Living and growing up in the Kansas City Area, the concept of parks and open recreational space is nothing new to me. However, it wasn’t after beginning this project, visiting and surveying multiple parks throughout the area that I really began to feel and understand the complexity of Kansas City’s Parks and Boulevards System.

One of my immediate observations in researching the public space throughout the city was not only the number of parks, but the contrast of park conditions. Between both the quality of park space, and the use of park space, it is evident that some parks throughout the city are better utilized than others, and depending on the time of year, or even day, the number of park-goers in each park can be drastically different. Take for example, Budd Park, which I visited on a sunny  afternoon. As you can see, when I arrived, the park and its surrounding were completely bare. However, shorty after school let out, it quickly began to fill up with younger aged kids, and their parents.

On the other hand, we have Troost Lake, which was visited on a different day, around the same time. Not only was this park completely empty, aside from  residents across the street, but it was poorly maintained in comparison to other locations in Kansas City’s park system. The path around the lake was nearly non-existent and muddy, and the shores of the lake were littered with trash, dead fish, and animal feces.

So why is that? Why are some parks better maintained than others? Why is there a crowd of people at this park, but nobody at that park? In my opinion it’s all about the amenities that a park has to offer. Some go to socialize and relax, while others use them for physical activity. Another thing that was clear to me was the range of activities promoted by each park, from passive activities to active activities. While several parks around the area simply house trails that promote walking, jogging, or biking, such as Mill Creek Park, others, such as Gillham Park, just south of 39th Street offer amenities such as tennis courts, playgrounds, and even a baseball diamond.