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Final Presentation

The North Loop in Kansas City, Missouri is between the Downtown area and River Market. The Downtown Loop was built in the early 50’s with a vision of creating fast transportation around the city. In doing so, River Market, Columbus Park, and Downtown were separated and no longer safe for pedestrian and bike accessibility. The vision for the highway quickly turned into a safety hazard and an obstacle for pedestrianism.

My final proposal for the redevelopment of the North Loop is to build onto the existing infrastructure and pedestrianize most of the area that is currently taken up by the highway. Instead of demolishing the highway in its entirety, I will be proposing that the highway transitions into a transit hub with pedestrian walkways and bike paths on either side. See Figure I and II. The hilly green space would transition into park space as well as be developed into housing and mixed-use commercial development. I have reconnected Independence Avenue to be used as an arterial street, therefore allowing for two pedestrian/bike bridges, Wyandotte Street and Walnut Street, to be used as a safe connector for residents of the area. See Figure III. In order for the pedestrianized area to be activated during the year, my proposal implements canopies and lighting over the walkways, as well as heated benches for the Winter months.

Figure I.

Figure II.

Figure III.

                  Development in the transit hub area would include about 500 units of housing. To combat prices and allow for accessible housing, I am proposing a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy. This policy ensures that any new development must include a portion of permanently income-restricted affordable housing units. The policy would apply directly to development on either side of the North Loop Corridor. All development would be accessible from both sides of the building at differing heights, the pedestrian walkway as well as Independence Avenue. Residential buildings would be no more than 4-stories and most likely implemented as row houses to buy and/or rent. Mixed-use residential and commercial development would be no more than 4-stories and provide goods and services as well as apartments and condos to buy and/or rent. See Figure IV.

Figure IV.

The North and South side of the North Loop are in Community Improvement Districts; however, the loop itself is not part of this tool. My proposal includes extending the Community Improvement Districts to cover each side of the North Loop; therefore, development could be partially funded by sales tax revenue. For developers to break ground, they would need to apply for a Request for Proposal. This ensures the community is on board with the project and allows for city and federal funding grants or loans to be awarded for development. Phasing would include three phases: reconnecting the arterial streets, redevelopment of I-70 and I-35 into a transit hub and pedestrian walkway, and finally, the development of residential and commercial space. See Figure V. The total costs of the redevelopment of the North Loop would be  ~$350 million. This cost is based on Public-Private-Partnerships with the city, demolition costs, building material, and land value. To keep costs minimal, my proposal uses as much of the existing infrastructure as possible.

Figure V.

                  In conclusion, the Redevelopment of the North Loop into a transit hub is feasible in many ways. A pedestrianized version of a transit hub allows for connectivity among neighborhoods, accessibility, and an active space that will last generations. Although costly, the land is valuable and desirable for developers. The implementation of the Community Improvement District, Request for Proposal, Public-Private-Partnership, and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, all ensure that the residents are not enduring any extra cost burden. The space has large potential and will continue to expand the economic success through the city.

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Development Opportunities

The redesign of the North Loop into a transit hub raises many questions regarding the feasibility of the project as well as the intentions of the redesign. In my proposal I am responding to the issue of pedestrian right of ways and usage of the space outside of a transit hub. The North Loop is well-known for minimizing the pedestrian experience, therefore I am proposing the pedestrianization of the North Loop, as well as the transition into a transit hub.

My proposal utilizes the surrounding space as green space with the implementation of art, workspaces, and space for play. My proposal also includes a pedestrian and bike pathway along the transit hub and extending further past to allow for development on either side of the roadway. In addition to the pathway, pedestrian areas that do not align with the transit hub pedestrian access would be separated by a small stream with native plants, catching drainage as well as beautifying the space. By transitioning this space into a pedestrian experience, the North Loop would not only become a space for people to use transportation but would also become a destination space for people of all ages.

