May 1, 2003
This essay is inspired by my growing frustration with people here in
Kansas City bitching and moaning about how much the city sucks, while
at the same time resisting changes that would actually bring improvements.
Sometimes it's amazing how much people can complain about how there is
nothing cool to do, when there is an amazing wealth of activites right
under their damn noses. Or how they can gasp in horror at the thought
of visiting the big scary city when the crime rate is higher in their
own uppity suburb.
So here are some reminders of why this is a great city...
1. Big-City Hustle and Bustle??
It's ironic that people will spend time and money visiting places like
New York City and Chicago so they can experience urban life, yet ignore
the same opportunities here at home.
First Fridays in the Crossroads
Arts District. Hundreds of people crawl the art galleries downtown
at monthly open houses. It is a great experience to see so many people
out and about, walking around on the streets and hanging out with total
strangers. Even if you aren't into art, it is still one of those great
urban experiences that can you get right here at home. Plus, it's a
great place to mack on smart and beautiful singles :)
Other signs of life in the city include Saturday mornings at the
City Market, where people of all ages and backgrounds collide in
one spot for a few hours every week. Where else can you see hung-over
college kids and bejeweled socialites buying bread from Amish families
and pies from Nation of Islam missionaries? Also check out sunny afternoons
on the Plaza or at Loose Park.
Why is it that Kansas Citians have no problem using buses and subways
in other cities, but freak out at the thought of using mass transit
here at home?
2. Downtown is not dead, and is getting better.
Downtown does not close up at 5pm ... at least not completely. Increasingly,
Downtown is the hottest housing market in the metro area. An unprecedented
95% vacancy rate and waiting lists for lofts and apartments are testament
to the pent up demand for downtown housing. The traditional River Market
loft district has no remaining buildings left for conversion, so housing
activity is spreading to other parts of Downtown. Residential services
like restaurants, markets, etc. are starting to trickle back in and
are about to take off. Out of town developers are clamoring to get in
on the action for housing and offices. Contrary to perception,
Downtown is actually very safe - you are more likely to get assaulted
in Overland Park or Blue Springs.
So what if Downtown doesn't have a full-service supermarket yet. There
are several within a 10 minute drive or 20 minute bus ride. Stop
bitching about it, because this is the sort of negativity that
contributes to the problem. For every person you scare away from Downtown
by complaining about the lack of services, that is another month you
yourself will have to wait for those services to catch up with the population
growth. People regularly move to new suburbs well before the stores
and restaurants show up. That is the way development works, it follows
the people.
3. People and Neighborhoods
The population decline of the central city has stabilized and is starting
to reverse. Combined with rapid growth in the northern areas of the
city, KCMO is experiencing a net gain in population. The greater metro
area grew by 10% in the 1990s - not as fast as other metros, but not
as slow either. The St. Louis metro area is barely staying even with
a 1% growth rate, including the suburbs. While we are recovering from
decades of urban flight and decay, it is important to remember that
these problems never got to be as bad as cities like St.
Louis, Detroit, or
Philadelphia. We are working against a much smaller deficit.
KC has many great urban neighorhoods where families continue
to live and prosper, such as Quality Hill, River Market, Brookside,
Waldo, Hyde Park, West Plaza, Volker, Valentine, Northtown, Columbus
Park, Scaritt Renaissance, Southmoreland, Rosedale, and more. And in
most of that list, it is despite the problems of the KCMO school district.
Many families either look past the negative image, or use the savings
from lower taxes and lower commuting expenses to pay for private or
parochial schools. We have an incredible network of active neighborhood
groups that give residents a signifcant voice at city hall. The urban
neighborhoods along State Line Road consistently register the highest
appreciation of home values anywhere in the metro area.
Beacon Hill
is currently one of the nation's largest urban residential redevelopment
projects - new market-rate housing and neighborhood businesses are being
built in a formerly blighted inner-city area. Finally, after a long
and hesitant beginning, the 18 & Vine rebirth seems to be taking
off with new housing, retail, restaurants, and entertainment in the
historic heart of our African-American community.
We also have very strong suburbs that contribute to the overall
well-being of the greater metro area by attracting new residents and
businesses. There are several exciting New Urbanism projects that will
help shape suburban develoment in a more positive direction (in the
Northland of KCMO Shoal
Creek Valley, Zona Rosa,
Renaissance North, and
Northgate
Village are all under construction, as well as the modest New
Village at Prairie Haven in Olathe, KS and proposals for Little
Blue Valley in Independence, MO, New
Longview Farm in Lee's Summit, MO, and City
Center in Lenexa, KS). Johnson County, KS has an excellent multi-use
trail system that is a great example for the emerging metro-wide trail
and greenway initiative.
