | PH-4 | Examine the location of healthy food sources and markets in the city and identify communities that have gaps in access to these services. Work on development tools that are designed to attract new grocery stores to locations in low-income communities. Incentivize grocery store retailers to locate in areas without adequate, healthy, and affordable food access (see Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for more). | Short | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PH-5 | Implement the local food goals in the city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, including:
>Reduce zoning and policy barriers to local food production. Review codes, permitting, and policy requirements to encourage and remove barriers to urban agriculture, regenerative agriculture, community gardens, food forests, and soil regeneration. See the city’s Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for more.
>Transform underutilized urban spaces into food production areas. Transform lawns, vacant lots, rooftops, flood prone areas, and other underutilized urban spaces into spaces to support food production.
>Support the location and growth of culturally diverse food markets throughout the city. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PH-6 | Work with local businesses to promote improvements in healthy food options for communities. This should include assistance in business planning and technical support for new businesses in these areas. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Increase Access to Healthy Foods by Working with the Private Sector | PH-7 | Examine innovative practices such as mobile food markets and mobile food pantries or food shelves that can bring food closer to underserved customers. | Ongoing | Community Organization | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Address Issues in Housing Maintenance and Design that have an Impact on Residents' Physical and Mental Health | PH-8 | Require new housing development to embrace active and healthy living for residents with features that might include deliberate placement of stairwells, bicycle storage areas, play spaces for children, and social spaces in buildings that foster connections within the building and with the broader community. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | PH-9 | Continue to proactively remediate health hazards in existing housing units, such as lead and radon abatement programs. Focus housing improvement programs and actions in underinvested areas where unhealthy housing has created poor health outcomes. Continue to work with residents to improve indoor air quality and reduce indoor environmental pollutants such as lead, mold, pests, and radon that can have lifelong impacts on health. These conditions and pollutants disproportionately impact low-income households, children of color, and renters. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PH-10 | Work with communities to access funding and resources to improve energy efficiency in existing housing (see also Housing Diversity and Affordability objective). | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | Address Climate Change and Improve Air Quality | PH-11 | Install monitoring stations to gather and track several different environmental variables such as air quality. Work with the Health Department to identify locations. See also Environmental Health and Resiliency objective. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PH-12 | Include public health considerations more effectively in development plans and during the development review process. This includes sidewalk and trail connectivity and energy efficient buildings. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Parking and Curb Management** | | | | | | | | | Zoning and Development Review | PM-1 | Explore reducing or eliminating minimum off-street parking requirements and expanding maximum off-street parking requirements. Certain provisions could be applied citywide, while others should only be applied to certain areas (transit corridors or other areas where a walkable development pattern is desired). All requirements should support the context and goals for specific neighborhoods and should minimize impacts on adjacent neighborhoods with limited parking. Consideration should be given to transitioning or phasing new parking requirements. Community and stakeholder engagement on context-specific issues should occur through the area planning processes or other corridor or small area planning. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-2 | Expand off-street parking maximum limits to more Transit-Oriented Development areas | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-3 | Expand limitations of non-accessory parking lots from current restrictions along Parkways and Boulevards to other urban districts as identified through area planning process. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-4 | Review and expand urban design standards for surface parking lots. Surface parking lots should be located behind buildings and other active uses, and primary building entrances should be oriented toward the street or a walkway, not the parking lot. Screening and landscaping standards, stormwater BMPs, and other strategies to lessen the environmental impact of surface parking should also be employed. The applicability of these standards may vary based on the area's context. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Zoning and Development Review | PM-5 | Review and expand urban design standards for structured parking. Parking garages in urban areas should be wrapped with active residential or commercial uses, particularly on the ground floor. Parking garage standards should be changed to promote adaptive reuse in the future as parking demand lowers (for example, by requiring a minimum floor space or requiring flat parking decks to allow for future conversion). | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PM-6 | Review and revise standards for short-term and long-term bicycle or scooter parking to make sure that it meets modern needs and is aligned with City mode share policy goals. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Public Parking and Curb Management | PM-7 | Expand downtown’s Parking and Transportation Commission to serve more TOD areas (this could be an expanded commission or multiple area-specific commissions), following the Parking Benefits District model. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-8 | Convert commercial areas and high parking demand areas to paid on-street parking with demand-responsive pricing and use parking program proceeds to improve public services. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-9 | Evaluate more locations for mobility hubs, parklets, dedicated transit stops, TNC drop-off/pick-up, and home and business delivery loading. Adopt wayfinding, regulatory street signs, curb and pavement markings, and digital tools to make curb rules as clear as possible. Use an open data standard (such as CurbLR or the Curb Data Standard) to make parking rules easier to access in navigation applications in smart phones and connected vehicles. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PM-10 | Improve non-criminal enforcement of illegal parking and loading activities by coordinating between the Public Works Department and KCPD. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-11 | Eliminate peak-hour restrictions for on-street parking. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Private Sector Incentives and Coordination | PM-12 | Review the incentive policies related to parking so that the City is not losing potential tax revenue by subsidizing excessive parking. | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PM-13 | Reposition publicly owned garages to be used more often and by more adjacent uses, to charge for rates closer to actual costs (including operations and debt service), and to rely less on General Fund subsidies. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PM-14 | Develop area-specific parking management plans that identify parking resources and encourage private lot owners to share their parking with nearby properties and allowing lot owners to market their parking in the city's parking platform (currently ParkSmartKC). | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Parks and Open Space** | | | | | | | | | Focus on equitable parks and open space investments | PO-1 | Target the areas around parks for investment and redevelopment, focusing on housing, small-scale commercial development, and other uses that would activate the park while catalyzing urban revitalization.
>Allow and encourage high density residential development and related commercial uses around established parks and trails
>Identify opportunities for increased density during area plan updates
>Consider proximity to parks when evaluating land use decisions that involve developing properties for increased density (rezonings, variances, etc.) | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PO-2 | Develop creative ways to use parks as meeting places for community groups or neighborhood associations (see also Desirable Neighborhoods objective) | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | PO-3 | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan identify locations to develop additional iconic features and landmarks in area parks to increase interest and attract people to City Parks and designated open spaces. | Long | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Focus on equitable parks and open space investments | PO-4 | Expand citywide awareness of historic buildings and sites within the parks and open space network using programming and events, published walking tours, historic markers, wayfinding, trails, and guided tours (see also Preservation objective). Many of our historic and archaeological resources are housed within parks and open spaces and should be integrated throughout the system as an "interpretive thread," for the benefit of residents and visitors. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | PO-5 | Explore opportunities and identify partners to implement native landscaping, habitat protection, water quality and agriculture and other projects in areas designated for permanent open space on city-owned properties (e.g., the Municipal Farm) | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | Develop strategies for underserved areas with high population growth | PO-6 | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan or Area Plans identify strategies to ensure that all Kansas Citians will live within a safe and comfortable 10-minute (1/2 mile) walk of a park with neighborhood amenities (walking paths, playgrounds, picnic shelters, community gathering spaces, etc.). See also the Complete Community objective. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | PO-7 | Through updates to the Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan identify strategies, costs and timelines to provide community centers and recreation facilities in underserved areas of the city that are needed based on the level of service and equity goals. | Long | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PO-8 | Continue and enhance the formal and transparent approach to community engagement in the park improvement and programming decision-making process | Short | City Government Agency | Neighborhood Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Develop strategies for underserved areas with high population growth | PO-9 | Improve existing parkways and boulevards and extend new parkways and boulevards to help guide new development in a sustainable and equitable way.
>Concentrate on the extension of new Parkways, Boulevards, and arterial streets in areas that are contiguous to or within developed areas or in underserved areas.
>Existing designated boulevards and parkways which currently lack "boulevard aesthetic characteristics" should be upgraded with elements such as landscaping, street trees, sidewalks, and pedestrian scale lighting, particularly in communities that have experienced historic inequities. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network | PO-10 | Implement proposed improvements and enhancements to area parks as proposed in the Kansas City, Missouri Comprehensive, Parks, Recreation and Boulevards Master Plan.
>Acquire park and open space property in underserved areas of the City to support the appropriate types of parks that are needed based on the Level of Service and equity goals for neighborhood parks, community parks, regional parks, and greenway-preserves
>Develop a coordinated, public/private strategy to fund acquisition and development of the parks and open space system, including parkways | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | PO-11 | Regularly update the Parks Master Plan. Identify and prioritize public acquisition and park improvement projects.
>Include an assessment of parks and boulevards to determine how they can be better leveraged for public-event programming, recreational purposes, arts uses, and other benefits. Determine the need to designate parks as "events parks"
>Coordinate with plans for open space networks and trails. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network | PO-12 | Modify development regulations and requirements related to parkland dedication and quality of development adjacent to boulevards and parkways.
>Improve development regulations to encourage private dedication of land that contributes to the overall parks and open space system, including incentives for cluster development and improvement to the parkland dedication requirement for subdivision platting
>Implement existing or develop new standards for parks, greenways, boulevards, and outdoor amenities throughout the system.
>Develop standards and policies for the development of parkways and boulevards which encourage adjacent property owners to participate in the funding of their construction and benefit from the enhanced property value that accrues to being located along a parkway or boulevard
>Utilize incentives to attract private recreation or entertainment activities when located within a suitable and qualifying area
>Require/Encourage new development to include small parks, public plazas or similar amenities.
>Explore revisions to the Boulevard and Parkway development standards to incorporate different contexts (e.g., transit-oriented development on transit corridors) and elements of overlapping special character districts. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network | PO-13 | Identify opportunities in parks, parkways, and boulevards for green stormwater infrastructure improvements. (See also KC Smart Sewer Adaptive Management Plan) | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network | PO-14 | Develop a marketing strategy to determine the most effective ways to promote Kansas City parks and boulevards to residents and visitors and the potential need for improved signage and wayfinding systems. | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Complete the parks, parkways, and open space network | PO-15 | Proactively plan for a connected open space system through the creation of a citywide Open Space Master Plan
>Include regional collaboration and partnerships.
>Identify areas with unique or threatened natural resources, or sensitive habitats to prioritize for enhanced protection, habitat restoration and conservation.
>Incorporate trail corridor planning and regional open space planning
>Refine open space recommendations through the area plans.
>Integrate parks and parkways into open space system planning
>Conduct an assessment of city-owned properties to identify areas for permanent open space | Short | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PO-16 | Using the Open Space Master Plan and area plans acquire or cooperatively protect sensitive natural areas within the city to preserve natural areas in perpetuity.
>Implement the recommendations of the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan to Systematically protect, acquire, and restore floodplain and riparian forests. Reforest Kansas City’s floodplains to achieve carbon sequestration, recreation, and other benefits by systematically protecting, acquiring, and restoring forests.
>Work with MARC and adjacent jurisdictions to develop an interconnected regional greenway system
>Protect identified priority areas through development code requirements, incentives or mechanisms including tax abatement coupled to land dedication, conservation easements, collaboration with the Conservation Foundation, Trust for Public Lands and other conservancy organizations, and the establishment of land acquisition endowments. | Long | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | Complete the TrailsKC Network and Improve Network Connections | PO-17 | Implement and regularly update the Trails KC Plan and coordinate updates with the recommendations of the Open Space Master Plan. | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PO-18 | Prioritize new trail improvements that fill gaps or connect existing trails. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | | | | PO-19 | Incorporate trails into new development - Require new development adjacent to the regional trail system (as identified in the Trails KC Plan) to utilize open spaces and stream corridors within the site to provide connector trails. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Public Spaces** | | | | | | | | | Plan for Public Spaces | PS-1 | Incorporate public space analysis and strategies into all future area and corridor plans. Ensure that projects are identified over a range of scales, including multi-year projects as well as small scale, tactical urbanism projects that can create immediate impacts and catalyze other improvements in underserved areas.
>Inventory of current public spaces (location, condition, amenities)
>Analysis of proximity (walking, biking, and transit connections especially)
>Identify priority areas for streetscape improvements. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PS-2 | Require new development to provide public space improvements as part of their development plan. Where a streetscape plan is present, the developer should construct improvements in accordance with the plan. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | PS-3 | Create a process to coordinate work being done in public spaces by various entities (utilities, city departments, other government agencies, etc.) to ensure consistency with the City's design standards. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Non-City Government Cost | | | | PS-4 | Continually update and make available public space data that can be used openly by citizens, organizations and public organizations.