In pedestrianizing the area, my proposal also involves transitioning the Wyandotte Street and Walnut Street bridges into pedestrian only right of ways. See Figure I. In doing so, the bridges would act as connectors between River Market and Downtown and make the space overall much safer.

Figure I.

In addition to pedestrian right of ways, my proposal also includes development on either side of the newly designed transit hub. With the idea of transitioning the North Loop into a transit hub as well as a destination, most of the development would be mixed-use, residential and commercial, with a small section by Columbus Park reserved for residential only. As Kansas City continues to grow, we must support the industries that give Kansas City its identity. Therefore, the mixed-use development would include a grocery store, restaurants, coffee and beer roasters, etc.

In conclusion, Kansas City has a great deal to offer, and utilizing the current infrastructure to create beautiful spaces and support the connection of communities is vital in repurposing the North Loop area. The disconnect between Downtown and River Market continues to diminish the interest of the public eye, and reconnecting these communities through a pedestrian-approach would allow for a more energetic and active space.

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Elements of the Public Realm

Elements of the public realm refer to the physical environment within a public space that give the space identity and character. Examples of elements include landscape, signage, entrances, etc.

My element of study in this section was street furniture. Whether that be furniture to sit, lean, or lay down, there are all sorts of furniture in our public spaces that give the space identity. There are also differing types of street furniture when it comes to how the furniture is used in a space. In my analysis, I include six different types of street furniture as follows: moveable furniture, accessible furniture, stationary furniture, aesthetic furniture, furniture for conversing, furniture for resting, furniture for observing, and furniture for play. Figure I.

Figure I.

Analyzing these spaces in terms of elements is important in breaking down the public realm into the simplest of terms. How can we understand why public spaces are successful or unsuccessful without first understanding the basic elements of the space?

                  Through this analysis of the public realm of the North Loop,  I was able to conclude that areas to the North of the North Loop have successfully implemented strategic street furniture that adds to the enjoyment of the space. However, the South side of the North Loop has made small attempts to add street furniture, although the implementation cannot compare to other surrounding areas. The street furniture is mainly implemented in transit stops and outside of residential buildings. Due to this, the public realm faces hardships when it comes to the pedestrian experience.

                  A solution to this issue is to implement more street furniture that are outlined in Figure I. Implementing furniture for conversing, resting, observing, etc. allows the space to be utilized in ways other than transitioning from indoor space to the next indoor space. This simple implementation would spark the interest of pedestrians and bring more density to the area.

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Final Blog – Chris Morales

I wanted to show the proximity of the transit center in comparison to the city, Bi-State Corridor, and 9 counties defined by MARC. This supports the idea of redeveloping the North Loop to have a transit center. It’s located in the center of everything, connecting all the metro area. The North Loop is a hub for transit, Ride KC, bikeways and trails. Adding a transit center will improve and raise utilization for these modes of transportation.

My idea is to keep the highway or trench, which will be the main site of the transit center, capping it and developing on top of it while also infilling the north side of Downtown, Colombus Park, and the rest of River Market. I’m reconnecting Independence Ave and Missouri Ave while adding pedestrian crosswalks on Cherry Ave and Central St.

Exisiting Conditions and Site Plan Board FINALDownload

I was inspired by the Transbay Center in San Francisco when I was brainstorming about KC’s transit center. It’s similar in terms of shape and layout. The name or theme of it is The Connect – North Loop. This transit center will have 2 floors. The 1st floor will be in the trench, which will be the pickup and drop off location of buses. The 2nd floor will have services, and a ride share lot. As far as the 1st floor where the highway is, we will make it more accessible and safer for pedestrians and bikers. There will be road diets, there will not be highway entrances and exits in the north loop, reduce speed.

Transit CenterDownload

Implementation will be split into increments of 5 years from 2025 to 2045. Phase 1 will include the transit center and mobility hub, which will also be the most expensive. Phase 2 will focus on the outskirts of the transit center where most if not all the housing will be in. Phase 3 is the surrounding area of the Transit Center which will include commercial, and mix-use and phase 4 will be the right side of the transit center where most of the greenspace will be at.

