A stretch of limited-access highway over three-quarters of a century in the making, the North Loop runs through downtown Kansas City, MO where I-35 and I-70 meet at the Lewis and Clark Viaduct on top of bluffs overlooking the West Bottoms to I-29’s southernmost point underneath Independence Ave between Troost and Forest in the east. Part of the city’s wider expressway system serving citizens from River Market and Columbus Park to those in far-flung Platte County, it is an arguable fulcrum in the balancing act of regional economic interests. The North Loop’s role as such was spelled out as early as 1951 in a report by the Plan Commission1 and continuous engineering improvements have been made in furtherance of this role.
Its role as other things to other interested parties has been reinforced over time, too. Residents living in the backyard of the Downtown Loop have every right to interact with their public investment as a commuter, but not everyone is a commuter. While it remains to be seen whether the problems charged to running urban freeways through existing walkable neighborhoods can be engineered out of existence, attempts to wield walkability as a asset for economic development in the corridor will only hasten the day this alleged conflict comes to blows. For now, the North Loop will continue in both its intended role of controlling car access onto it and in its unintended role of controlling non-car access through it–from Quality Hill on one side to River Market on the other, then to Columbus Park and back again to the East Village and Paseo West–the degree of pedestrian permeability between neighborhoods remains constant despite any improvements made within them.
A visit to the site approximately bound by 4th and Walnut in the northwest, I-35/70 at Walnut in the southwest, I-35/70 at Cherry in the southeast, and 4th and Cherry in the northeast corners lends to this between/within disparity. The barrier provided by the North Loop interchange with MO State Highway 9 is psychological as well as it is physical; if not located at near-hairpin corners where the opposite side of the street is a retaining wall, it would seem neither the 531 Grand Apartments and Bridgeworks Lofts developments located at Independence & Oak and Missouri & Locust, nor their angled tenant street parking, would have been possible. If not already inside a surviving legacy block morphology–that is to say a block not demolished following the highway earthworks, the development opportunities of parcels abutting the highway in the aforementioned site boundaries have so far presented themselves as (dog) park, parking, and empty lot.
View looking south from atop the grade of MO-9’s interchange with the North Loop near the Bridgeworks Lofts at Missouri Ave and Locust Ln. The partially obscured 531 Grand Apartments can be seen at the far right. Immediately to the left, the highway routing sign indicates the point at which the southbound MO-9 offramp, whose grading forms the hard eastern boundary between River Market and Columbus Park, forks into the North Loop’s westbound lanes to the right and the eastbound lanes to the left.
Looking south from the south side of the corner of Missouri Ave and Locust Ln near the northeast corner of the parcel on which KCFD Station 25 sits. The chainlink fence delineates the property line between the fire station and the public highway right of way. Beyond the fence is the wayfinding sign indicating the position of the same fork from the previous photo.
Looking east-southeast and down into the westbound lane of Exit 2F onto Independence and Grand from near the corner of Independence and Oak. This exit has maintained this alignment since its construction in the late 1950s.
East-northeast view of the North Loop with east & westbound traffic from the east side of the Grand Blvd bridge between Independence Ave & E 6th St. The flyover connecting southbound traffic exiting MO-9 feeds into westbound North Loop traffic under this bridge. Urban forests must be cut down to size to maintain lines of sight for highway ingress and egress.
Northwest view from E 6th St between Superior and Page Sts of I-70 including eastbound traffic and a car utilizing exit 2E to turn off onto the intersection with 6th and Page. The 531 Grand Apartments and Harry’s Country Club are in the background.
Northwest view of the 531 Grand apartments from where Exit 2E funnels eastbound traffic into the intersection at E 6th and Page Sts. The impermeable slab concrete island maintains the necessary clear line of sight between 6th itself and the merge onto 6th, pictured in the foreground. Behind this offramp is an urban forest where lines of sight can be reasonably sacrificed.