>Map of all public/semi-public gathering places, locations where streetscape enhancements have been done, where streetscape plans have been prepared, public art installations | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PS-5 | Identify community organizations with dedicated funding to help maintain and program public spaces and streetscapes. Require plans for new streetscape improvements to include agreements with these community organizations for assistance with future maintenance. | Ongoing | Community Organization | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | | | | PS-6 | Prioritize public realm improvements in transit corridors and Areas of Distress and Disinvestment. These improvements and initiatives could include the following: streetscape enhancements, walkability improvements, programming and activation, amenities, public art, better maintenance of existing spaces, and improved safety. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Develop Design Standards and Simplify Processes for Improving Public Spaces | PS-7 | Develop minimum standards and policies for planning, designing, developing, managing, maintaining and protecting public space.
>Design for a variety of uses, ages, and abilities. This may not be possible in each individual public space but work to ensure that all communities have equal access to spaces that cater to their needs.
>Encourage people scale business frontages that connect both visually and physically with public space. Allow businesses to engage with sidewalks by putting seating along the edge.
>Create spaces with layered and multiple uses. This may include programming events into weekly or seasonal schedules and designing space and infrastructure to support them.
>Other public space improvements may include plazas, play spaces, public art, gateways, green infrastructure, and pedestrian amenities and furnishings.
>Ensure features for environmental comfort, including shade trees, rain structures, and pathways for light and airflow. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PS-8 | Develop a streetscape design handbook and ‘kit of parts’ with standard guidelines based on street scale and use for development projects. This guidance would help simplify the process for developers, business districts, and city planners, allowing streetscape improvements to be implemented without the need for a custom streetscape study. | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PS-9 | Require green infrastructure in all public space and streetscape improvements. Green infrastructure helps our community manage stormwater the way nature intended by capturing and utilizing rainwater where it falls. It decreases the amount of water getting into our pipes, improves water quality, and reduces flooding, pollution, and trash in our creeks, streams, and rivers. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Capital Improvement Cost | | | | PS-10 | Expand and support opportunities for tactical urbanism projects that demonstrate the benefits of creative uses of streets and public spaces. Review standards and permitting processes to ensure that the creative uses of public streets (permanent or semi-permanent uses such as parklets, outdoor dining, protected bike/scooter parking, green infrastructure, vegetation, etc.) are allowed and encouraged. Indentify and engage partners and explore sources of funding. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Promote and Expand Public Art | PS-11 | Expand investment in art and design in the public realm. The city must identify and establish a dedicated funding source for public art restoration and maintenance to fully support and realize the goals of the "One Percent for Art" program. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | | PS-12 | Prioritize public art installations in Areas of Distress and Disinvestment and other areas historically excluded from public art efforts. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | | PS-13 | Encourage and explore requirements for the incorporation of publicly visible art works in new private development and in public spaces. Establish development guidelines that address the construction and maintenance of public art. | Short | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | | PS-14 | Strengthen public art programming to monitor and care for current works, to develop and implement new works, and develop a diverse, equitable and public art collection that is reflective of the city's community. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | PS-15 | Create and implement annual citywide arts and culture asset inventory. | Short | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | PS-16 | Encourage temporary cultural use in vacant commercial spaces. | Medium | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PS-17 | Invest in underserved communities by commissioning artists to transform neglected spaces. | Medium | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Program Delivery Cost | | | | PS-18 | Include and center art in all public space developments, including transit hubs. | Medium | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | **Public Transit** | | | | | | | | | Grow and Stabilize Transit Funding | PT-1 | Kansas City should support future reauthorizations of the existing 3/8 cent sales tax used to support public transit operations through service agreements with KCATA. | Long | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | PT-2 | The City should work with other municipalities, counties, and other local levels of government in the bi-state metro region to advance a regional public transit funding source. | Long | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | PT-3 | Work with transit partners, KCATA, and MARC to prioritize projects seeking federal funding and maximize federal funding opportunities. | Long | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Continue to partner with KCATA and KC Streetcar Authority for possible BRT and Streetcar expansions | PT-4 | Continue and expand partnerships with KCATA and KCSA to grow the transit system and expand BRT and rail corridors. Work in partnership with the KCSA to jointly develop a system plan for the expansion and prioritization of the KC Streetcar network. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | PT-5 | Implement and regularly update the SmartMoves Plan that calls for regional fast and frequent transit routes across Kansas City and the surrounding region. Build out key routes with MAX BRT with long-term plans to graduate transit service to streetcar or fixed guideway if ridership and density grow in specific corridors to warrant investment in service enhancement. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | PT-6 | Continue to foster partnership with KCATA in planning for and implementing transit improvements in the city. City Planning, Public Works, and other relevant departments should engage regularly with transit planning and operations at KCATA to plan, design, and implement transit service changes and improvements that impact the community. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Incorporate innovative transit service models | PT-7 | Install innovative transit service models, such as on-demand micro transit , where appropriate. In partnership with KCATA, the city should examine areas where micro transit service would improve access for riders and lower the cost of providing services. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | PT-8 | Working with KCATA, transition the existing bus fleet to fully electric propulsion over the coming 10 – 15 years to support the goal of the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan for carbon neutrality by 2040. The city should embrace this technology and improve air quality and sustainability for the region by adopting zero-emission bus technology. | Long | Non-City Government Agency | | Non-City Government Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | Improve overall multimodal access to the transit system | PT-9 | Improve walkability and trail connections with a focus on neighborhoods within ½ mile of a transit route. Along with this, repair existing sidewalks in this same area and ensure all street crossings are ADA compliant with curb ramps, truncated dome tactile strips, and other accommodations, and use pedestrian Levels of Service to implement Transit Impact Zones as recommended in the Walkability Plan. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | | PT-10 | In partnership with KCATA, place more passenger amenities at higher volume bus stops including benches, shelters, trash receptacles, and other amenities that make accessing transit and waiting for transit vehicles more comfortable for users where appropriate. | Ongoing | Non-City Government Agency | City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Improve overall multimodal access to the transit system | PT-11 | Improve multimodal access to transit with the development of mobility hubs as defined in the SmartMoves 3.0 Plan. Mobility hubs are designed to facilitate biking, walking, and other modes of transportation to access important activity centers and high-volume transfer locations. Expand Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Opportunities. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | Expand transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities | PT-12 | Expand Transit Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities along Streetcar and other BRT corridors. Create and Implement TOD plans in these corridors (see Transit Oriented Development Policy). In collaboration with local and regional development agencies, the city should push for more truly TOD projects that encourage more mixed-use, increased density, housing affordability, and increased access to transit. See Parking and Curb Management for recommendations about parking requirements in transit served areas, and Housing Affordability and Diversity for recommendations about housing availability along high-capacity transit corridors. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | **Quality Development** | | | | | | | | | Ensure Quality Development by Updating the City's Development Form Guidelines and Adopting New Development Standards | QD-1 | Incorporate Global Design Guidelines in new development. These guidelines relate to characteristics we want everywhere, regardless of the community context and should be used in the review of development proposals. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | | QD-2 | Update Development Form Guidelines and Improve Their Usage in Development Review
>Update development form guidelines to recognize the different contexts within the city (Urban, Suburban, etc.) Adopt these guidelines an element of the KC Spirit Playbook.
>Codify the development form guidelines when appropriate
>Strengthen the role of area plan development guidelines in the development review process and decision-making entities.
>Identify Development Form Context Typologies within area plans | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Ensure Quality Development by Updating the City's Development Form Guidelines and Adopting New Development Standards | QD-3 | Adopt new development standards for all areas and establish a minimum level of design quality
>Explore the codification of the Development Form Guidelines (see above for recommended changes to these guidelines).
>The standards could address things like exterior building materials, building design and entrance elements, windows and transparency requirements, building placement and orientation, parking and access, etc. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-4 | Create additional standards for areas with distinctive character and adopt overlay and special character zoning districts.
>Adopt overlay zoning or historic districts where appropriate to ensure new development is consistent with character of area neighborhoods.
>Develop quality design standards and a "Traditional Neighborhood" overlay district to preserve and enhance neighborhood identities.
>Areas with a special or distinctive character should be identified during future area plan updates.
>The city should create and adopt these overlays as recommended in the area plans.
>Be consistent in the application of these overlays (to treat similar areas the same, avoid unnecessary customization) and to recognize and respond to the context of the area (suburban vs urban contexts for example).
>Implement development standards to improve the visual appearance of development adjacent to highways and image streets identified in area plans. Standards should address building materials and design, landscaping and screening, and signage. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-5 | Adopt zoning overlays for pedestrian friendly mixed-use development - This recommendation would encourage the use of zoning overlay districts to increase the walkability and development quality of urban and suburban corridors in the city.
>In urban corridors use existing overlays on Troost, Independence Avenue or Main Street Overlays as templates for other urban corridors with similar character and development pattern (candidates will be determined during area plan update process).
>Develop similar overlays for suburban corridor contexts.
>Establish overlay zoning tools that can be applied with little or no customization and set criteria for what types of areas each overlay is appropriate for. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Promote Mixed-Use and Walkable Developments throughout the City | QD-6 | Identify areas appropriate for mixed-use development during Area Plan updates. Opportunities include the following:
>Retail in areas with highest densities, pedestrian traffic, and transit service.
>Increase housing supply within commercial areas/transit corridors.
>Focusing the highest-density in Central Business Corridor.
>Explore mixed-use zoning/overlays in industrial/commercial areas. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-7 | Identify strategies within area plans to improve the walkability of areas that currently have predominantly auto-oriented development. Include strategies and guidelines and zoning tools to retrofit these areas where appropriate as new development occurs. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-8 | Implement Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Zoning Overlays in transit corridors. This recommendation would encourage the expanded use of zoning overlay districts that specifically aim to create a land use and development pattern that supports and increases transit access and ridership.
>TOD Zoning Overlays should incorporate the elements and guidelines provided by the Transit Oriented Development Policy.
>Ideally these overlays should be preceded by a “station area plan” which identifies the development typology appropriate for the area; delineates the extent of the overlay and permitted uses and building scale; identifies needed public improvements to maximize pedestrian and bike access; provides strategies to ensure affordable housing in the area; and includes recommendations for managing parking and reducing parking requirements.
>Reduce parking requirements, set parking maximums to reduce/minimize the amount of parking, and allow greater densities along transit corridors. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Property Owners/Developers | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Better Align Zoning with Adopted Land Use Plans | QD-9 | Ensure appropriate base zoning districts. Identify areas to correct during Area Plan update process. Candidate areas will have a mismatch between the existing or intended development pattern and existing zoning. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-10 | Adopt development code requirements to appropriately mitigate and condition the impacts of “sensitive uses”, such as landfills, quarries, halfway houses, late night liquor permits, etc.
>Review the development code (and other sections of the city code) to identify what areas these sensitive uses are allowed and review the development standards that apply to each. Make amendments to the code as necessary to ensure that these uses are appropriately screened, that compatibility with adjacent properties and neighborhoods is adequately considered, to ensure that these uses are not overly concentrated in certain areas, to ensure that the operation of these uses will minimize any potential negative impacts to the surrounding area, and consider requiring that developers demonstrate their project would provide tangible benefit to the community.
>Highlight community concerns and issues related to sensitive uses during area plan updates and provide recommendations and guidelines to address. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Remove Barriers and Obstacles to Quality Development and Infill Development | QD-11 | Explore incentives for quality design. In addition to certain design and development standards, the city could also explore offering incentives to developers to adhere to higher standards voluntarily. These incentives could take the form of allowances for increased density, reduced parking requirements, etc. | Short | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | QD-12 | Identify the issues and challenges inherent to infill development and develop strategies to minimize or reduce these issues:
>Identify provisions in the development code that unintentionally inhibit infill projects (or require significant exceptions or variances) and explore revisions to better accommodate infill development. Issues to be explored include (but are not limited to) the following:
>>>Irregular or substandard lots size or configuration.
>>>Setbacks and density restrictions.
>>>Improved flexibility.
>Ensure that new infill projects do not inhibit or complicate infill development on adjacent lots.
>>>Encourage developers to look beyond the land they currently have control of for larger development opportunities. At a minimum consider how current infill project will fit within and connect to broader context/future development.