Implementation StagesDownload
Potential Housing InfillDownload

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Development Opportunities

Over the past few weeks, I have developed a design for a North Loop Transit Station including a stretch of mix-use downtown development and greenspace inspired by the San Antonio Riverwalk. Coming to this conclusion took research in why a transit hub is needed. What was found within the classes research was that with the Buck O’Neil Bridge built, the number of automobiles running through the North Loop is significantly less then the rest of the loop making a it great candidate for a BRT transit only passageway.

The new uses that could go on the new urban land next to the highway can include a pedestrianized focus as the area just north is Kansas City’s River Market. It would cohesively run together connecting the bridge of pedestrian walking development within downtown and bus transportation throughout the greater metro area. I personally see a great mix of housing to the east and more commercial development throughout the middle and West of the North Loop. Keeping a lot of the green space is also important as there is already a big impact of the Urban Heat Island Effect throughout the area and having a park like structure around the pedestrian development would improve activity.

Within the next 20 years Kansas City is estimated to grow along with the rise of AI and technological advancements. Opening the North Loop to become not only a transit hub, but a prime place to test or use new high speed forms of transportation like a light rail. Of course this may be more than 20 years in the future, but eventually have a rail from east to west coast cutting right through Kansas City would bring a new realm of possibilities. For now, having a few main line of buses spanning from the KCI Airport all the way down to South Lee’s Summit or Spanning from Olathe to Blue Springs would give opportunities to residents they may not have had before. These opportunities could be more job openings as they don’t have to stay within their town, seeing family, etc.

The housing market within Kansas City is just like anywhere else in 2025, expensive and scarce. Within the North Loop I believe we can utilize the existing landscaping and build housing on the flat interstate ground. Building multi-family housing to the East side where there is already a park and neighborhood would densify and create a connection between the neighborhoods that were once divided by the highway. Living near the North Loop especially if the transit hub is bult would give you access to the whole metro area by just walking a few blocks. You would have access to small businesses and new development would include places like a grocery store, and essentials all while being far enough away where noise wouldn’t be a problem.

The North Loop has several development opportunities where the land and its people could benefit greatly instead of being underutilized by its one use… for cars. I see the North Loop being turned into a destination where people alike can gather and explore our great metro area.

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North Loop Final Presentation – Wyatt Boyd

My final project was called “Close the Loop”. The name has a double meaning, referring to the closure of the North Loop to car traffic as well as “closing the loop” on past injustices caused by the section of highway.

My goals were:

  • Conversion of North Loop to a busway, reusing existing bridges to reduce cost, and reconfiguring ramps where necessary
  • Pedestrianization of downtown core, and the addition of parking garages to accommodate removal of street parking and surface parking lots
  • Construction of a new transit center at Delaware and 6th St, above North Loop, with the lower level being a busway for express buses, the upper level on Delaware serving the streetcar and north-south local buses, and 6th Street serving east-west local buses
  • Bringing the Heart of America Bridge at grade at Independence Ave
  • Spurring development along 6th St and Independence Ave: the busway will accommodate delivery vehicles with loading zones
  • Spur infill development elsewhere throughout the site

Phasing

My development phasing was radial, starting from the transit center itself at 6th and Delaware, and expanding out from there. I figured that the area around the transit center would be the main catalyst of development, and infill would follow soon after. Additionally, I proposed some additional housing developments in the early stages to address immediate needs, especially towards the Columbus Park neighborhood.

Land Use

I focused commercial development near the busway and residential development in the more historically residential neighborhoods like Columbus Park and Quality Hill. Parking structures are located on the near the proposed pedestrianized areas of downtown.

Circulation

For pedestrian and private vehicle circulation, I focused on maintaining connections for cars (adding a couple ramps to maintain highway access, for instance) while enhancing the pedestrian experience (dedicating several blocks to pedestrians). I aimed to create a balanced circulation plan that preserves access to all modes where necessary while also prioritizing safety and economic development.