North-northwest view, on the south side of E 6th St between Page and Cherry Sts., looking toward the interchange between I-70 and MO-9. The southbound traffic of the latter leads into the foreground from the distance after having crossed the Heart of America Bridge to terminate at Admiral and Locust (not pictured), but not before consecutively passing over the interstate and then E 6th St. In the foreground, 6th passes under MO-9. Immediately due north, both the stacks of the Vicinity Energy plant and the “spire” of the Cold Storage Lofts can be seen rising in the background from obscurity behind the Bridgeworks Lofts and, for their height, may be used as informal points of reference for wayfinding.
View looking north where Cherry St meets Missouri Ave. The northbound approach toward the Heart of America Bridge encloses the viewshed up Cherry on the left but creates a hard border between Columbus Park to the east and River Market to the west.
View looking south from Cherry St and E Missouri Ave toward a northbound flyover ramp entrance to the Heart of America Bridge. This ramp commences where eastbound Exit 2E traffic merges with that on E 6th St to furnish access for both to MO-9.
1Kansas City Plan Commission. (1951). Expressways: greater Kansas City: an engineering report/prepared by City Plan Commission, Kansas City, Missouri; for the Missouri State Highway Department; and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112118728002 on April 3, 2025.
As a Kansas City native, I have oft-visited the area North of the Loop since I was a child, and especially more-so as it has again developed into a thriving commercial hub and residential community. However, my experiences have been largely limited to the river market. The study of the Columbus Park neighborhood, therefore, gave me the opportunity to explore an area I had virtually no previous contact with and no prior knowledge about.
One of the most striking aspects of this neighborhood is just how cut off it is from virtually every other area of downtown. On the west, it is walled off from the river market by the Heart of America Bridge, carrying traffic north on Missouri 9 Highway. To the South, it is bounded by Independence Avenue and the confluence of Interstates 35, 29, 70, and US-71. I-29 and US-71 continue to barricade the neighborhood to the east, and as one approaches the river, they’re met with a slew of industrial uses, rail-yards, and homeless encampments. These plus the discontinuous and often confusing road network create yet another boundary, truly making an island out of the neighborhood.
Fortress Columbus Park.
Despite this, Columbus Park is rich with history, human-scale development, enjoyable public spaces, and locally-recognized landmarks. Some of the most notable to me were Columbus Square Park, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and Garozzo’s Downtown.
Landmark Assets
Columbus Square Park is an incredible example of a proverbial “lemonade-making”. The curve of Cherry street follows the Heart of America Bridge, which divides Columbus Park from the river market. While this is largely a detriment to both communities, the designers made good use of the landscaping to obscure much of the highway, and reduce noise. Additionally, this provides for park-goers a magnificent viewshed of the central business district, making the best out of a challenging situation.
The park also includes several amenities, including a bocce ball court, playground, and walking paths. It is otherwise surrounded by a mix of historic and modern infill residential development.
Independence Avenue and Charlotte Street looking southwest. Independence Avenue becomes Cherry Street as it wraps around the park (just to the right, out of view).
View from the center of Columbus Square Park looking south, towards the downtown CBD.
Two blocks east of the park, on Missouri Avenue, is Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Grand oak doors and Gothic architecture meet red brick and wire fencing to keep away birds in a blend of old world and new. Aside from its architectural idiosyncrasies, it has the almost magical ability to exist as both monument and human-scaled community asset. It is visible from multiple points in the neighborhood, but it doesn’t impede foot traffic, nor does it create an uninviting space up close. Across the street from it is Vietnam Cafe, and there are apartments and single family homes in each direction too. This creates a sort of square at the intersection of Missouri and Campbell.
Looking East on Missouri Avenue towards Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
Garozzo’s is at another one of these sorts of squares. Open for 32 years and counting and famous for its signature Chicken Spiedini, it is located just two more blocks east on Missouri Ave. More missing-middle housing hems this cultural touchstone of the North End’s Italian heritage.
Garozzo’s as it appears from the northeast corner of Missouri Avenue and Harrison Street.
