Much of the detail study area (Southwest Trafficway to Pennsylvania Avenue, 33rd Street to 35th Street) is vacant land with ample opportunity for development. Following existing zoning land use and planned future land use from the Midtown/Plaza Area plan, the majority of the proposed housing is low density residential in the interior of the neighborhood. Medium density is proposed along the northern edge of the study area, at the intersection of Southwest Trafficway and 33rd Street. At the south-east corner of the study area, a new neighborhood park is proposed and aims to provide the neighborhood with park space that currently does not exist within the neighborhood. The eastern boundary of the area- Southwest Trafficway- is a dangerous 6 lane “stroad” that carries a large of amount of high speed traffic but still maintains numerous driveways. This plan proposes that Southwest Trafficway receive a road diet, being reduced from 6 to 4 lane. This wills till maintain the road as an important arterial but right sizes the road to abutting existing and proposed conditions, and current speed limit of 35 miles per hour. Additionally, the road diet opens the possibility of introducing a more convenient rapid transit option to the neighborhood. Changes to traffic patterns- specifically traffic continuing past the neighborhood to the Country Club Plaza and Johnson County- is expected to be absorbed by I-35, 7th Street Trafficway, and the new proposed rapid transit line. In addition to the new transit line, a new transit center on the MCC – Penn Valley campus is also proposed. This transit center would provide rider and transit operator amenities such as restrooms, seating, bicycle parking, etc, and give a dedicated connection/transfer point between the 2 existing bus routes in the area, the proposed transit line, and the college campus.

Shown above are renderings of four of the major improvements proposed to the study area.

First, are improvements to the streetscape and pedestrian safety on 33rd Street from Broadway to Southwest Trafficway.

Second, is the new neighborhood park at 35th and Pennsylvania.

Third, is the proposed road diet and accompanying bus line to Southwest Trafficway.

Fourth, is a simple mockup of the proposed transit center within the MCC – Penn Valley campus.

The suggested housing typologies are drawn mostly from existing structures within the neighborhood, specifically the small and medium size apartments shown. The duplex and triplex example shows housing stock typical of Chicago and was chosen as a demonstration of how the single family aesthetic of the neighborhood could be maintained while still increasing the total number of housing units proposed.

The “Medium Density Residential” land use shown in the above site encompasses small and medium size apartments and “Low Density Residential” is intended for duplexes and triplexes . 23 of the proposed structures are shown as medium density and would provide 92 to 276 housing units depending on final developments. 26 of the proposed structure are shown as low density, providing up to 78 housing units. In total this proposal could bring up to 354 new housing units the neighborhood.

The graphics above show the total cost and the implementation timeline for the project. Using 2021 RSMeans data and data from the Federal Highway Administration, the total cost is estimated to be 31.3 million dollars. The vast majority of the cost comes from the construction of the proposed small density structures, estimated at 21 million dollars. Admittedly, the cost estimation process was done quickly using now outdated data, so the true cost of the project is likely much higher than what is shown.

Implementation is shown over a 20 year period and gives the rough timeline expected. Priority is given to important amenities such as the transit center, neighborhood park, various infrastructure improvements, in order bring their benefit to the area as quickly as possible. The park and transit center are anticipated to be completed within 5 years, while infrastructure improvements are spread out over the full 20 year period to keep major disruptions in the area to a minimum. As a major infrastructure project, the Southwest Trafficway adjustment is expected to begin within 5 years and taking up to 10 years for full implementation. Housing is also expected to begin within 5 years and take 15 years or more for full build out.

“We have to stop demolishing places just to make it easier for cars to access more places.” — Mica

Trail Blazin’ The Midwest using Urban Ekistics to reimagine North Valentine as a connected ecological multimodal SMART district designed around the idea that cities function best when mobility, housing, public space, and community operate together rather than independently. Inspired by principles of Urban Ekistics, the project views Kansas City as a living system shaped by relationships between people, nature, society, infrastructure, and the built environment. The final site plan transforms Southwest Trafficway into a linear civic corridor (Steptoe Trail: 43rd-31st Street) that integrates below-grade transit infrastructure with an activated public space above grade. The proposal introduces protected bike infrastructure, adaptive gathering spaces, green alleyways, shaded pedestrian corridors, bioswales, multimodal pathways, and connective crossings designed to repair fragmented edges and reconnect neighborhoods previously divided by auto-oriented infrastructure. Alongside the corridor, is the Turnkey Multi-Stage Living strategy which introduces flexible housing models including brownstones, modular duplexes, mixed-use residential spaces, and quasi-industrial maker environments designed to support affordability, co-op living, students, artists, and multi-generational households. These choices were intentionally made in response to the existing conditions within Valentine, where institutional expansion, surface parking, underutilized land, fragmented public space, and limited housing diversity have weakened the continuity of the neighborhood fabric.