The addition of busways, along with the anticipated NorthRail expansion to the streetcar, creates a unique transit circulation system downtown. The blue lines indicate routes with dedicated transit right-of-way, while excluding most bus routes, since these often change for a variety of reasons and cannot be assumed static for purposes of a transit center. In addition, with my transit center proposal, many local bus routes may be rerouted, as the transit center enables local buses to stop on 6th and Delaware.

Delivery access was a major feature of my plan, detailed more in my previous blog post concerning development.

Precedent

I had inspiration from a number of cities, both within and outside of the US:

  • I used Barcelona’s concept of superblocks to pedestrianize downtown while preserving car circulation
  • Denver’s Union Station inspired the lower-level busway in my transit center proposal
  • Tremont Ave in New York City inspired me to allow truck access on the busway
  • Ontario’s busways inspired much of my design, providing a precedent for dedicated right-of-way busways

Infrastructure Reuse

My design was able to reuse many existing bridges and rights-of-way, which lowered the cost of the proposal.

Bi-State Corridor

The busway greatly benefits the Bi-State Corridor initiative, providing a quick route from KCK to Independence.

Cost/Implementation

Costs of similar projects were used to forecast costs of each element of the infrastructure project. Development costs were separate and not included in this estimate, since they would be primarily on the private side.

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North Loop Development Opportunities – Wyatt Boyd

A graph of population growth AI-generated content may be incorrect.

The primary issue the North Loop has faced over the past several decades has been depopulation, due in no small part to the effects of outdated highway infrastructure. We have seen massive losses in potential economic value through underused valuable land, not only with the highway footprint itself, but also adjacent blocks deprived of much of their value through the negative effects of the infrastructure.

It’s important to note that there are real economic benefits to any piece of infrastructure, and that must be taken into consideration – the removal of a highway, without careful thought, could end up helping some groups while hurting others. I will detail this point more in my next blog.

For future land use, I considered the effects of my proposed busway, and how commercial development might fit the downtown core and transportation-adjacent areas better, while areas such as Columbus Park might call for more residential infill. I also looked at past land use and aimed to match the character of both past and present.

The recent trend of increased development is continued exponentially with my plan, and catalyzed through “keystone” developments such as the transit center and massive housing developments towards Columbus Park.

A key factor in catalyzing development in the North Loop is the accommodation of commercial deliveries.

The largest piece of this is my proposed delivery corridor along the busway. This corridor would provide dedicated access to deliver goods to what would become a massive commercial corridor along the former highway. The unique topography of the corridor makes this work quite well, with the possibility of loading bays on the delivery route, which would align with the lower level of the commercial developments, one floor below the street-level first floors.

In addition, the pedestrianization of some downtown streets would prove beneficial for delivery vehicles, eliminating conflicts for parking spaces and providing easier access for vehicles permitted to enter the pedestrianized zone.

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Existing Conditions: An Historical Analysis of Housing and Demographic Data in the North Loop

Kansas City’s Downtown Loop was a project of immense proportions when it was built. It was also a project of immense implications. Implications about where people who lived or worked downtown would go once it tore through their neighborhoods. Implications about the types of people planners wanted to attract to downtown. And implications about what was more valuable: vibrant, financially formidable neighborhoods, or convenience for an ever-growing population of suburbanites.

Belvidere Hollow, an historically Black neighborhood, was one of the freeway’s first victims. The neighborhood, while disenfranchised, provided housing, community, and business.
Belvidere Hollow’s destruction. Aside from making way for the freeway, the neighborhood was also razed to build a park. After suffering years of neglect, the park was sold back to the city in 2019 and was commissioned as the site for a psychiatric hospital in 2024.