>Make infill development for smaller urban sites and larger suburban tracts more feasible for private developers through land reclamation and utility system improvements. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | QD-13 | Periodically review the City’s development and permitting processes. Implement changes needed to make the development and regulatory process efficient and clear and to minimize confusion or delays in the development process. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | QD-14 | Regularly review the City’s Impact Fee, Dedication, Fee In-Lieu of Dedication requirements to ensure new development is paying its fair share of costs for new infrastructure including trails. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Smart City** | | | | | | | | | Create a Future-Proofed City by Better Anticipating and Reacting to Emerging Trends and New Technology | SC-1 | Develop an anticipatory policy process to respond to reasonably well-understood emerging trends. This should include consideration of policy changes that have already been proposed that could improve preparedness.
>Establish a system of people, processes, and tools to scan for, prioritize, and respond to trends across climate, society, technology, and resources.
>Identify infrastructure and policy needs that adequately incentivize and regulate technologies so that they support the City’s goals. Recent examples include the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs/drones), electric vehicles, dockless bikes and scooters, ride-hailing platforms, and short-term rental platforms.
>Annually identify and/or update a list of trends to monitor and prepare for. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | SC-2 | In collaboration with the Emerging Technology Board, Climate Protection Steering Committee, Environmental Management Commission, and other stakeholders, proactively develop strategies to prepare for new emerging trends. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | SC-3 | Establish a task force to review the City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and incorporate findings into adaptation planning moving forward. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Non-City Government Cost | | | SC-4 | Develop a comprehensive strategy to address changes to how and where people will live, work and learn. The strategy should address the following issues:
>The long-term impacts of remote working trends on future office space demand and vacancies.
>Potential reuse strategies for employment centers and land use considerations for area plans.
>The opportunity to attract new residents who are no longer tied to the city where their employer is located.
>Potential reduced need for travel and impacts to conventions and other activities and events that bring visitors to our city.
>Ability to absorb residents migrating from less climate-resilient locations. | Medium | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Eliminate the Digital Divide through Equitable Access, Affordability, and Education | SC-5 | Create a designated task force that specializes in advancing digital equity efforts across departments in order to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and focus on prioritizing digital equity in each department’s technology-related efforts. | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | | SC-6 | Regularly update and implement the Digital Equity Strategic Plan and continue the Digital KC Now initiative and other similar initiatives to bridge the digital divide across underserved neighborhoods. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Community Organization | Staff Time Cost | | | | SC-7 | Increase the number of households with consistent access to a computer with reliable Internet access by leveraging programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program. | Medium | Non-City Government Agency | Community Organization | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Deploy Smart City Infrastructure and Data Platforms that Improve City Services While Protecting Privacy and Increasing Transparency and Engagement | SC-8 | Incorporate user experience design into the City’s digital presence on all platforms, making common business, service delivery, and community engagement functions easily accessible to users via web, mobile applications, and integrations with commonly used platforms or applications. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | SC-9 | Integrate smart city data and infrastructure into city decision-making, operations, maintenance, planning, public information and service delivery and continue to explore new and innovative ways to collect and incorporate this data. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | SC-10 | Continue to expand the deployment of devices to collect data about transportation, infrastructure and natural systems that can be used to monitor real time conditions and relay information to users; improve service delivery and response; and plan future system improvements. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | | | | SC-11 | Explore the use of location-based services data and of other big data sources to supplement public smart city data, while protecting privacy. | Medium | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Program Delivery Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Deploy Smart City Infrastructure and Data Platforms that Improve City Services While Protecting Privacy and Increasing Transparency and Engagement | SC-12 | Continue to support data sharing across jurisdictional boundaries, making data publicly accessible using open data tools and APIs and interactive dashboards. Use and promote standardized data formats (e.g., the Mobility Data Standard) where applicable. Develop the agreements, privacy protections, and tools necessary to support this action. | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Non-City Government Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | SC-13 | Explore the integration of all data into a city model or digital twin that simulates the physical elements of the city and allows for real time monitoring of existing conditions as well as exploring future scenarios and to test the impacts of proposed changes. Incorporate existing and future land use and mobility data (i.e., a new, multi-modal traffic mode) into the digital twin. | Long | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | | SC-14 | Adopt a policy to generally support and promote new transportation innovations, shared active transportation systems, and technologies that:
>Improve user experience, convenience, and safety for non-motorized modes, as well as to provide better non-motorized data.
>Improve and maintain reliable, efficient system operations, including transportation demand management strategies, transportation system management and operations, and intelligent transportation systems consistent with regional congestion management policies.
>Integrate real-time information for multiple modes that provides users with better information and makes it easier to walk, bike, take transit, or carpool. Such tools can improve user information, trip planning, wayfinding, locating and paying for parking | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | | | Key Concept | CSA ID | Community Supported Action | Timeframe | Responsible Entity | Responsible Entity (secondary) | Cost Type | Cost Type (Secondary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Vision Zero** | | | | | | | | | Prioritize Vision Zero in plans and budgets | VZ-1 | Develop new project prioritization metrics for CIP (Capital Improvement Project) planning that include safety and equity as the highest priority element | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | VZ-2 | Update city policies related to safety including the Traffic Engineering Handbook, the Neighborhood Traffic Calming policy, and the Major Street Plan | Short | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Consultant Services Cost | | | VZ-3 | Create a dedicated funding mechanism to address safety issues on high injury and high-risk roads | Long | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | Program Delivery Cost | | | VZ-4 | Adopt and regularly update a comprehensive Vision Zero Action Plan. The plan should include:
>Complete Street Design Guide
>Detailed data analysis
>Public and stakeholder engagement
>List of strategies and countermeasures to achieve Vision Zero
>Detailed list of specific actions for the city to take to achieve Vision Zero | Ongoing | City Government Agency | | Consultant Services Cost | | | Create environment for safe speeds | VZ-5 | Lower statutory speed limits on all local streets to 20 mph and collector and arterial streets to 30 mph and evaluate all streets in the city with posted speed limits over 35 mph for posted speed limit reduction | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Construct safe streets and intersections for all users | VZ-6 | Explore the use of roundabouts in new intersections where safe and feasible. | Short | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | | | VZ-7 | Construct high quality bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city | Ongoing | City Government Agency | Non-City Government Agency | Capital Improvement Cost | | | Encourage safe user behavior through education and enforcement | VZ-8 | Evaluate use of automated speed enforcement to reduce speeding on High Injury Network streets | Long | City Government Agency | | Staff Time Cost | Capital Improvement Cost | # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY ### Pre-Planning (Late 2019-May 2020) **This phase was focused on preparing for the project kickoff and starting the public engagement process.** The comprehensive planning process began with setting a common standard of information from which to base the process on. City staff conducted research of peer cities and their own comprehensive plans. This helped staff determine the elements that should be included in the process and in the final plan. Staff also compiled a set of data, maps, and supporting narrative to identify current issues and trends facing Kansas City, as well as to tell the story about how Kansas City has changed since the FOCUS Kansas City Plan was adopted in 1997. This data helped to frame an initial set of issues related to the physical development of Kansas City (to be supplemented with issues identified from public feedback). This data set also helped to ensure that planning participants are working from a common set of data and facts. The topics covered included population and demographics, land use and development, housing, the economy, and infrastructure. A recommendation database was created by city staff to get a clear, holistic picture of the other plans that the city also adheres to. Every recommendation from every plan that is related to Kansas City was uploaded, sorted, and tagged in a searchable database. That includes plans adopted by the City Council as well as plans created and implemented by regional partners like the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). This database was an important reference tool throughout the comprehensive planning process. A review of the FOCUS Kansas City Plan was done with assistance from an outside consultant to make an initial determination about what needed to be updated and incorporated into the Playbook from FOCUS, what has been successfully implemented over the life of the plan, and what new information and policy considerations needed to be added to the new comprehensive plan. To create an online 'hub' for the comprehensive plan process, a license was purchased from Bang the Table to create an online engagement platform. The website (playbook.kcmo.gov) served as the center point for online engagement throughout the comprehensive plan process, which proved to be invaluable as the COVID-19 pandemic caused the first phase of public engagement to be 100% virtual. To help guide city staff through the public engagement process, a Public Engagement Committee was formed with stakeholders and community leaders from all walks of life in Kansas City. Through a series of meetings with this committee, a framework for the public engagement process was established and analyzed from an equity perspective. The Public Engagement Committee was brought together 5 times over the course of the comprehensive planning process to also provide feedback on how to improve the public engagement plan and, later, the rollout of the draft plan. # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY Last but not least, a branding plan was created for the new comprehensive plan. The name the KC Spirit Playbook was chosen as an ode to Norman Rockwell’s “The Kansas City Spirit”, a painting that represented the city’s resilience after a major flood in Kansas City in 1951. While the 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. <
> # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY ## Issue Inventory Phase (May 2020-August 2020) **This phase focused on listening sessions and conversations with the community, along with efforts to increase awareness, interest and engagement. This culminated with an “issue inventory” that documented the issues, values, and ideas that are important to the community.** The process to create a new comprehensive plan began with the creation of an online, public engagement platform. In May 2020, the website went live and announcements about the beginning of the comprehensive plan process were sent out on the city’s communication tools (social media, Channel 2, etc.) Staff also emailed neighborhood leaders, HOAs, regional partners, and local organizations in the Kansas City area. People began to register with the website and participate in a series of surveys and other online engagement activities. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated that public engagement occur virtually through the first 1.5 years of the comprehensive plan process as everyone was required to work remotely and the planned in-person kickoff event was cancelled. Staff prepared a modified public engagement plan to a “virtual-only” meeting environment, with no clear idea when things would return to “normal”. Public outreach focused on generating awareness and excitement in the community about the planning process, and our public engagement focused on listening and documenting the issues and values of the community on a variety of topics. Staff made a conscientious effort to reach across the digital divide to Kansas Citians who may not have a reliable internet source, and therefore were less likely to access the Playbook website and get engaged with the planning process. To spread the word about the comprehensive plan, staff used a variety of methods to spread the word about the Playbook, both on and offline, including: * Virtual presentations to many local organizations, neighborhood groups, city boards and committees, and regional partners * Produced a series of segments for the KCMO Weekly Report * Distributed flyers to locations with high traffic (grocery stores, coffee shops, community centers, libraries, etc.) * Advertised on KCATA buses * Ran print ads in several local publications in English and Spanish * Ran radio ads on several local stations in English and Spanish * Sent an insert in KC Water bills twice, about one year apart * Ran a display on billboards around the city * Released social media content weekly on city’s pages * Sent weekly newsletters through the online engagement website * Provided toolkits to stakeholders around the city so they could easily share information about the comprehensive plan process with their contacts * Aired an interview with City Planning and Development Director Jeffrey Williams about the Playbook on the local NPR station * Purchased advertisements on popular websites like Google and Facebook <