The implementation strategy is designed as a phased and collaborative process that combines public investment, institutional partnerships, zoning adaptation, and incremental redevelopment over a projected 10–25 year period. The proposal includes three major systems: Metro Link, a regional (KCMSA) multimodal transit network estimated between $45 – 65 billion; A linear park and civic infrastructure system: Steptoe Trail,  estimated around $3 billion; and Turnkey Multi-Stage Living, a housing and mixed-use development strategy estimated around $350 million. Funding strategies include federal infrastructure grants, transit-oriented development revenue, affordable housing programs, environmental grants, institutional partnerships, and public-private collaboration. Inspired by projects such as the Atlanta BeltLine, Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration, Singapore’s HDB housing model, and Taipei’s mixed-use density strategies. The project ultimately asks how Kansas City can reconnect itself socially, environmentally, and economically while preparing for a more resilient future. Trail Blazin’ is more than a redevelopment proposal, it’s a vision for how infrastructure can once again function as community space creating a more connected livable Midtown area for generations to come.

                                                                                                         

It Doesn’t Need Reinvention: It Needs Investment and a little love. Urban planners look at vacant lots, underused buildings, or awkward spaces and immediately start imagining cafés, apartments, bike lanes, mixed-use developments, public plazas, and bookstores with exposed brick walls and hanging plants. But in the case of North Valentine, beneath the fragmented infrastructure and inconsistent development patterns is a neighborhood with enormous potential. It doesn’t need to become something entirely different, because it already possesses many of the qualities people actively search for in urban neighborhoods: density, historic character, walkability, cultural identity, and strong regional connectivity to The Plaza, Westport, and Downtown. The existing conditions reveal a neighborhood caught between two eras; one shaped by historic urbanism and another dominated by auto-oriented infrastructure. As Kansas City continues evolving, Valentine presents an opportunity to rethink how development can strengthen community life and repair past infrastructural trauma. 

This  thinking is the foundation for Trail Blazin’ which uses Urban Ekistics,  to propose a parti  centered on connectivity, adaptability, and long-term neighborhood resilience. The project introduces ideas such as Multi-Stage Living, adaptive reuse, makers paces, ecological infrastructure, and multimodal public space to support a future where people become the priority again. Southwest Trafficway is reimagined as a ecological civic corridor with housing, public space, and mobility systems designed to function together rather than independently. However, none of this can happen without collaboration. Major stakeholders (neighborhood residents, developers, institutions, local businesses) like; Kansas City Life, MCC, VFW, VNA and the City of Kansas City must work together to create a shared vision for the future of Valentine. Because Valentine does not need reinvention: just a little love; coordinated investment, strategic planning, and the opportunity to fully become the community it was always capable of being.

Over the last 50 years, Valentine has lost numerous housing units leading to an excess of vacant land in the northern portion of the neighborhood. A portion of this land has already been identified by Kansas City Life Insurance as an opportunity for housing development and considering the now vacant land was once housing, it follows that all that land could be used for housing once again. Another development opportunity for the neighborhood is the construction of a park. While there are nearby parks such as Roanoke Park to the west, Hyde Park to the East, and Penn Valley Park to the north, access to these parks are blocked by major roads that act as a barrier for Valentine residents. The construction of a new neighborhood park would leverage the already vacant land for productive use.

I was tasked with researching education statistics in the Valentine neighborhood and how it compares to both Midtown and Kansas City over the last 8 decades. These research points include educational attainment and enrollment by public or private schooling.

Educational Attainment

As shown in Fig. 1, Valentine is a relatively well-educated neighborhood with nearly 80% of the population achieving at least some college education.

Fig. 1

This is line with data seen across the Midtown area in Kansas City, shown in Fig. 2, of which Valentine is a part of- having a similar 80% of the population achieving a college education.

Fig. 2

Both Valentine and Midtown outpace Kansas City in college educational attainment- shown in Fig. 3- though Kanas City is still well-educated with just over 60% of the population reaching college education. As a result, in all geographies, both Less than Highschool and Highschool attainments have continuously fallen.

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 4 shows public versus private school attendance across all 3 geographies. While attendance splits have remained relatively constant in Midtown and Kansas City, Valentine has seen fluctuations over the last 60 years, though private school enrollment has consistently been above what is seen in Midtown and Kansas City.

My project is over Valentine’s Neighborhood area. This is the first housing type designed in the area. This is an attached townhome. It is located below W. 33rd St and above W. 34 St and can be found between Jefferson St and Southwest Traffic-way . It has 60 units. It has two halls one east and one west. The majority of the parking lot is located on the east side of the east hall. It has an attached balcony and exterior hallway in the center. The entrance is located on W. 33^rd St. 