The North Loop was the first part of this larger development, and it remains today an enormous influence over the character of downtown. The North Loop mainly serves people that don’t live downtown, or among those that do, those who work outside it. While this is good for providing job opportunities for people across the metro, it creates problems for the area. Whole swaths of housing, businesses, and historic structures were razed to make way for the Intercity Freeway; the name given to the North Loop at its inception. And in order to accommodate all the new car traffic anticipated, downtown would have to raze more buildings in favor of surface parking lots and garages. Instead of creating or maintaining neighborhoods where people can walk to what they need, and can have job opportunities near their homes, the city (and the nation) adopted a model of building things further and further away from each other.

The famous “Junction” at 9th and Main, now destroyed to realign the streets and make way for the Intercity Freeway.

This pattern created a downtown that is today inhospitable in many places. Buildings appear to retreat from the highway, almost fearful that they may join their fallen comrades. The patterns of people have changed as well. Young families with children are few and far between downtown, barring the occasional visitors to the River Market. There are also very few elderly people. They and their parents have long-since moved away to the suburbs, never to return. The age group that dominates downtown is young professionals, and to a certain extent this group is male-dominated, perhaps because of the job opportunities in tech and finance that swallowed up downtowns beginning in the latter half of the 20th century.

Population totals and population by sex differ greatly in the downtown area vs the metro as a whole.

In more recent years, though, Kansas City has recognized the value of walkable communities and dense development, and the dangers posed by infrastructure like urban freeways. In the last 15 years, several efforts have been made to revitalize downtown, including the KC streetcar and new planning documents like the Downtown Area Plan (2019) and the KC Spirit Playbook (2023).

Infill and loft development has also been incentivized with measures like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, and these have seen marked success increasing those developments.

Maps showing change in loft developments across downtown Kansas City, Missouri. (Kansas City and How it Grew 1822-2011, Shortridge, James R.)

Some aspects of this new growth have seen pushback, however. For many, downtown is still not affordable to live in, for example. While its decline may not have been a result of gentrification, there is still a price barrier to entry for many who wish to move there.

A key aspect of this is lack of affordable housing. The snowball effect of downtown’s decline (from the installation of the highway, demolition of buildings for parking, and the subsequent disinvestment in the now undesirable area) perhaps unsurprisingly came with a destruction of housing units.

Tenure of downtown housing units 1940 – 2020.

Because most of the housing in downtown was rental, the gap between rented and owned housing came very close to closing following this destruction, albeit for the wrong reasons. The above curve is the same basic shape found in other figures regarding housing and population. A sharp decline mid-century, followed by a recent gradual upturn.

Total Housing Units by Year Structure Built by Survey Year for Studied Census Tracts.

The above figure is perhaps the most interesting find of this section of the research that went into this project. The number of housing units built 1939 or before appears to increase after the survey year. How might this be possible? Although some margin for error in data collection can be counted against it, this phenomenon could also be showing adaptive reuse of buildings built before 1939 that were previously condemned or were under a different use such as offices or factories (i.e. lofts).

The shape of downtown, and the north loop in particular depends on our understanding of the existing conditions there presently. The two topics addressed above, history and demographics, give us various calls to action. There is the need to reintroduce housing, especially at an affordable rate and in places people want to live and work. There is the need to attract different groups of people, especially different ages of people, like the elderly and young families with children. Making downtown livable for them is key to making it hospitable for everyone. Addressing the history of the place is also key. Reconnecting the neighborhoods that have been torn apart, and revitalizing what is left, are both highly important aspects of this project, and history has an enormous role to play in informing our decisions for that going forward. A better downtown is only possible when we recognize what we’ve lost and what we have to work with .

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Development Opportunities Blog

These is my developmental opportunity blog. It is a draft toward final. I started with a map and made a proposal based on that which shows the three sketches above. The first sketch is a historical context of the map of North Loop which shows the what is now and will be in the future. The second sketch is parking context which is the development of spaces with the highway and the last sketch is an Entrance context which shows the accessibility of the streets and parking as well as the buildings.

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Elements of the Public Realm: Trees and Landscape

Within the North Loop, I was assigned to study the surrounding Trees and Landscape. Overall, the condition of trees was surprising, but still not as good as one would hope. When it came to the landscape condition along the highway… one can only guess that, yes, it was dangerous.