Challenges and Opportunities
The most obvious challenge this site visit illuminated was finding ways to reconnect Columbus Park to the rest of Downtown, particularly the Paseo West neighborhood and the northeastern corner of the central business district. However, it also highlighted remnants of the urban fabric that used to connect these parts of town together.
Paseo West, while suffering from a great deal of vacancy, retains some historic architecture. It can also be said that vacancy creates opportunity. When I visited the area, some construction was being done in parts, suggesting there is interest in redeveloping the area.
Renovated historic housing stock – Paseo West (E 8th Street and Troost Avenue).
Furthermore, Columbus Park is proof that historic infrastructure can and should be preserved. Among the housing stock were not only historic homes and apartments, but also positive infill development. Many of these units faithfully follow the typology of their predecessors.
Historic duplexes on the southeast corner of Missouri and Troost Avenues.
An positive example of infill housing in Columbus Park (northwest corner of Missouri and Troost Avenues).
Along the Independence Avenue corridor, however, a blend of poor typology and hostile road infrastructure creates a marked shift in the quality of the neighborhood. Large, ranch and split-level homes (along with the Don Bosco Senior Center) abut the street. Their comparatively huge setbacks seem to make the structures retreat from the boulevard and the highway behind it.
Intersection of Independence and Troost Avenues, looking southwest. A modern “millenium mansion” on Harrison street appears to the right.
Looking across the highway, I realized that I could see some of Paseo West. Measuring the distance using Google Earth revealed that the Troost on-ramp to Independence and Forest Avenues was about 900 feet; just barely longer than the distance of my walk from the park to Garozzo’s. The hostility of Independence gave me pause, though, and I intuitively drove to Paseo West instead of walking.
Exiting Columbus Park via Troost Avenue. The on-ramp appears to the left, and the path to Independence Avenue to the right.
The view of Paseo West from the Troost on-ramp. Note the building in center frame; a duplex on Forest Avenue.
The duplex at 613 Forest Ave, from the other side of the highway.
To the West, in the area I’ve classified as the Northeast CBD, while there are some older buildings, the vast majority of land uses are relegated to hotels, high-rise apartments, and parking lots. Attempting to observe Columbus Park from this area was difficult too; not only because of the highway, but also due to the presence of a large electrical substation at the corner of Charlotte Street and Admiral Boulevard.
Charlotte Street and Admiral Boulevard, looking northwest. The electrical substation appears to the right behind its facade.
This area will require a great deal of comprehensive redevelopment for housing and commercial uses, both at the human scale. Though some have already been made, more improvements to the right of way should be considered during this process, in order to better accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, and transit.
What is perhaps most ironic is that these areas outside of Columbus Park will require more of the heavy lifting to make a re-connection successful. Columbus Park is comparatively rich in community assets and infrastructure, and while there are improvements to be made, it has much it can build on.
Transportation around UMKC campus feels limited for UMKC being a commuter campus. Most students park their cars in lots or parking garages and walk to their classes from their parking spots. It is not feasible to drive to every class on campus so providing other realms of transportation like electric bikes.
I chose to take one of the electric bikes for a ride on campus to see the logistics of riding on campus and how effective it can be instead of walking to classes. UMKC’s campus consists of different contours that can be more difficult to walk and bikes could really come in handy. Below is a map of the route I took.
I started by downloading the BikeKC app on my phone and going to the bike charging station near Whole Foods. I parked in the School of Education parking lot so I knew I wanted to bike from Whole Foods to there.
The app was easy to work and I was riding shortly after getting to the charging station. The bikes can be intimidating at first because of the speed, but luckily I chose a route with smooth sidewalks.
The first mental note I made was that the sidewalks were actually in good condition. They felt a little narrow to ride an E-bike on when there were other people walking on the sidewalks, but they were still in good shape. Protected bike lanes on campus eventually could be a good addition. The intersection at 52nd and Cherry felt a little steep and dangerous because its a large intersection, but again, I felt safe because I had the sidewalk to ride on. I do wish there was a crosswalk at this intersection.
