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.