Trees:

Tree Cover Diagram of the North Loop

The Tree Cover Map above shows how much of the surrounding area is covered by trees. Within my research I have noticed that trees provide a number of benefits to the community (besides giving the planet AIR). Benefits Include:

  • Shade/Cooling (helps fight the Urban Heat Island Effect)
  • Places to sit or lay (especially when paired with street furniture)
  • Walls/Protection (against major roads or other dangerous areas)
  • Creates a sense of place (makes a place feel comforting)
  • Makes a Facade (blocks eyesores or inspires nicer development)
Illustration looking North onto City Market Park

When it comes to trees around the North Loop I found that places with trees are in places that aren’t very practical for pedestrians. City Market Park (shown above) is tucked away behind the city market and faces 3rd street. Personally, I never even knew that City Market Park was there when I was in person walking around. To get to it you either need to go behind all the stores, enter through 3rd street, which isn’t pedestrian activated as well as 5th street, or walk past a fenced off parking lot on 5th street. This makes this park unable to be densely populated.

River Market
Sidewalk- West Side of Delaware St.

Places that were densely populated by pedestrians ended up being the least “green.” Within the River market there was no trees whatsoever and designed for cars to park even though the site has hundreds of pedestrians walking throughout the area. On the sidewalk closest to the Delaware Bridge had spots where trees were supposed to go, but then were removed. This empty pothole of sidewalk then becomes a hazard for walking pedestrians (I would know as I tripped into one).

6th and Charlotte- West
Independence and Grand- Southwest
Tree Diagram of the Heart of America Bridge and Columbus Park

On the other hand places that are very close to the highway and are potentially dangerous to pedestrians are full of trees! The diagram above shows clusters of trees within major roads, which becomes inaccessible to pedestrians, but where there are people always playing and hanging around (Columbus Park) in the top right corner there are only sparse spread out trees that provides little shade.

South Columbus Park- New Tree Plantings

What we can do to improve the trees around the north loop is… you guessed it… PLANT MORE TREES! Especially in places that would benefit the community and the planet overall!

Landscape:

Interstate Highway facing West towards Wyandotte St. Bridge

The landscape around the highway is infamously nicknamed “the ditch” for a good reason. Bridges have 15+ feet between the top of the ditch to the bottom. This is a problem when considering visibility, pedestrian traffic, and speed. When cars are within the ditch it is hard to see other traffic merging on and is hard to merge off. Pedestrians when walking near the ditch have no protection against slipping and rolling down into the highway and because there is a tunnel-like straight shot, cars are more prone to speeding as this part is marked as a 55 zone, but in my experience cars are going more towards 65 to 70 miles per hour.

Section of “The Ditch” showing steepness

The above section shows just how steep the highway is. If we were to make the North Loop friendly for pedestrians we would have to input stairs. The ideal slope for stairs is 25 to 50 degrees and the site is a 30 to 35 degree slope which is well with the range. This also puts into perspective how dangerous it is for pedestrians walking on the top. If people get curious and try to look down or get close, then that poses the risk of slipping and falling down.

Tree Barrier Placement Map
Tree Barrier Illustration- Corner of Wyandotte and 6th Street

In the meantime, I propose we create a tree barrier on the outside of the ditch. This would help the tree conditions and landscape conditions within the North Loop. As mentioned previously, trees can provide a barrier and facade to prevent people from trying to cross into the dangerous landscape conditions and making a “out of sight out of mind” mindset making people less curious about trying to look or go into said landscape anyway. Now, I hear people saying “but wouldn’t it make people MORE curious about what’s on the other side?” Possibly, but then comes the barrier part, people wouldn’t want to cross far past the trees AND it would create more apparent openings to look from the safe bridges.

Overall:

When it comes to Trees and landscape the North Loop has great potential to create a unique and inviting experience for all modes of transportation. We will be able to help the community, the planet, and other elements of the public realm if we improve these fundamental elements.