This is a project of reclamation.
My project is for Valentine residents
and all
residents of Kansas City
What this project does
is address issues that we know
are true.
Addressing an
inequitable,
public realm destroying ,
over commitment
to car scaled development.
The type of development that echos the traumas of the 1947 master plan and the urban renewal that followed
the focus of this plan
revolves around
de-suburbanizing
our urban core
and in-so increasing
more equitable and efficient mobility options to allow residents to move around more freely.
emphasizes safety for pedestrians in Valentine and Kansas Coty
to address these issues i went further back than the 47 plan that enabled them.
Kessler’s 1891- nationally recognized parks system built as a skeleton for generations to build upon
and today i think its been neglected.
that system should be the foundation of a walkable city
I think valentine can be the perfect catalyst project for that end
it is through this lens that i did my design.
—-
When thinking about the future of valentine the
foremost important relationship is with southwest traffic way
it needs to change.
Not only changing transportation patterns but creating new human scaled development opportunities.
This plan would have southwest traffic way function more like Main Street
Imagine the Effect
Southwest (a street where people open their front doors to) more livable and walkable
How that changes the uses that are appropriate for the street and
unlocks and activates the ground floor
as a place for pedestrians.
This plan would place affordable student housing on the Northeast corner of the MCC parcel as well as add a transit center for the streetcar. Something like scholars row
Add much needed Mixed use dense apartments at the corridor intersection next to the transit center.
A major element of this plan is creating a pedestrian parkway through the middle of the plan
Today 34th is a dead end at sw tfcwy
Imagine a pedestrian trail
That connects directly to 34th St. which leads right to Roanoke Park.
I refer to this as the Roanoke connection in the plan. Providing much needed park space for all Kansas city residents-
We should also reward Brownes local market with an investment in their park.
Pedestrianized development is the heart of this project and what fills the void.
The plan would change the relationship between cars and pedestrians inside the neighborhood streets,,,,,,
Stating,
that this neighborhood puts pedestrians first vehicles second.
This is accomplished through
infrastructure design
- Bollards/ strategically placed landscaping
- Pavers
- Raised Streets upon entrance
All of these infrastructure designs reinforce pedestrian safety through infrastructure – not signage
And this plan shouldn’t stop in Valentine – it should continue to emphasize mobility around midtown and reconnecting midtown to the crossroads.