Riding down Oak St. to 52nd street felt boring aesthetically and a little unsafe. Oak street keeps pretty busy in terms of the traffic flow and the sidewalk is again narrow.
I ended at the Education Building parking lot at the end of my ride. There was nowhere to return my bike at a charging station in the near area, so this was not convenient.
Overall, I think the addition of BikeKC to campus could be a great one with more charging stations and bikes available. I also believe adding bike lanes on main streets of campus and cross walks at all intersections will keep those safe who are riding bikes.
When thinking about UMKC campus and its interface connection to the city as it stands, one word I have to describe it is disconnected. Campus is integrated into the heart of KCMO. Minutes from the Plaza, Westport, and so much more, UMKC’s campus has the potential to be involved in the city and provide amenities to those on campus but also in surrounding neighborhoods.
Integrating campus into the community is a great way to get a better connection between the two. I chose Oak st. because the possibilities are endless.
Encouraging Oak St. Corridor to become a pedestrian friendly street opens up opportunities for community/public engagement and creates a good interface connection. Being minutes from KC assets like the Nelson Atkins Museum is a great motivator for a pedestrian friendly street. Those traveling down Oak on foot get a sense of campus community when approaching the redeveloped stairs of Oak St./The entrance of campus.
Promoting Oak as a walkable, pedestrian activated street creates a connection to other parts of the city as well as the Trolley Track Trail additions.
Elements of the public realm are public elements existing within communities. These elements can be things like plazas, courtyards, public streets or parking. Elements of the public realm should embody ideas of circulation and easy access.
Parking is a very important element to the public, especially on university campuses. For this blog, we will be taking a look at University of Missouri – Kansas City’s current parking situation.
UMKC is a commuter campus, meaning more students live off campus than on campus. Many of these students drive their own personal vehicles which are then needed to be parked on UMKC’s campus or surrounding areas while students are in class. Figure 1.0 shows UMKC’s current parking map displayed on their website.
Figure 1.0 There is a mix between metered parking, student parking (those who have parking permits), and faculty/staff parking. There is also some off campus street parking, but not much in comparison to the amount of assigned parking for UMKC’s campus. Figure 2.0
Figure 2.0 above gives a map of campus with all of the parking shown in blue. Some are parking lots, like the Katz Hall lot, and some are parking garages or the public street parking on campus.
When doing research about how far people will walk from their parking spot to their destination, I wanted to put theories to the test on campus.
I believed that there was enough parking for UMKC Campus students, but that the parking just is not in great areas. I know that when I pay a lot of money for a parking pass, I would really like to be within a five to seven minute walk of my classes. Shown in Figure 3.0 is a map showing the parking locations radius’ in regards to campus and its amenities. The distance is about .2 miles or about a five minute walk.
Figure 3.0 As you can see, campus parking is actually all within a 5-7 minute walk of campus and its amenities. I was surprised to find this information out. I also wanted to show some sketches of a campus parking garage on Cherry St. and the Katz Hall small lot that most of us park in currently when attending classes on campus in the UPD Program.
Overall, I think it is important to note that campus has a lot of parking and it is all relatively close to classes and other places students need to get to on campus. What a more prevalent issue may be is how to make campus feel more walkable so those 5-7 minutes feel like 2-3 and the walk is smoother to class than it currently is. This could be solved through topographic interventions and other related resources.
My detailed area study is located near the central part of campus while encompassing some of the South-Western part of campus. Figure 1. Below shows my assigned blocks for the detailed area study. Figure 1. www.googlemaps.com
I had 51st to 54th street and Grand Ave. to Holmes St. for my assigned area.
Many UMKC resources and facilities are located in the areas of 51st to 54th streets and Grand to Holmes from the East to West as well as non-university development. My area includes the UMKC School of Education, UMKC School of Law, the Linda Hall Library, and the Henry W. Bloch School of Management. These are all active facilities used by UMKC students in the present day and are considered assets of the campus. Another notable structure in my assigned area is the Epperson House located at 5200 Cherry Street. A photo of the Epperson House is shown below in Figure 2. The Epperson House was given to UMKC as a gift in 1940. While it still stands today, it is not currently being used. Epperson House is a great historic asset. I would love to see it repurposed on campus and be used for classes or maybe a study center.