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> In the beginning, the engagement was focused on starting a community conversation around very broad topics, gradually narrowing down to more detailed issues. Engagement started very broadly with 5 Big # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY Questions that asked what people loved about Kansas City and what issues they were most concerned about. The responses to these questions helped to identify more detailed and specific issues for follow up questions and polls and helped to inform later phases of the planning process. Responses were wide-ranging, but most were focused on issues related to housing, strong neighborhoods, the economy, transportation, the environment, and keeping Kansas City's unique character as we grow. Once the primary policy concerns were identified for the comprehensive plan, the weekly surveys and online activities became progressively more granular and focused on specific issue areas, including: * Equity (in all issue areas) * Housing * Transportation/public transit * The economy * Climate Change and environmental issues * Parks * City attractions * Kansas City culture * Neighborhoods and livability A virtual town hall was held in August of 2020, where attendees were given a presentation on the comprehensive plan process and then breakout rooms provided an opportunity for people to discuss the plan with city staff. # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY ### Vison and Goals Phase (August 2020-April 2021) **The Playbook Vision Statements and Citywide Goal Statements were developed through engagement with the public on the website as well as with the Playbook Empowerment Committee. The development of the draft Playbook Vision and Goals marked a transition in the public engagement process from listening and inventorying, to taking what we’ve heard and developing strategic actions. The Playbook Empowerment Committee was also established to guide an equitable planning process.** A Mayor-appointed Empowerment Committee was created to focus on equity and amplifying the voices of the communities the members represented. The Empowerment Committee was composed of residents, neighborhood leaders, property owners, institution leaders, and businesses from across the city’s various communities. The Committee was intentionally structured to balance the diverse viewpoints and interests of Kansas Citians. In March of 2021, the first Empowerment Committee meeting took place. The Committee continued to meet to review every phase of the planning process over nine meetings, including community feedback, technical analysis, draft planning concepts, and the draft recommendations and strategies. After several months of public engagement surveys and activities that were focused on issue and policy prioritization, staff began the process of creating Playbook Vision Statements and setting the Citywide Goals. The Vision Statement and Goals incorporate the big ideas and themes from the Issues and Values Inventory. Elements of the Vision and Goals from the FOCUS plan were also incorporated. The Vision tells us what we want the city to be like in 20 years, and the Goals tell us those things we need to achieve to make the vision a reality. The Goals are also an organizing framework for the plan's recommendations. The draft Vision and Goals were then reviewed by the Empowerment Committee and the public and edited based on that feedback. After several months of primarily online engagement, city staff brought on a team of consultants to help expand the public engagement effort. Parson & Associates, CitiFi, and Hoxie Collective joined forces to assist the Playbook team. The consultant group worked with city staff to evaluate public engagement up to that point and create a detailed plan to engage with more Kansas Citians, particularly in the areas of the city that had not engaged as much online compared to other areas. # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY ## Detailed Recommendations Phase (May 2021-March 2022) **Public engagement shifted from general concepts to a more focused discussion around specific topics, with an emphasis on developing strategies and actions. A series of public meetings called “Strategy Sessions” were held to focus on four topics: Visibility, Mobility, Livability and Serviceability.** After a year of engagement that started with very broad questions, a series of public meetings focused on specific policy areas were held virtually starting in May of 2021. These public meetings were divided into four ‘Strategy Session’ groupings: * Visibility – Focus on the public realm, historic preservation, public spaces, public art, etc. * Mobility – All things transportation, including public transit and multimodal transportation options * Livability – Housing affordability, strong and desirable neighborhoods, etc. * Serviceability – How the city can improve the services it provides to Kansas Citians <
> City staff brought on consultants from WSP, Vireo, and MySidewalk to help plan for and run these meetings. Each Strategy Session had 3-5 virtual public meetings that provided important information and context on policy areas, report on what feedback had been received from the public so far, decide how aggressively solutions should be pursued by the city, and to present a small set of draft recommendations to determine that the plan was headed in the right direction. Recordings of the sessions and the engagement questions asked at the meetings were posted on the online engagement platform, so people could participate in their own time if they were unable to attend. The Strategy Sessions wrapped up in the first quarter of 2022. The result of these sessions was a set of draft recommendations and strategies for each topic, which were reviewed by the Empowerment Committee and the public. <
> As the Strategy Session meetings were taking place, the public engagement consultants were able to start attending in-person events (primarily outdoors) safely. Surveys were created based on the engagement questions being asked in the Strategy Session meetings and consultants collected hundreds of paper surveys at the dozens of in-person events they tabled at. Consultants also provided these paper surveys to libraries across Kansas City to ensure that an offline version of the engagement questions were accessible to the public. # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY Also happening in tandem with the Strategy Session meetings, city staff made efforts to engage with young Kansas Citians. The city’s new comprehensive plan has a 20-year time frame, and staff recognized the importance getting direct feedback from students. The Playbook, after all, will guide decision-making at City Hall to create the community that they hopefully would choose to live in long after leaving school. In Spring of 2021, city staff conducted an exercise with Park Hill LEAD 10th graders. Students were given informational materials on the comprehensive plan process, and they were asked to choose between four exercises based on the Strategy Session topic areas. The exercises were designed to give students the opportunity to plan and design their own solutions to some of the most important issues facing their city. The students presented their policy proposals to the comprehensive plan team, and the top proposals were selected to give a presentation to the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee in May of 2021. <
> In March of 2022, with the help of the leadership at Kansas City’s local AARP chapter, city staff held a ‘tele-town hall’ for AARP members. After an overview of the comprehensive plan process, a Q&A session let participants ask questions of the Playbook team. Over 1,200 AARP members joined the tele-town hall to hear about the Playbook and discuss their most important issues. # PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS SUMMARY ## Draft Plan and Adoption Phases (April 2022-March 2023) **The comprehensive plan began to take shape in this phase. The structure of the plan was established with a Vision, Goals, Topics, Objectives, and Implementation sections. Public engagement efforts continued with a focus on familiarizing Kansas Citians and regional partners with the draft plan and receiving feedback on draft recommendations.** The primary sections of the Playbook were determined, and the overall structure of the Playbook was finalized. In addition to the Vision Statements and the Citywide Goal Statements that had previously been established, 21 Objectives were created to house the plan’s recommendations and important information and context related to that policy area. An Implementation chapter was also created to provide important information on how to implement the plan’s recommendations. In preparing for creating the final plan product, website creation and text editing consultants 1Main Circuit were brought on board. The intent was not just to create a plan on paper, but to also create an interactive, user-friendly web-based plan that could be used by a wide variety of stakeholders including city staff, elected officials, neighborhood leaders, the development community, and individuals who want to make Kansas City and its built environment a livable and equitable place for all. Recommendations, officially called Community Supported Actions, were created from public engagement related to the comprehensive plan and the recent updates to the city’s 18 area plans. Recommendations and policy guidance from the city’s previous comprehensive plan FOCUS were also incorporated into the plan production process. These recommendations were sorted into the Objective they were most related to, with the understanding that many issue areas in the plan are interrelated and need to be linked together in the final product. An Implementation Database was created to house all recommendations together in a user-friendly, sortable database. Public engagement continued through plan creation as the Objectives’ Key Concepts and Community Supported Actions were released on the Playbook website with surveys for people to provide detailed feedback on the primary components of the plan. <
> A series of public meetings were held in both in-person and online formats in February 2023. They were hosted in community gathering spaces in the north, central, and southern parts of Kansas City. All attendees were asked to help identify what Key Concepts should be prioritized for implementation after adoption, either by placing stickers on displays in the room or by completing an online activity. After evaluating all the public feedback gathered on the draft elements of the comprehensive plan, staff made final edits, created the website where the Playbook would live, and finalized other plan components like a glossary and the recommendation database. The final draft of the city’s new comprehensive plan will start the adoption process at the City Plan Commission in March 2023. # COMMUNITY CONTEXT Community Context – Which type of development is appropriate for an area depends on the context, form, and existing character of the area. There are a variety of development contexts in Kansas City, from urban to suburban to rural. Each has a different character that must be respected in new development and redevelopment projects. An area’s form is a mix of many factors, such as the predominant land use (residential, business or mixed use, industrial, etc.); architectural character; density of development; level of connectivity; and the extent to which an area is designed for pedestrian, bike, transit, and automobile access. The Development Form and Context Guidelines are designed to respond to these various contexts and forms. An area’s development context is defined by variables such as: * **Street and alley patterns and connectivity** 1. Are street connections abundant; in a grid pattern (often with alleys); and used for access, trash services, deliveries, etc.? 2. Are street connections and alleys lacking, but there are curvilinear street patterns and cul-de-sacs? * **Block sizes** 1. Are lot sizes generally small and compact, with rectangular block patterns at a walkable scale? 2. Are lots and block sizes generally large, in irregular patterns, and less walkable? * **Building placement, orientation and density** 1. Are buildings generally set close to the street, with compact, high-density development? 2. Are buildings generally set back from the street, with large development footprints, and at a low density? * **Access to and diversity of mobility options** 1. Is development generally walkable, transit-oriented, and accessible? Does street layout/ design, infrastructure, and land use support a walkable environment? 2. Is the street pattern, parking, and development layout generally oriented to automobile access, with less bike, pedestrian, or transit access? * **Land use and building diversity and proximity** 1. Does the area, in general, include a range of land uses and building types in close proximity? Is it common for uses to be mixed within an area? 2. Does the area, in general, include predominantly single-use developments? Are different uses typically separated or disconnected? * **Architectural character** 1. Does the area have an established architectural theme or concentration of historic buildings or sites? 2. Does the area have an inconsistent mix of architectural styles or are buildings designed consistently, in general? # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES The **Development Form Guidelines** describe how the built environment should look, feel, and function (independent of the type of use). There are five types of areas that comprise the framework for the Development Form Guidelines. These areas are described below. The **Development Form Guidelines** include a set of general guidelines as well as specific development guidelines for each of the form typologies: **Neighborhood, Corridor, Node, District, and Downtown.** Development Form Areas: > **Neighborhoods** - 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** - 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. > > **Nodes** - A small, compact area that diverges from the surrounding patterns, but due to scale and design complements both the function and character of the area. Nodes generally serve as a center of activity but can have different intensities of use and building scale. > > **Districts** - Regional destinations that are a distinct place – different from surrounding areas – through 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** - The regional center for culture, entertainment, employment, government and transportation generally with the highest densities. Transit, bike and pedestrian oriented design are of the highest importance in these areas. The guidelines are intended to be flexible. Not every guideline will apply for every project, as many guidelines should be incorporated into development as is practical, feasible, and applicable to the unique site characteristics. Exceptions to the guidelines should be weighed against the goals and objectives of the applicable area plan and the KC Spirit Playbook. These guidelines are not intended to be all inclusive of acceptable materials and/or design features or to preclude or inhibit creative and eclectic ideas. These guidelines are not meant to supersede any applicable laws, regulations, standards, or other requirements related to the development of a site as may be required by existing city code or other governmental agencies. These guidelines are intended to guide future development to be consistent with the existing and desired character of an area. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Development Form Guidelines – GENERAL *Architectural Character* – These guidelines address the design and appearance of buildings and structures on the site * General Character * Preserve and enhance historic and cultural resources as development occurs. * Encourage public art to be integrated into the building and site design. * Massing and Scale * New construction should relate to the mass, pattern, alignment and proportion/ scale of the existing or traditional building stock. * Significant departures in height and mass can be visually disruptive. Building proportions should strive for a cohesive rhythm. * Design buildings to provide human scale, interest, and variety using the following techniques: * Use the highest level of architectural detail and incorporate human scale elements near streets and entries, and around the ground floor. Incorporate building entry details like porches and recesses, occupied spaces like bay windows and balconies * Vary building form with recessed or projecting bays and changes in materials, details, surface relief, color, and texture. * Windows and other openings should relieve blank walls where possible, adding visual interest, improving pedestrians’ sense of security, and introducing a human scale to street-level building frontages. * Building orientation and massing should respond to the existing character and built environment. * Materials * Architectural materials should complement the character of the existing built environment through use of high quality, durable materials. Suggested materials include brick, wood, metal, glass, concrete, stone, stucco, cast stone, terracotta, tile and masonry. * Applied ‘faux’ facades or other inappropriate materials should not be used and should be removed as building renovation and reuse occurs. * Sustainable design techniques and materials such as green roofs are encouraged to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, enhance the local environment and reduce energy costs. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * New buildings should be designed in such a way that they don’t appear to have been built significantly earlier than they were. * Care should be taken to avoid nostalgic reproductions and confusion of the historical record. * This guideline does not preclude consideration of the use of materials, scale or massing found on older buildings. Preservation or restoration of original facade materials is desired. * Structured Parking * Design new parking structures so that they are not significantly visible from the public right-of-way. Underground parking is encouraged. * Structured parking garages should be located on the interior or rear of the block surrounded by buildings whenever possible. * When located along a street frontage, and where feasible, developments are encouraged to include first floor pedestrian active uses such as retail and services unless inconsistent with the land use plan. * “Parking podiums,” where new development is placed above structured parking, are not desirable. * Parking structure façades should relate to the scale, proportion, and character of the district. * The exterior finish and architectural articulation should enhance the facade design, complement surrounding buildings and screen the parking area. Blank walls on parking structures are discouraged. * Openings should be screened to obscure parked vehicles. Ramps and sloping floors should not be expressed on the outside of the building, particularly on a facade with frontage on a street. * Screening should not reduce visibility for “natural surveillance”. * Windows/Transparency * The street level of commercial/mixed use structures should have a dominant transparent quality. * Windows at the street level of all buildings should be transparent. Building renovation projects are encouraged to restore windows to the original design and restore window openings that have been closed during past renovations. * Windows and doors on street-fronting facades shall be vertically proportioned that are similar in size and shape to those used historically. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * ○ Design buildings to minimize long windowless walls and service areas visible from public streets. Large blank walls along streets should be avoided whenever possible. Where blank walls are unavoidable, they should be designed to increase pedestrian comfort and interest, through Some combination of the following methods: * ▪ Installing vertical trellis in front of the wall with climbing vines or plant materials; * ▪ Providing art over a substantial portion of the blank wall surface; * ▪ Providing active display windows; * ▪ Dividing the mass of the wall into sections. * Topography * ○ Topography that varies greatly on a site could present a design challenge, but should not result in blank walls, screens, or other façade treatment that is not pedestrian friendly. Active uses should occupy ground floors. *Site Arrangement* – These guidelines address the preservation of open and natural spaces, the location of buildings and parking, and the general pattern of development. * Building Placement * ○ Buildings should define a majority of the street edge. Surface parking lots, large courtyards, plazas and open space areas are encouraged behind or alongside buildings. * ○ Additional setback may be considered for purposes that augment street level pedestrian activity and extend the public realm including * ▪ Outdoor café * ▪ Primary entrance enhancement * ▪ Sidewalk retail * ▪ Public plaza * ▪ Landscaping which is complementary and accessory to pedestrian activity and public spaces (not the primary use) * ○ In order maintain a pedestrian scale development pattern, buildings built to the street line should consider stepping back after three floors in order to avoid the “canyon effect” along corridors, nodes and districts. * ○ In mixed use areas, buildings should maintain and reinforce street level pedestrian activity regardless of size or use. This should include a design that: * ▪ Provides street-level, pedestrian-oriented uses. * ▪ Maintains a continuous, transparent, highly permeable and active street wall. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Where a consistent street setback exists along a block, that setback should be maintained. * Use landscaping to define and enhance the sense of arrival at appropriate site entries, and to visually frame buildings. * Development Pattern * In mixed use and commercial areas create a compact, dense and pedestrian friendly development pattern. Avoid large scale; auto dominated commercial developments with large parking areas and impervious surfaces. * Parking * Parking lot lighting and light from vehicles should not glare into adjacent properties. Exterior lighting should be shielded downward and located so as to minimize light into adjacent properties. Vehicle entrances and pedestrian entrances should be clearly marked and visible from the street. * Parking Lot Location - Design new development so that parking is not located between the street and the building frontage, in order to maintain an active street wall, sense of enclosure, and quality pedestrian environment. * If walls are utilized to screen surface parking lots, materials should complement the architectural character of the associated building. * Multiple small parking lots are more desirable than single large lots. Larger surface lots should be subdivided with landscaped islands including shade trees. * Parking lots should include bicycle and scooter parking facilities and include designated pedestrian pathways. * Natural Resource Preservation * Preserve the environmental qualities of the site to protect sensitive natural areas, landscape character and drainage patterns. * Natural areas should be accessible to neighborhoods, nodes, corridors or districts and connected to greenways where possible. * Manage stormwater runoff as part of the overall open space system. * Discourage development and grading / filling on steep slopes and in floodplains. * Plant materials should be suited to an urban environment and local climate. Native plant materials are encouraged. A mix of evergreen and/or deciduous plant material should be used. * Alternative stormwater solutions should be considered in the design/construction phase. Examples include stormwater inlet alternatives, rain gardens, and drought tolerant plants. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Retaining walls should be avoided. If necessary, walls should be architecturally incorporated into the design of the building. Retaining walls should be designed to reduce their apparent scale. Materials like brick or stone should be used, or architectural treatments that create an appropriate scale and rhythm. Hanging or climbing vegetation can soften the appearance of retaining walls. High retaining walls should be terraced down and include landscaped setbacks. ***Transitions and Screening*** — These guidelines address how to appropriately buffer and transition from one type of use to another and guide the use of walls, fences, and landscaping to appropriately screen certain site elements. * Transitions * Dissimilar or incompatible uses should be separated by a street or alley when possible. <
> **Transition from Node to Neighborhood** The portion of a development site in a node near a neighborhood should be set back form the neighborhood and match the heights of existing buildings in the neighborhood in order to preserve neighborhood character. * When dissimilar or incompatible uses are located adjacent to one another, the following Architectural Transitions and Green / Open Space Transitions techniques should be the primary transition technique used: * Architectural Transitions include: * Use similar building setbacks, height, roof forms, and massing. * Mitigate any larger mass of buildings with façade articulation. * Reduce building heights, intensity of use and densities as development moves closer to low intensity areas. * Use complementary materials, architectural character, and orientation of buildings. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Building elevations facing a less intensive use shall provide finished edges using materials consistent with primary elevations and adjacent neighborhood. * Reduce building height, scale, and intensity of use as development moves closer to low intensity areas. * Green/Open Space Transitions include: * Small green spaces, courtyards, squares, parks and plazas. * Existing natural features, including changes in topography (not retaining walls), streams, existing stand of trees, etc. * A combination of landscaping, walls, and / or fences should be used where other transitions tools are not possible or not adequate. * Transitions and screening should not mask areas from view and decrease “natural surveillance.” * Developments should be designed to minimize ingress or egress from commercial projects into adjacent residential neighborhoods (see Access and Circulation guidelines). * Screening * Screen all trash dumpsters, storage areas, service areas, loading areas and mechanical and technology equipment with a combination of landscaping, decorative walls, fences and / or berms. * Any wall or fences shall be constructed of durable materials such as masonry, wrought iron or heavy wood that complement the materials used in the building facade. Plywood, chain link, and transparent materials are discouraged. * Where chain link or security fencing is required, landscaping should be used to screen such fencing from view from adjoining streets and development. Plastic slats should not be used as an alternative. * Equipment or other items placed on roofs should be screened from view from adjacent taller buildings using the techniques described above. * Any lights or outdoor speakers should be arranged to reflect the light and transmit the noise away from adjacent buildings. * All screening should be designed to maintain visibility for “natural surveillance” and incorporate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles in design. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES *Public and Semi-Public Spaces* – These guidelines address the design, programming, and location of public and semi-public spaces, streetscape enhancements, and gateway treatments. * Public Spaces * Locate and design public spaces to support dense, mixed-use development, ensuring that the provision of public space does not inhibit the potential to concentrate development in transit corridors. * Design public space to maintain a comfortable sense of enclosure for pedestrians, with a size, proportion, and location that integrate thoughtfully with surrounding uses. * Locate public space in high use areas with good visibility, access, and proximity to active uses in order to encourage activity and “eyes on the street” * Ensure that public spaces are accessible and comfortable for all users. Private, fenced, and restricted access open spaces and open spaces that are isolated from activity are discouraged. * Incorporate elements in public space design that enhance a sense of comfort and safety for users, including lighting, visibility, enclosure, and proximity to active uses. * Include a variety of amenities in public space design to enhance user experience, including seating, lighting, shade landscaping, wayfinding, art, interpretive and interactive features public facilities, special pavement and other amenities. * Where integrated with transit facilities, design public spaces to include amenities such as bike racks, ticket kiosks or other amenities that support the use of transit and greater mobility in general. * Streetscape * Streetscape enhancements should include “green” stormwater management elements. * On-street parking should be preserved or included wherever possible. Where possible, design on-street parking to function as a buffer for pedestrians and cyclists. * Design sidewalks to comfortably accommodate pedestrians, with landscaping, amenities, and other functions supportive of a complete street. * Support a quality pedestrian environment by focusing active uses and amenities at street level, orienting buildings toward the street, and encouraging transparency, variety, visibility, and interactivity for ground level uses fronting the sidewalk. * Design streets and sidewalks to incorporate elements that enhance a sense of comfort and safety for users, including lighting, visibility, enclosure, and proximity to active uses. * Design streets to enhance comfort and safety, and minimize conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and automobiles, using access management, buffering, intersection treatments, and other design elements. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Incorporate traffic calming measures for streets to manage the speed of traffic and increase the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists (see Walkability Plan level of service guidelines). * Design intersections to efficiently manage all modes of transportation while enhancing comfort, safety, and ease of use. Implement Kansas City Walkability Plan level of service guidelines for pedestrian street crossings. * Gateways * Gateways should be integrated into overall streetscape design where appropriate. Place gateways at key intersections, and entries into neighborhoods, nodes and districts. * Gateways and intersection enhancements should include vertical architectural features or focal points constructed of high-quality materials such as stone, cast stone, tile, metal, or masonry and a combination of the following elements: * Landscaping, water features and public art. * Plazas with pedestrian amenities such as seating, shade, and triangulation elements. * Decorative lighting, walls or fencing. * Monument-style signs, if appropriate, with landscaping to announce district or neighborhood. * Enhancement to crosswalks, including color, stenciling, and pavement treatment * Where right-of-way permits, develop intersections enhancements such as a gateways and landscaped focal points at nodes and major intersections. Focal points could include vertical architectural features, fountains, public art, and/or public plazas. * Parking areas should not abut a major street intersection or gateway. ***Access and Circulation*** – These guidelines address how all modes of transportation access the site and move around within the site and how streets accommodate each mode of travel (private automobile, transit, cycling, and pedestrian) in a new development. These guidelines also address how different modes move between the site and adjacent areas. * Multimodal * Streets should be the minimum width practicable and should accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, transit and automobiles. Minimize street crossing distances and meet the minimum level of service as recommended in the Kansas City Walkability Plan. * Provide on-site bicycle parking areas in visible, active, well-lit areas near building entries. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Pedestrian * Each development should provide and contribute to an on-site system of pedestrian walkways. To the maximum extent feasible, on-site walkways should provide the most direct access route to and between the following points: * The primary building entry to the street sidewalk. Buildings should have pedestrian entrances accessible directly from the adjacent street. * All buildings, plazas, open space and parking areas within a development * All internal streets/drives to sidewalks along perimeter streets * Major pedestrian destinations located within the adjacent areas, including but not limited to parks, schools, commercial districts, multi-family residential, adjacent major streets, transit stops, and park and rides * Provide direct, safe and convenient access to public transit facilities and integrate into the overall site design whenever applicable. * Avoid disruption of the dense urban street grid and maintain pedestrian scale blocks. Consolidation into “super blocks,” street closures and vacations that incrementally erode the character and connectivity of the area should be avoided. When large developments do occur, they should be designed to maintain pedestrian permeability. * In mixed use areas, drive-through uses are discouraged. * Ensure that pedestrian street crossings meet Walkability Plan level of service recommendations. At a minimum provide crosswalks that: * Are well-marked and visible to vehicles; * Include pedestrian and intersection amenities to notify drivers that there is a pedestrian crossing present and enhance the local urban design context and character * Provide for safety for all age/ability groups. * Ensure adequate line-of-sight from pedestrian to automobile and automobile to pedestrian. * Avoid barriers that limit mobility between commercial developments and residential development and transit. * When commercial uses abut residential areas, there should be a pedestrian connection (public or private) from residential area to the commercial area at least once a block. * Pedestrian and bike access should be provided to adjacent or onsite regional trail corridors (see Trails KC Plan) or other established trail corridor. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * * Provide pedestrian access along all publicly controlled portions of the city’s waterways, and encourage pedestrian access for privately controlled areas. Pedestrian walkways and plazas should be clearly delineated or spatially separated from parking and driveways through use of elements including bollards, lighting, landscaping, and special pavement treatments. Where a walkway crosses a street, drive-aisle or driveway, it should be clearly delineated by a change in paving materials, color, texture, or height. * Ensure design that is accessible to all people including those with physical limitations. * Vehicular * Streets should form a network with frequent intersections and connect neighborhoods, nodes, corridors and districts. Continue streets through to as many adjacent developments as possible or allow for future connections where topography permits. Maximize street connections in new development. * Preserve, enhance, and restore the existing grid network of streets where applicable. Avoid street closures and vacations, as they erode the connectivity of the area. * Locate major entry driveways away from front of stores where pedestrians cross. * Provide convenient access for service and delivery vehicles without disrupting pedestrian flow. * Curb cuts should be kept to a minimum. Continuous curb cuts are not appropriate. Where curb cuts and entry drives are allowed, they should be kept as narrow as possible. * New development should incorporate a system of interconnected collector and “through” streets, with a collector street connection approximately every 1/3 mile. * Streets should follow natural contours to minimize the impact on the natural terrain. * Create context-sensitive roads by utilizing street sections in the Major Street Plan that allow a generous open space strip along roadway frontages. ### Sustainability * LEED Certification or equivalent sustainable design is encouraged, particularly for public facilities and projects requesting incentives. * Stormwater Management - Green Solutions and BMPs that achieve multiple benefits are encouraged. Examples include, but are not limited to: * Pervious Surfaces * Rainwater Harvesting * Landscaping and Street Trees # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Promote and encourage building practices that effectively manage stormwater (reduced impervious surface, improved water quality, rainwater harvesting, trees/landscaping to improve air quality, etc.) * Energy - Energy efficient design and measures to reduce energy consumption are encouraged. Examples include, but are not limited to: * Providing alternative energy production. * Employing efficient design practices, utilize efficient heating and cooling technology, and proper solar orientation. * Materials - “Sustainable” materials are encouraged (see Building Materials). * Reduce Heat Island and improve air quality. * Minimize impervious hard surfaces and provide trees and landscaping. * Consider green roof or light color of roof to reduce heat. * Transportation and Mobility - Encourage transit, biking and walking. * Waste - Provide opportunities for recycling/composting. * Encourage development projects requesting incentives to provide public spaces. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Development Form Guidelines – Neighborhoods 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.) **Typical Neighborhood Characteristics:** * Neighborhoods are connected to but buffered from adjacent development with appropriate transitions. * Neighborhood streets should be “calm” while also providing a high level of access for area residents without encouraging high “through” traffic or high traffic volumes or speeds within neighborhoods. * Neighborhoods should provide physical and social connections, have an identity, meet residents housing needs, and be clean, healthy and well maintained. * Neighborhoods should be connected by providing physical links (bike, pedestrian and automobile connections) with other neighborhoods, corridors, nodes and districts. Neighborhoods should have community gathering spaces for neighborhood events which help create social connections. * Neighborhood identities will be supported through design standards for new housing and for quality infill housing that helps create a “sense of place” and through adaptive re-use and conservation of existing buildings and preserving historic assets. * Neighborhoods should be inviting and safe places to live, learn, worship, and recreate and to interact with other people. * Neighborhoods accommodate a variety of building types and densities, albeit at a lower scale, intensity and level of activity than development within Corridors, Nodes or Districts. Neighborhoods should provide a variety of housing types to increase housing choice. **Neighborhood Development Guidelines** * Arterials or through traffic streets should be located on the periphery of residential neighborhoods. Arterials should not bisect neighborhoods. * Homes should have prominent front doors facing the street. * Avoid direct driveway access on major streets for low density residential properties or development with frequent driveway access. * Building and lots should front the street and the rear of lots should back on other lots (double frontage lots should be minimized). * Usable porches facing the street are encouraged in order to promote social interaction and provide passive eyes on the street. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Locate houses parallel to the street to further define the street edge and public presence. * Transitions should be provided adjacent to parking lots and between developments of varying intensity and scale. Transitions should fit within the context of the area, utilizing the techniques listed in the Citywide Transitions and Screening section. * Preserve the environmental qualities (topography, mature vegetation, etc.) of the site to protect sensitive natural areas and drainage patterns. * Natural areas should be accessible to the neighborhood and connected to greenways where possible. * Dead-end and cul-de-sac streets are discouraged. * Additional Guidelines for Infill Housing in Neighborhoods * As new construction on infill sites occurs within older, established urban neighborhoods the following basic guidelines should be utilized. To preserve the special qualities of an older neighborhood, new construction should respect the existing character. New construction includes "infill" (replacement) buildings, additions to existing buildings and new outbuildings such as garages, sheds, and carports. New construction should be compatible but differentiated from the older buildings. It should reflect the use of mass, pattern, alignment and proportion/scale of other buildings on the block. **Alignment** Alignment is the arrangement of objects in a straight line. The directional emphasis of those objects is also important (i.e. horizontal, vertical, north/ south). Alignment also may refer to how a building is sited on a lot and how the setbacks relate to other buildings along the street. The floor lines, roof, windows, and entry of the third house do not align with those typically found along this street. <
> **Proportion/Scale** Proportion is a ratio which compares the dimensions of one object to another. Proportion can be used to relate elements of a building (i.e. windows, porches, trim) to the building as a whole, or it can relate one building to another. When the dimensions of an element or a building are too small or too large, it is described as being " out of scale." Although the second house reflects alignment in the placement of the windows, entry, cornice and roof, its proportions are not appropriate. Note the large horizontal windows, the double doors, and the overall width of the house. <
> # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES **Mass** Mass deals with the *size* of a building (or building part) as well as its *form*. The dimensions of height, width, and depth contribute to a building’s overall *volume* (the amount of space a structure occupies). The *form* of a building gives *shape* to a building’s volume. <
> *The volume and form of the third house distracts from the streetscape.* **Pattern** Pattern is the arrangement of similar objects in a *regular* and *repetitive* manner. Patterns can be found within individual buildings, such as the arrangement of windows, or in groupings of buildings along a street. <
> *The patterns found along this street are not reflected in the second house. Unlike the other houses, this house has disproportionate windows, no porch, a low hip roof, and sits low to the around.* # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Development Form Guidelines – Corridors 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 land uses. Corridors are typically major roadways that connect districts, nodes, and neighborhoods featuring a greater density of commercial and/or residential uses. #### *Typical Corridor Characteristics* * Corridors serve to connect our vital institutions and activity centers, carrying all forms of transportation. * Corridors generally benefit from a high level of access for vehicles, transit and pedestrian and therefore are appropriate for higher intensity uses. * Corridors are often a part of the Great Streets framework identified in the FOCUS Kansas City Plan and/or “Image Streets” which are the streets that help set the tone of the area by establishing visual and aesthetic standards. * Corridors should have a diversity and density of activities to encourage pedestrian activity. * Corridors generally provide “through” access to connect different areas of the city. * Corridors can be predominantly residential or mixed use with typically higher scale and intensity than adjacent neighborhoods. <
> # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Corridor Development Guidelines * Corridors should have smaller scale elements and storefronts at the street level to encourage pedestrian activity. * Zero or near zero lot line development in many instances is the most appropriate siting for a building along a corridor. * Where corridors also correspond with an area’s image streets or Great Streets (FOCUS), enhanced streetscape/gateway improvements and a high quality of development should be provided. * Corridors should have attractive streetscape amenities such as lighting, benches, signage, trees, etc. * Corridor should include “green” stormwater management elements as well as landscaped open spaces. * Curb cuts and access points should be consolidated and kept to a minimum to manage access and enhance walkability. * Provide cross-access between parking areas to minimize street curb cuts and adjacent access points. * Corridors should be highly permeable to provide frequent “local” access to adjacent neighborhoods, districts and nodes, particularly for pedestrians. * Development along transit corridors should incorporate the principles of Transit Oriented Development. * Building massing and orientation should generally run parallel to the corridor. * Corridors are an area of higher pedestrian activity. Provide abundant windows on the corridor facing façade to allow more opportunities for “eyes on the street”. Views into and out of windows should not be obstructed by signage or obstructed by window material. * Parking should be located at the rear of the property behind buildings, or in a garage. * Where this is not feasible, parking beside the building may be appropriate but parking should comprise a small percentage of the street frontage on the block. * Where feasible, parking is encouraged to be in below grade structures. * Additional surface parking lots are discouraged. * Buildings should have a primary entrance facing and directly accessible from the public street, rather than oriented towards side or rear parking areas. For corner lots in, building entrances are encouraged on both streets. Buildings are encouraged to have multiple entrances that open out to the public realm of the street. Buildings should be sited in ways to make their entries or intended uses clear to pedestrians. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Development Form Guidelines – Nodes A node is a small, compact area that diverges from the surrounding patterns, but due to scale and design complements both the function and character of the area. Nodes generally serve as a center of activity but can have different intensities of use and building scale. #### Typical Node Characteristics * An example of this development type is the historical fabric demonstrated at 39th Street and Main Street. * Nodes are compact development with a small development “footprint”. * Buildings that reinforce or re-create the street wall place inviting entrances on the sidewalk and shift parking lots to the side and rear areas. * Intersections are reinforced with building mass. * Nodes serve the motorists, the transit-user and the pedestrian. * Nodes range in scale (per the FOCUS Urban Core Plan) from small neighborhood centers to regional centers. * Nodes have clearly defined edges and transitions #### Node Development Guidelines * Small pedestrian scale blocks should be utilized in nodes. Large “superblocks” that degrade the street connections and are discouraged. * Traffic calming strategies should be applied at entry points to neighborhoods. * A dense and diverse mix of buildings should be situated on compact pedestrian scale blocks with high lot coverage, and typically at a higher scale and intensity than other areas of the city. * Transitions to a Node from other area types should be relatively seamless while maintaining a sense of place and arrival to the Node (see Transition and Screening Guidelines). * Nodes should be well connected to but appropriately transitioned to adjacent neighborhoods, districts and corridors. * Nodes should complement adjacent development. * Special care should be taken to protect surrounding neighborhoods from encroachment of mixed-use development and potential resulting nuisances. * Building architecture, orientation and scale are harmonious with adjacent residential areas. * Building placement should reinforce the street edge. * Surface parking lots should be located behind or alongside buildings. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Any new structure should be built with the facade covering at least 70% of the primary street frontage. * Buildings should be designed to provide “human scale” and high level of transparency at the ground level. All buildings shall maintain a continuous, transparent, highly permeable and active street wall. The use of spandrel, reflective and mirrored glass is not appropriate. * Nodes should have smaller scale elements and storefronts at the street level to encourage pedestrian activity. * Streets within nodes should accommodate all modes. * Sidewalks should be wide within a node and accommodate landscaping, pedestrian lighting, outdoor seating and other elements/activities that encourage pedestrian activity. * Nodes should include streetscape improvements, gateways, and public spaces/plazas integrated with development to create a cohesive and special character. * Some nodes may have a special or distinctive architectural theme and where this exists it should be reflected in new buildings. * Development within nodes should preserve and reuse historically valuable buildings. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ## Development Form Guidelines – Districts Districts are regional destinations that are a distinct place – different from surrounding areas - through 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. ### Typical District Characteristics * Districts include a diverse range of regional destinations for tourism, shopping, culture, entertainment, education and employment. * Districts are often in a campus setting with a collection of buildings and grounds that belong to a given institution. * Districts are diverse and each should have a unique set of guidelines which are customized to their architectural character, predominant use, setting and location. Ideally a district should have a “master plan” prepared to guide future development which addresses all topics covered in the Citywide Guidelines. It is recommended that these master plans be enforced through a Master Planned Development (MPD) zoning or similar planned zoning district, particularly in single ownership situations. ### District Development Guidelines * Districts should have clearly defined edges which provide harmonious transitions to adjacent areas. * It is important to ensure a harmonious interface with adjacent neighborhoods, nodes and corridors. Appropriate transitions should be employed where a higher scale or intensity of development is adjacent to lower scale or intensity. * Locate buildings, parking lots and access to avoid conflicts with adjacent areas. * Where applicable, incorporate relevant guidelines of the adjacent area as a means to help ensure compatibility. * Service facilities, loading docks, parking lots and open storage areas should be located away from public view and adequately screened from surrounding uses with landscaping, fencing or walls. * In districts with an established or unique character (e.g., architectural theme) new development should reflect and complement that character by incorporating key materials and building styles; utilizing consistent building heights and setbacks, massing, scale and pattern; and including similar or complementary uses. * Development within districts should generally avoid being overly insular. Development and overall district layout should embrace adjacent major corridors and nodes. Where possible development should be oriented to and well connected (visually and physically) to adjacent areas. High quality architectural finishes should be used on all buildings facing adjacent areas. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Districts are regional attractions and therefore should be designed to ensure a high level of access and way finding for all modes of transportation. * Districts should generally be walkable, bikeable and transit accessible, exhibiting high pedestrian connectivity at the edges and overall highest pedestrian level of service (see Walkability Plan) throughout. * Vehicular access and circulation should be designed to provide multiple vehicular entrances to provide route options and not overload an individual street. Districts should balance the need to be highly permeable along their edges, with the need to avoid excessive traffic on adjacent neighborhood streets. * Districts should include a clear way finding system for both pedestrians and vehicles, which directs visitors to key destinations and parking. Districts which host large events should consider a traffic management plan. * For industrial areas, truck traffic through adjacent neighborhoods should not be permitted. * High pedestrian level of service may not be necessary for industrial districts which are inherently more vehicular oriented with a lower need for pedestrian mobility. * Districts should include individual gateways features which establish an overall gateway theme for the district (see Citywide Guidelines for Gateways). Where topography permits, key view sheds and view corridors should be established and utilized to create a gateway effect as visitors approach the district. * Buildings should have a primary entrance facing and directly accessible from the public street, rather than oriented towards side or rear parking areas. For corner lots in, building entrances are encouraged on both streets. Buildings are encouraged to have multiple entrances that open out to the public realm of the street. Buildings should be sited in ways to make their entries or intended uses clear to pedestrians. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES ### Development Form Guidelines – Downtown The downtown area is the regional center for culture, entertainment, employment, government and transportation generally with the highest densities. Transit, bike and pedestrian oriented design is of the highest importance in these areas #### *Typical Downtown Characteristics* * Downtown areas are characterized by a high density and high level of activity, with buildings situated on small pedestrian scale blocks, with high lot coverage and a compact footprint. * Development in downtown areas should create a distinct, authentic and vibrant urban environment that is attractive and safe to residents, workers and visitors * Development in downtown areas will provide an environment unique to the region and an inviting alternative to suburban living. * Development in downtown areas will maintain downtown areas as a center of center of business, employment, government, culture, entertainment and tourism. * Development in downtown areas will create an active and lively 24-hour environment with a diverse array of events, attractive public spaces, and opportunities for social interaction. * Development in downtown areas will be walkable, providing the highest pedestrian level of service with abundant transportation options. Street crossings are not barriers, routes are direct, sidewalks are continuous, wide and in good condition, private development and public spaces are designed to encourage pedestrian activity. * Development in downtown areas will provide visual and physical connections between adjoining neighborhoods and districts. * Development in downtown areas is rooted in the ideology of triple bottom line performance. This means that the social (people), economic (prosperity) and environmental (planet) systems are aligned to work toward the Plan vision and that none of these systems are compromised in the process. #### *Downtown Development Guidelines* * In downtown development, pedestrian access and circulation is paramount and building design, building orientation and site access for automobiles should reflect this. Pedestrian, bike and transit-oriented design is important to downtown character and automobile-oriented uses/site layouts are strongly discouraged. * In the downtown areas, buildings should be built to the property line. Buildings should define the street edge. Additional setbacks may be considered for purposes that augment street level pedestrian activity and extend the public realm. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * In the downtown areas buildings should maintain and reinforce street level pedestrian activity regardless of size or use. This might include a design that: * Provides street-level, pedestrian-oriented uses. * Maintains a continuous, transparent, highly permeable and active street wall. * No more than 25% of any primary street frontage should be occupied by uses with no need for pedestrian traffic. * Drive-through uses and surface parking lots are discouraged. * Vehicular access is encouraged from side streets or alleys. Vehicular driveways should be limited to minimize conflicts with pedestrian and streetcar operations. * Buildings should define a majority of the street edge. Surface parking lots, large courtyards, plazas and open space areas are encouraged behind or alongside buildings. * On residential streets, buildings may be set back (see Functional Use Diagrams) to allow for landscaped planting beds. For row houses, elements like stoops should provide rhythm and interest along the street. The following Functional Use Diagrams illustrate the general elements that future development should achieve and represent the most characteristic elements of each of the functional areas. <
> **Residential** districts represent areas consisting of single family structures, or a mix of single family and smaller scale multi-plex units. Pockets of commercial uses and public facilities such as schools are highly encouraged. <
> **Downtown Residential** districts are districts with a mix of commercial and residential structures. The residential units in these districts tend to be in multi-plex structures of various sizes, or in upper floors of commercial structures. <
> **Downtown Mixed Use** districts contain commercial uses, but are most successful when incorporating many diverse uses. <
> **Downtown Core** districts represent the most dense urban environments. They are most successful when they contain a broad mix of commercial, residential, and other uses. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Buildings should have a primary entrance facing and directly accessible from the public street, rather than oriented towards side or rear parking areas. Secondary entrances may be added but should be subordinate to the primary street entrance. For corner lots in mixed use areas, building entrances are encouraged on both streets. Buildings are encouraged to have multiple entrances that open out to the public realm of the street. Doors on building entrances should not swing out onto sidewalks or public right of way. * Downtown development should occur on pedestrian scale blocks supported by a highly connected grid street system. Vacations of streets and alleys and the creation of super blocks is strongly discouraged. <
> * To enhance the pedestrian environment and to make taller buildings feel less imposing, taller buildings should maintain a pedestrian scale at street level. This should include storefronts and entrances and other elements that are designed to human scale. Large and bulky architectural elements should generally not be expressed on lower floors and should be restricted to upper floors. * New development should incorporate design elements and interpretive signage that communicate the individual character of the area. * Downtown development should generally be denser than other parts of the GDA and should include uses with a high concentration of employees, residents and visitors. Lower intensity uses and large footprint/large format uses are strongly discouraged. * Downtown development should be compact with very high lot coverage. * Development in downtown areas should follow the Transition Guidelines when adjacent to neighborhoods or areas with lower scale development. * New downtown development should include public art and public open spaces and plazas. # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES <
> * The enhancement and utilization of alleys as public space is encouraged to create unique pedestrian-oriented areas. <
> # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Development in the Downtown areas should preserve and reuse historic structures and new buildings should incorporate similar materials to adjacent historic buildings and should be designed to complement the historic character of the area. Development should generally occur on surface parking lots and vacant lots before tearing down and replacing existing buildings. <
> * Downtown development should include some enhanced level of pedestrian streetscape. Where streetscape plans have been completed, new development should implement the streetscape recommendations in those plans. * Downtown development should accommodate on-site bike and scooter circulation and parking. <
> # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Downtown development should utilize existing parking assets in the area to the extent feasible before providing additional new parking. Where onsite parking is provided, it should be located at the rear of the property behind or wrapped by buildings, or in a mixed-use garage. Where this is not feasible, parking beside the building may be appropriate but parking should comprise a small percentage of the street frontage on the block. Where feasible, parking is encouraged to be in below grade structures (ensuring safety through both active and passive security measures). Additional surface parking lots in downtown areas, particularly those with street frontage, are discouraged. If street frontage parking is absolutely necessary, it should be inset within the block and not placed on block corners which should be occupied by commercial or residential uses. <
> ### Avoid Parking should never be placed in front of a building because it places distance between a pedestrian and the building entrance. <
> ### Acceptable Parking lots on the side of buildings, while not ideal, can facilitate future infill development in the longer term. <
> ### Ideal Whenever possible, surface parking should be placed behind buildings and accessed by side streets or by rear alleys. <
> # DEVELOPMENT FORM GUIDELINES * Design new parking structures so that they are not significantly visible at street level. Structured parking garages should be designed to accommodate future adaptive reuse (level floors, appropriate ceiling heights, etc.). When located along a street frontage (particularly corridor streets), parking structures should include first floor pedestrian active uses such as retail and services. * Downtown development should include sustainable architecture, materials, and construction practices, and include green stormwater management, and renewable energy production. <
> # GLOSSARY **15 Minute City** People in Kansas City should be able to access most of their daily needs (including employment, shopping, services, education) and other daily activities (including social interaction, entertainment, exercise, dining, and worship) within a travel time of 15 minutes. Ideally these things are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. **accessory dwelling unit** A secondary dwelling unit (ADU) on the same lot as a principal dwelling unit. The accessory dwelling unit may be occupied by an independent household from that occupying the principal dwelling unit. **ADU** (see Accessory Dwelling Unit) **areas of disinvestment and distress** Areas of the city that have historically seen disinvestment and distress. For purposes of the KC Spirit Playbook, these are identified as any of the three following areas: Any census tract with a CDC Social Vulnerability Score of 0.75 or higher, any census block group with a Market Values Analysis Score of G or lower, and any LifeX Priority Zip Code. When these three areas are layered on top of each other, the result is a map that shows areas of the city that are potentially being impacted by disparities and inequities. **big data** Big data is high-volume, high-velocity and/or high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing that enable enhanced insight, decision making, and process automation. **bioswales** An open vegetated channel with an engineered soil matrix and underdrain system designed to filter stormwater runoff. **blight** Portions of the city which the City Council determines that, by reason of age, obsolescence, inadequate, or outdated design, or physical deterioration, have become economic and social liabilities and where the conditions are conducive to ill health, the transmission of disease, crime, or inability to pay reasonable taxes. **brownfield** Any vacant or underused properties, mostly commercial or industrial, where reuse is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. Examples include a corner gas station, an office building with asbestos and lead paint, a closed steel plant, or a former storefront dry cleaning business. Brownfields pose health risks and cause blight and economic and environmental burdens, especially in communities of color and urban areas. **bus rapid transit (BRT)** Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a bus-based transit system that delivers fast and efficient service that may include dedicated lanes, busways, traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, elevated platforms and enhanced stations. **capital improvements** A permanent addition to the city's physical assets including structures, (sewer and water lines, streets), and other facilities, e.g, parks, and playgrounds. This may include new construction, reconstruction, or renovation that extends the useful life. The cost of land acquisition, design, construction, renovation, demolition, and equipment are all included when calculating capital expenditures. **carbon neutral** The state of an entity (such as a company, service, product or event), where the carbon emissions caused by the entity have been balanced out by a reaction such as planting trees or funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world. ### census data The primary data used by planners to understand the social, economic, and demographic conditions locally and nationally. Census data is collected at regular intervals by the US census Bureau using methodologies such as total counts, sample surveys, and administrative records. After it is collected or generated, census data is summarized to represent counts or estimates of groups of people for different geographic areas. ### central business corridor The central business corridor (CBC) is the area in Kansas City of the highest density development, creating the best opportunity to embrace and implement development patterns of higher density, mixed-use activity that is transit and pedestrian friendly. It is a north-south corridor that begins at the River Market and runs south to the Country Club Plaza and beyond. The CBC is divisible into ten districts, each with its own character, strengths and opportunities. They include: Downtown Loop, Riverfront/River Market; 18th and Vine; East of the Loop; West Bottoms; Crossroads; Crown Center / Union Station; Midtown; Westport; and the Country Club Plaza. ### central business district An area in downtown Kansas City, Missouri bounded by Interstate 35/Interstate 70 on the north; Interstate 670 on the south; US 71 on the east; and Interstate 35 on the west. Also known as the Downtown Loop. ### city attractions City attractions include all areas in the natural and built environment that make cities exciting places to live, work, and visit. Many of these amenities are unique to Kansas City and are regional draws that give our city an identity as a fun place to be and a place where important things are happening. Kansas City’s attractions make it a unique place with a rich diversity of cultural, recreational, shopping, entertainment, and outdoor destinations and events that are important to maintaining a high quality of life. ### climate change Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. ### community anchor Important organizations within a neighborhood or the city which contribute significantly to the quality of life and economy in that area. They may be organizations, businesses, or institutions that provide a strong presence in the community. ### Community Development Corporation (CDC) Not-for-profit development organizations were established to redevelop and revitalize housing and commerce that provide services in a particular area. ### community land trust A private non-profit cooperation created to acquire and hold land for the benefit of a community and provide secure affordable access to land and housing for community residents. ### complete communities Considers more transportation options and connectivity, mixed and efficient uses of land, healthy environments, job growth and business diversity, and an involved citizenry that helps define a community’s unique character and sense of place. In short, a complete community is a place that you love to live. ### comprehensive plan The KC Spirit Playbook (“Playbook”) is Kansas City’s comprehensive plan for the next 20 years. A city’s comprehensive plan guides its decisions on development, investment, codes, and standards for future years and future generations. It’s a shared vision, based on public input gathered through public engagement, for the future of the 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 Kansas City is diverse and requires a diverse range of solutions. The plan guides the future physical development of the city. Look around you 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. They are the result of 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. **development form guidelines** The development form guidelines describe how the built environment should look, feel and function (independent of the type of land use). The Development Form recommendations are used together with Land Use Plan and Building Height Recommendations in area plans to evaluate and guide future development proposals and zoning changes. The development form guidelines include a set of citywide guidelines that apply everywhere (see also Global Development Guidelines). These are supplemented by a set of development guidelines for different area types (neighborhood, corridor, district, and node) and contexts (urban, suburban, rural). **digital divide** The difference between those who have access to the broadband internet and related technologies and those who do not. These differences are highlighted in categories of inequitable access to the Internet at home, inability to afford Internet service or devices, misunderstandings of privacy, and the relevance of the Internet. **digital equity** The condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy, as is necessary for digital access to essential services, civic, and cultural participation, lifelong learning, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility. **displacement** Displacement occurs when people or businesses are forced to leave an area due to rising costs of rents or property taxes. **distressed areas** An area of local government (i.e., usually a city or county) that has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of that State's average or an unemployment rate that is one percent greater than the national average for the most recent 24-month period for which statistics are available. **employment centers** An employment center is one in which there are concentrations of employment in a limited geographic area. **environmental justice** Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. **EUI** Energy