The Second housing type is a multi- unit building. It is located at the edge of Southwest Traffic way, W. 35^th St, and Jefferson Street. It has 41 units. The entrance is located on Jefferson Street. Its parking lot surrounds the building. The parking lot is in the front of the building. It is a commercial multi-unit building and can be found adjacent to Southwest Traffic way.

Finally, I have a pickleball court. It has two courts and it includes a parking lot. The pickleball court is designed on a limited standard and it is designed to fit with parking deviation. The court is found at Pennsylvania Ave, Jefferson St, and below W. 34^th Street. 

So, what drives my design and development plan? 

The townhome is there because there is massing in that area and other historic buildings near the area can also be found and as well as featuring grandfathering. The other housing types are called multi-unit buildings, and they are there because of the open area and other incentives like the density of fewer residential houses. Finally, the pickleball court is there because it could alleviate the energy in the new building and other health facilities near Broadway Blvd. 

I believe that there is massive room for development in this area AND the ability to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood that once was, and is still admired by the people who live there and around it.

I propose that there are three different kids of infill in this neighborhood. The first is duplex housing that is offered at market rate and runs along Southwest/ Summit. This housing would reflect single unit homes across the street, but would be multiple unit homes in disguise. I see room for 10 of these units in this area.

The homes would be stacked and easily accessible. The would match existing brick in current buildings in the area as well.

I believe that there is room for the missing middle to exist here too, and those developments would be within the core of the neighborhood. There are two existing multi unit buildings in the neighborhood that are not being use and I believe that mimicking those styles throughout the inside of the neighborhood would create consistency, while making more room for more people at a more affordable rate.

The Detiz building is a six plex on Jefferson Street that could easily be replicated in the neighborhood enough times to create a hundred new units within the core of the neighborhood.

Finally, I recommend some sort of higher rise, multi unit housing that can serve as student or transitional housing for people attending the school or trying to get back on their feet with access to public amenities in the urban core that supports them doing so. This structure should have at least 50 units.

The valentine neighborhood is in the unique position of being a walkable neighborhood sandwiched between two bustling streets and continued points of access. This makes the neighborhood susceptible to visitors, explorers and neighbors alike.

In my exploration of the public realm, I was tasked with identifying signage. While there was no shortage of beautiful, whimsical signs along the busier streets showcasing long standing institutions, like The Uptown Theater, I felt more called to investigate the signs being created by the people who represent this area.

On either side of this street, you can see the sings placed in these yards by the people who live there that are anti KC Life Insurance company. Their views are being shared in this community and it demonstrates their wants.

To some, this may seem like trash put on a post, but in my eyes, this placement is a testament to a time in the neighborhood and what someone coming through here was carrying with them.

There are also public art instances that I suggested could be used as signs to show who is in this area and what they represent.

It was also interesting to me the way that the color orange was so frequently used, how it is attached to the feeling of happiness, according to my research and how its counter part, the color blue, was used to convey feelings of hurt and sadness ( see the first image of the KC Life Insurance signs in the yards).

My work on the existing conditions report for The Valentine neighborhood included not only my research on poverty in the area, but the environment as well. I worked with a team that investigated the neighborhood above and below for the quality of the area.

This image shows the two different soil quality types that exist in this area. These urban soils are highly draining, making it difficult for water to be absorbed, especially when the west side of the neighborhood is at a significant slope compared to the east side. Water is able to collect there potentially leading to flooding on the street or in what would have been houses along that side.

This image shows the topography of the area, supporting concerns for flooding that may occur.

Together, my team also found a brownfield just north of valentine on the MCC campus that needs mitigation, as well as 8 underground tanks that should be inspected. These tanks could impact water quality in the area.

The Valentine neighborhood occupies several blocks in West Midtown. From the North it starts at 31st st, to the East is Broadway Boulevard, to the West it is Summit/ Southwest Traffic way and to the South it is bordered by 40th street.

Within this area, we studied the different demographics of people and many things about them to understand where they were coming from and what they were working with.

It was my responsibility to gauge the amount of people in the area who were experiencing poverty in ages 65 +, poverty in Children and people who are requiring public assistance to live compared to the surrounding areas of Midtown and Kansas City, MO as a whole.

The data above shows a dip in poverty for people over 65 in the 1990’s, but it consistently shows rates of poverty in people over 65 in Valentine as being in poverty compared to people in the other comparable areas, if only by a small amount.

Surprisingly, children in the area (which according to some of my colleagues studies, there are not many) show that many kids in the area, especially currently, are living in poverty. This includes all children 17 and under living at home.

The households receiving public assistance total have shown quite a bit of movement over time, but show a rapid increase after the dip in the aughts.

Overall, there is enough evidence to support that these demographics of the area are in need of assistance. It is my hope that through this work, we can figure out exactly why these groups are needing so much more support to live in Valentine.