Another important asset to not only campus but also Kansas City, is the Henry W. Bloch school at 5128 Cherry St. Shown below in figure 3 is the Bloch Management School. Mr. Bloch, whom donated the money to build the facility and is also the namesake, is the co-founder of H&R Block Tax Services. (https://bloch.umkc.edu/about-us/) His ability to produce the Bloch Management School gives an opportunity for students to give back to the environment they attended school in due to the degree they were able to obtain at the Bloch school. It benefits the economy this way.
Another important asset to UMKC campus and students specifically is the Whole Foods located on the bottom floor of Brookside 51 which are apartments located directly east of Brookside Blvd. which is just a short distance from the Student Union. These apartments are in a great location for students to live off campus but they are pretty expensive. They range from $1,455 a month to almost $3,500 and being a student myself, I know this is not affordable. The Whole Foods is valuable because it serves the student housing population as their grocery story without having to travel far or even drive. It is within walking distance to the dorms.
Along my assigned area is also the Trolley Track Trail to the West of my assigned blocks. This trail sees moderate activity.
During the first weeks of class, I learned that many students commute to UMKC. Few students actually live on campus in dorms. The amount of parking lots at UMKC lock-in this theory that UMKC is a commuter campus/school. In order to help UMKC become a full-encompassed school with many more students living on campus, the student housing options must be improved first. I believe more affordable student housing, even if it isn’t dormitories, would draw students to live closer to campus, therefore being able to walk to campus instead of commuting. UMKC’s sidewalks are in good shape which is important for walkability on campus. They could improve on signage. I have a hard time identifying buildings on campus because some of them you really only catch glimpses of driving by or you see the backside and the name of the building is only on the front.
On many of my assigned streets there are no bicycle lanes. As a city moving towards environmental sustainability, more students may be inclined to ride bikes on campus or motorized d scooters. Bike lanes would be beneficial. Below in figure 4 is a two-way bike lane at UC Berkley. This allows for some car traffic, foot traffic and bicycle traffic in an organized fashion. I picture this Cherry street, in front of the Student Union shown below in figure 5. Figure 4.
Figure 5. Implementation of a bike lane on Cherry St.
Another aspect that makes me feel like some parts of UMKC are “closed off” from the campus are fences and setbacks. Some buildings like the Education building feel setback far from the street and not super inviting, in my opinion. The entrance to this building also feels cold and uninviting. Linda Hall library contains a fence around the building. To me, this signifies the building and land are fenced off and it is lengthy to search for the ONE entrance to the library. I would prefer an entrance like the Miller Nichols Learning Center where the doors are visible from the road.
All in all, UMKC is definitely a commuter campus. Adding more affordable student housing and dorms along with intricate shared roadways for cars, bikes, and pedestrians would make students feel more willing to embrace the walkability that a campus should have and feel.
Design and Development in the Bi-State Reinvestment Corridor of Kansas City
This semester UP+D Studio 312 will be examining the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor of Kansas City, This corridor will combine net-zero electric transit with strategic investments to address environmental justice and economic development.
Improving the corridor requires thinking about some major urban issues of the present time. First, How did the big issues of urban change such as redlining, urban renewal, deindustrialization, and highway construction impact the corridor? Then, what are the existing plans for the corridor? How will we address the issue of housing affordability? Housing costs have been rising 3X faster then income in greater Kansas City. What assets do neighborhoods bring to the bi-state corridor plan? What are the present environmental conditions on the corridor and are their environmental justice hotspots? UMKC might best thought of as a “school zone” and a reduced speed on at least Rockhill and Oak Street might greatly improve safety. How will bicycle facilities and trails cross the corridor and connect to improved transit?