use intensity expresses a building's energy use as a function of its size or other characteristics. Generally, a low EUI signifies good energy performance. **future-proofed** The process of anticipating the future and developing methods of minimizing the effects of shocks and stresses of future events. **gateway** One major point of arrival into the city, or a particular part of the city, such as a neighborhood or business district. A gateway can either mark the physical entrance to the area, or it can mark the location where most people would feel they have entered an area, such as the first point along a major roadway where a person can see the downtown skyline of Kansas City. **gentrification** The process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displacing current inhabitants in the process. **goals** Specific policy statements that support the vision statement and are the core action components of the Plan. Like the vision statement, they are derived from and shaped by community stakeholder input and vetted through the planning process. ### greater downtown The Greater Downtown Area includes 22 diverse neighborhoods in Kansas City, MO on both sides of the Missouri River from 31st Street on the south, North Kansas City on the north, the state line on the west, and Woodland Avenue on the east. ### green infrastructure Helps our community manage stormwater the way nature intended by capturing and utilizing rainwater where it falls. It decreases the amount of water getting into our pipes, improves water quality, and reduces flooding, pollution, and trash in our creeks, streams, and rivers. ### greenways A continuous corridor of open green space that is preserved and not developed. Greenways offer a variety of benefits, such as recreation, bicycle/pedestrian movement, and the preservation of wildlife habitat along with other natural resources. ### heat island Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. ### housing choice vouchers The housing choice voucher program provides assistance to very low-income families to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Housing can include single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). ### housing tax credits A program that provides federal and state tax credits to investors in affordable housing through an annual competitive application process. Once approved, the credit can be used each year for 10 years and is allocated to developers, who may then sell it to raise equity to construct or acquire and rehabilitate affordable rental housing. ### inclusionary zoning Inclusionary zoning (IZ) uses local regulation of land use to require or incentivize the production of affordable housing, tying affordable housing creation to the production of market-rate housing. ### inclusive design Inclusive Design is the design of an environment so that it can be accessed and used by as many people as possible, regardless of age, gender and disability. An environment that is designed inclusively is not just relevant to buildings; it also applies to surrounding open spaces, wherever people go about everyday activities. This includes shops, offices, hospitals, leisure facilities, parks and streets. Inclusive design keeps the diversity and uniqueness of each individual in mind. To do this, built environment professionals should involve potential users at all stages of the design process; from the design brief and detailed design through to construction and completion. Where possible, it is important to involve disabled people in the design process. ### inclusive financing The effort to make financial products and services available and affordable to all individuals and businesses. ### infrastructure lifecycle costs Life cycle cost (LCC) is an approach that assesses the total cost of an asset over its life cycle including initial capital costs, maintenance costs, operating costs and the asset’s residual value at the end of its life. ### institutional campuses Large institutional or campus-style developments tend to be magnets for people, which helps develop a built-in critical mass that can support a variety of amenities and services. These existing destinations should be enhanced with mixed-use development, higher-density residential land use and open spaces that can serve the surrounding community. **land use planning** Land use planning is a planning technique to improve the quality of life in urban areas. This widely adopted technique is one of the most successful methods followed today. According to this various socio-economic activities are allocated space in a particular area, or in other words, areas are assigned specific activities based on various parameters which will help in increasing overall efficiency of the urban area. The major categories on the basis of activities include residential, commercial, transportation, public, and semi-public use, government offices, etc. This categorization is considered essential to keep a balance of different activities taking place in an area. **LifeX Zip Code** Through community engagement and resident leadership development, cross-sector collaboration, and organizational capacity-building, Life X promotes community-based solutions that will reduce social inequities and lead to healthier communities. The value of this project is not just a return on investment in dollars, but in years of life gained. **Major Street Plan** Kansas City’s Major Street Plan is designed to recognize this role by prescribing a transportation network that supports the City’s long-term vision for the kind of community it wants to be. The movement of people and goods is essential to the health and vitality of a city and community, and thus the Major Street Plan is an important contributor to the City’s long-term success. **Market Value Analysis** The Market Value Analysis (MVA), first performed for Kansas City in 2016, 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. A second Market Value Analysis (MVA 2.0) was completed in 2021 that identified changes to Kansas City’s residential market since 2016. **micro-businesses** A micro business is a type of small business that employs fewer than 10 people, according to the Small Business Association, while small businesses can include businesses with up to 500 employees. **micro transit** Microtransit is tech-enabled shared transportation that combines traditional fixed route transit and ride hailing technology. Routes are flexible; “schedules” shift based on rider demand; and fleets include vans, shuttles, and buses. **missing middle** Missing middle housing is a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes located in a walkable neighborhood. **mixed use development** A land use type that recognizes that many land uses and activities are compatible and can be co-mingled to promote physical development at a human scale. Mixed-use allows the integration of commercial, retail, office, medium to high-density housing, and some light industrial land uses. These various land uses can be integrated either horizontally or vertically in a single building or structure, or on a parcel or parcel of land. **mobility hubs** Mobility hubs are places where multiple modes meet and multiple systems or service operators interface. They use shelters, wayfinding signage, real-time information, and other types of supportive infrastructure to help people safely and efficiently transfer from one mode to another. Mobility hubs serve as extensions of existing fixed-route transit stops or stations. **objectives** Detailed recommendations, strategies and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the Plan sets for that subject matter and set priorities and metrics for their implementation, and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. ### open space development Development that is more efficient and provides more open space and greater natural resource protection than conventional development designs. The open space development standards require that a specified portion of each development be set aside and permanently preserved as open space. Open space development and conservation development designs allow more compact and less costly networks of roads and utilities. They can also help reduce stormwater run-off and non-point source pollutant loading rates and can be used to preserve an area's semi-rural character. Open space developments and conservation developments are intended to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding, preserve natural resources, protect water quality, and encourage the provision of needed open space and recreational amenities for residents. ### opportunity zones A tax incentive program that encourages long-term investment and job creation in low-income areas of the state, by allowing investors to re-invest unrealized capital gains in designated census tracts. ### parklets Involves the conversion of curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces that are administered by a partnership between the city and local businesses, residents, or neighborhood associations. ### PIAC The Public Imporvements Advisory Committee relies on residents to recommend areas for improvements throughout the City. Residentis fill out a request form to bring attention to areas that are in need of repair, reconstruction, or development. Applications are reviewed by the Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) for potential funding from the following fiscal year's budget. The funding for PIAC projects comes from a 1% sales tax. ### place-making Creating places and focuses on transforming public spaces to strengthen the connections between people and these places. Placemaking is a process centered on people and their needs, aspirations, desires, and visions, which relies strongly on community participation. ### rain garden Shallow depressions filled with native plants designed to catch and absorb stormwater runoff while bringing a touch of nature to yards, businesses, or streets. But they do more than preserve the environment. They also enhance it by using native planting to attract birds and insects, including pollinators. Water caught in a rain garden either infiltrates into the ground is taken up by plant roots, or evaporates into the air. ### ride-hailing services Demand responsive operations provide smaller scale transportation services that meet the demands of individual users or, in some cases, multiple users who share trips. ### sensitive uses Land uses with the potential to negatively impact adjacent properties or neighborhoods through nuisances (noise, blasting, dust, heavy truck traffic, trash, or debris), late-night activities, environmental impacts, or damage to nearby properties. ### smart city Uses technology and data to manage change and expand capacities to better the daily lives of its residents, enhance city operations, and make the best possible use of resources across all City Departments. Smart city technology can improve citizen communication and engagement, help the city collect and analyze data and monitor real-time conditions and explore future scenarios. ### Smart City Digital Twin (SCDT) A living digital replica of a city that is continuously updated with real-time data and analytics on interactions between humans, infrastructure, and technology that offers a holistic view of the changes that take place in a city. By generating feedback loops of human-infrastructure interactions, SCDTs enable city governments and planners to make hyperlocal data-driven decisions, incorporate community and stakeholder priorities, and evaluate policies and initiatives through "what if" scenario analysis and prediction. **social vulnerability index** A composite measure of 16 census variables to help identify communities in need of support because of factors like socioeconomic status, household characteristics, racial and ethnic minority status, and housing type or transportation issues. The index ranks from 0 to 1. A census tract with a score of 0.75 or higher means that that tract is in the top 25% of census tracts in the state of Missouri for CDC social vulnerability measures. **special assessment districts** A district established to allow private parties, by a vote of a majority of property owners within the district to assess a special tax on themselves for improvements and services that benefit the entire community. **special character areas** Focusing on the way an area looks and how it functions, instead of only existing land use. Applying development strategies to character areas in your community can preserve existing areas, such as the downtowns, and help others function better and become more attractive. **stream corridor** Complex ecosystems comprised of stream channels, their banks, and riparian areas, and the plants and animals within them. Stream corridors and shorelines play an important role in providing unique and diverse habitats, flood protection, and water pollution attenuation. **streetscape** The environment along a street in an urbanized area. Streetscape elements include the roadway, including medians and associated landscaping, fountains, sculptures, sidewalks, on-street parking, street lighting, pedestrian lighting, traffic signals, signage, benches, trash containers, newspaper, and other vending machines, bus shelters, and other features within the area of the right-of-way. **topics** The method to organize the KC Spirit Playbooks’ recommendations around broad subjects. This is another way to use the Playbook to see information on one subject throughout the plan in one place. **transit oriented development** Transit oriented development (TOD) is a development strategy that focuses development along existing and planned transit infrastructure. TOD ensures an appropriate density and focuses transit supportive activities in order to encourage and sustain transit ridership. TOD also seeks to maximize access to transit by providing adequate housing choices, connections and mobility options. And TOD design guidance ensures that both the public and private realm are thoughtfully designed. See the Transit Oriented Development Policy for more. **transit oriented development zoning overlay** A transit oriented development zoning overlay is a zoning overlay that implements the recommendations of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy. The TOD Policy recommends the creation of a new Transit-Oriented Development Zoning Overlay that supplements base zoning. It would feature specific standards to enhance the function, quality, and benefit of transit-oriented development and articulate specific use, design and development standards. Because transit oriented development differs widely based on location and neighborhood context, the TOD typologies identified in the TOD Policy should be used to ensure that the zoning overlay provisions are context-appropriate. See pages 133-135 of TOD Policy for detailed recommendations. **transportation management associations (TMA)** Transportation services and education to businesses and employees in a particular geographic area, combining the efforts of many employers to reduce program costs. Most TMA’s are nonprofit collaborations of private and public sector employers working together toward common goals, such as congestion mitigation or pollution reduction. TMA’s typically serve employers in congested urban areas with rideshare matching, marketing travel options, conducting travel surveys, and development of trip reduction plans. TMA’s also help with parking management, flexible work hours, vanpools, special evens management, and freight transport movements. **universal design** Universal design is design that’s usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. **urban tree canopy** Urban tree canopy (UTC) is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. The UTC provides an important stormwater management function by intercepting rainfall that would otherwise runoff of paved surfaces and is transported into local waters through the storm drainage system, picking up various pollutants along the way. UTC also reduces the urban heat island effect, reduces heating/cooling costs, lowers air temperatures, and reduces air pollution. **vision** A broad, high level policy statement. It is intended to communicate an overarching intent for the Plan as well as describe a future outcome which is used to guide recommendations and strategies. **vulnerable populations** Groups and communities at a higher risk for poor health as a result of the barriers they experience to social, economic, political and environmental resources, as well as limitations due to illness or disability. **wayfinding** All of the ways in which people orient themselves in physical space, navigate from place to place and interpret their surroundings. It is a holistic concept with a focus on making all parts of the urban landscape easy to read and understand. **zoning** Division of the City into districts and for each district the imposition of regulations, restrictions, or prohibitions designed to promote the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, morals, prosperity, or general welfare; Erection of buildings and other structures and of premises to be used for trade, industry, residence or other specified purposes; Designation of the kinds or classes of trade, industries, residences or other purposes for which buildings or other structures or premises may be permitted to be erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired or used; Regulation and limitation on the height and bulk of buildings and other structures; and Regulation of building lines and limiting the percentage of lot occupancy and regulating and limiting the area of courts and other spaces.