As time continues on and human knowledge expands, it seems as though advancements come quick and the effects of them, quicker. That’s why it is imperative to plan for the impacts of our decisions before and even as they happen. The impacts of human activities are reaching us faster than ever before which requires a plan for both mitigations of these activities and steps to prepare for the after-effects. These include an increase of 5 degrees in average annual temperatures, effects on precipitation, an increase in historic floodplain sizes, and depleted food supply. Along with changes in environmental conditions, the problem of social inequity rises even more as a priority.
The Landing has a unique position within Kansas City, socially, environmentally, and economically. These factors contribute to its potential for development, for local, regional, and global reasons. The first paragraph examined the global perspective for development. This global perspective of development is necessary because the entire world will be affected by certain decisions, more than ever. This includes Climate Change and its environmental and social effects. As well, in this increasingly globalized world that we find ourselves in, global interaction and decision impact smaller areas like the Landing all the more. Also, the Kansas City region has a large impact.
The location of the Landing within the Metro area is important as a transportation and economic corridor. The 63rd Street corridor connects several important north-south traffic-ways in the Kansas City region including the 35 Interstate, 69 Highway, 71 Highway, and the 435 Interstate. Important districts in the Metro Area are also found along the corridor including Shawnee Mission, Brookside, and Raytown. The Landing is also well served by the KCATA with three Metro Area eXpress (MAX) lines intersecting 63rd Street also along important commercial corridors: the Main MAX, the Troost MAX, and the new Prospect MAX. Already present in future area plans put together by Kansas City are initiatives to look into the possibility of a 63rd Street MAX line and 71 highway as a corridor for Light Rail Transit. The Landing’s positioning right at the center of the corridor provides it a great opportunity to be a connector point.
When looking at recent development patterns along 63rd street, the Landing seems to be the next likely place for economic development. When thinking about what leads up to and what comes after the redevelopment of the Landing, its proximity to the Research Medical Center becomes quite important. The Landing can become a place to house employees of the hospitals and a place to relax before, after, or in between shifts. We must also look at increased Transit Oriented Development along Prospect spurred by the new Prospect MAX line as well development at the Landing site. The Landing is an important nexus for past and future development along 63rd, as well as development on both sides of Kansas City.
The Landing site is bordered by Troost Avenue to the West and Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd (formerly the Paseo Blvd) to the east. These North-South corridors, the residents that live near them, and the businesses along them have historically experienced hyper-segregation, institutional racism, and high rates of poverty. So the Landing becomes a point and opportunity for the marginalized to succeed. These issues may not be solvable by one action but rather a whole slew of policies and smaller solutions, and the Landing is a great place to inspire this change.
After going over these opportunities for development, it becomes imperative to develop a plan on how to take best advantage of them. A plan that addresses the need for resiliency to improve social equity and better prepare the area and the city for any stresses or shocks that may occur.