After years of unbalanced suburban growth in the southwest, new development
is more balanced in all corners of the metro, which will help reinforce
the importance of Downtown as the glue that holds the whole
friggin' thing together. Even as the suburban sprawl marches
ever onward, many communities have recognized the importance of maintaining
their original Main Street or town square areas (Parkville, Weston,
Northtown, Liberty, Lee's Summit, Mission KS, St. Joseph), while others
are also starting to catch on (Independence, Overland Park KS, Raytown,
Harrisonville). Many subdivsions in the Northland and Eastern Jackson
County are designed with the belief that the natural hilly, wooded environment
is an amenity to be embraced, not an obstacle to be bulldozed.
4. Livability and Entertainment
In general Kansas City is a very livable city. Crime is low
and continues to fall. Pollution is not a major problem. Sure it's cool
to live in Denver with a view of the mountains, but that view is often
shrouded in a thick, brown layer of smog - and it might take you an
hour or more to get out into nature. I can go from Midtown to
mountain bike trail in 30 minutes. Getting around the city by car is
very easy, there is little congestion. Visitors are amazed at the beauty
of our parks, fountains, boulevards, and urban neighborhoods, why can't
we notice these things when we drive by them everyday?
Entertaining yourself in Kansas City is definitely easy to do.
Locals often overlook that we have nationally acclaimed comedy (Stanfords)
and blues (Grand Emporium) clubs right here at home. Despite the
ignorance of most locals, KC is well-known as a center of jazz, swing
and be-bop. Kansas City is also a big restaurant mecca with many unique
non-chain restaurants in places like Westport, W. 39th St., Downtown,
Parkville, and the Independence Square. The W. 39th St. restaurant
row is the densest concentration of restaurants in a six state
radius. We have many interesting neighborhood bars all over the city,
and sometimes in the suburbs. It is not difficult to have a good time
here, you just have to be willing to expend a little effort and not
be afraid to try something new. Midwesterners should be accustomed to
working for our fun, not having it handed to them.
5. Business and Government
Kansas City has a great business climate with many entrepreneurial
success stories like Hallmark, H&R Block, Sprint, American Century,
Birch Telecom, Communitech, the Crossroads arts district, River Market
lofts, and others. We consistently rank high in terms of high tech businesses,
skills, and resources. The success and new construction at Crown Center
shows that businesses still believe in the benefits of a downtown location,
even if the loop itself doesn't appeal as a business address for everyone
at the moment.
Yes, we have a history of government corruption, but the Pendergast
machine of the 1930s is long gone, and the recent city council members
convicted of corruption in the early 1990s have been replaced by honest,
hard working public servants. And we do not have aldermen
pissing in trash cans on live television.
In the last five years there have been many encouraging signs of an
improved government and business focus on addressing some longstanding
problems, especially Downtown. After decades of discussion, planning,
and debate - it finally seems that the stars aligning and a real, practical
consensus is forming on what we want and how we can get it. The bistate
tax for Union Station was historic and provided a great spirit of cooperation
that we must build on as we look at other regional issues like transportation,
arts, and entertainment.
Of course there are some challenges
We definitely have some challenges going forward.
I think the biggest one is simply connecting all of the excellent pieces
into a whole that is better than the sum of its parts.
Improving the KCMO school district
by putting the failed
desgregation program behind us and moving forward. The district
is surrounded by some of the country's highest-rated suburban school
districts - why can't they lend a hand to their less successful neighbors?
Regional funding for regional services
(transportation, arts, stadiums, etc), so that the central city doesn't
bear the burden of supporting regional assets and suburban residents
can be included in the decision-making.
Catching up on infrastructure repairs.
W
Race relations. This is a topic for
a whole other essay. We all know the situation, so I shouldn't have
to spell it out here.
Not forgetting inner suburbs vulnerable
to decline, such as north-central KCMO (the older, southern part of
the Northland), Bannister Mall, 40 Hwy, northwestern Independence, northeastern
Johnson County, and Raytown.
An urban research university is a requirement
for any truly great city. Everyone needs to support UMKC in its
efforts step up to this role.
Better mass transit. Smart
Moves is a great plan that combines light rail, commuter rail, commuter
buses, and local buses to serve the whole metro area, but it needs dedicated
regional funding to become a reality.
Comments?
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