We will conduct this study in four parts – We will start with an Existing Conditions Analysis examining economic, transport, social and demographic trends impacting the neighborhoods and areas around corridor; then conduct a detailed analysis of site conditions and on-the-ground impressions of the corridor, identify strategic nodes for student intervention proposals, followed by the development of final design proposal for catalytic “transit-oriented development” that will advance Independence, and both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas.
Main Street between Downtown Kansas City and the Country Club Plaza has a mixed character. At 39th Street and Westport Road it is the entry point of Westport. At other times, Main Street has little or no character – other than that of an arterial trafficway. Concentrations of auto-based uses and parking lots adjacent to the street create a hostile environment to pedestrians. With the advent of the streetcar connection coming in 2024/2025, these voids may soon be targeted for redevelopment. This semester we are asking about the future for Main and Linwood.
What should this corner look like in the future?
How do we build anew without harming existing businesses and residents?
Can we address important issues of inclusion and social justice at this site while increasing neighborhood security and wealth?
For this public realm study, I analyzed what makes a public place to sit desirable. I broke my analysis down into three main focuses: hostile architecture, age friendliness, and place making. When looking at these topics, and the places to sit I found around the city, I found that Kansas City is lacking in effective, desirable places to sit.
For my first board, I included perspective views of the benches and seating options. For This board, I just wanted to have clear images of the seating so the viewer and interpret how they feel about each of the seats. The board is organized so that the best practices are at the top of the board and the worst examples are on the bottom. The best examples I found were from the Troost Lake Shelter, and the Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park in downtown Kansas City. Though these two examples appear very different, they share the organic, natural flow and variety in seating options that I found to make the seating most successful.
I wanted to make my plan diagrams as simple as possible so that the viewer can determine what are the important factors when it comes to public seating. I saw shade and trees as being the most important elements to successful seating. For most people, finding a shady spot to sit is most desirable on a warm day. The trees can also provide a sense of privacy and protection. They help create space around the seating that makes it inviting and pleasant. I felt as though lacking in trees made the seating options less desirable . For the most successful examples, #1 and #2, there is plenty of trees for shade and the trees create a sense of space.
Finally, when creating my theory board I thought of the best ways to diagram why the different seating is successful. The first example of best practice, the Troost Lake Shelter, is in a very interesting location. There aren’t many lakes in Kansas City, this makes the lake shelter more appealing for people to come and make their own. In the circulation diagram you can see that the flow of pedestrians through the space is very organic and there is a lot of variety in how you can approach sitting there. I also included a drawing of the type of seating I liked most from the example, the picnic table. I like this option because there is almost endless possibility in how you can use this seating. It is great for eating, sitting and even laying down. The second example a urban park is very different in its setting, but is still successful for all the same reasons. It is an organic space, with a wide variety of seating types. From movable chairs and tables to walls and park benches there is a great variety. Both of these examples do not use hostile architecture. The benches are welcoming and comfortable and the movable chairs and tables couldn’t be more inviting. The spaces were both accessible for elderly and handicapped individuals and they both really are distinctive in their sense of place.
1890 Study Area1920 Study Area1950 Study Area1990 Study Area2020 Study Area
I started with the base present day GIS file, I made sure that the buildings on the GIS file matched up with Google Earth. Next, I obtained the historical images of the site. For each image I overlaid the information on top of the original files and added and deleted files as needed. I noticed that there was a building boom from 1890 to 1920. 1920-1950 seems to be the peak of development for this study area, in the present day map there are less structures than there were 70 years ago. This is the most noticeable when looking at either side of Flora Ave. At its peak, there was a house on every parcel on both sides of the street, but today there are less houses. I also thought it was interesting that the parcels south of 31st Street between Flora and Wane Ave never was developed. To this day it is still vacant. I also thought the corner of 30th and the Paseo ave. was interesting in how the shape and size of the building changed over time. Throughout history this building has been one of the most notable features in the two block area.
I would characterize this area as mostly residential, both single and multifamily residential fills most of the area, with a few larger non residential buildings below 31st St. There are a few buildings that still stand from the 1940s Tax assessment photographs. I included two below, one of a single family home on Flora ave, and a large apartment building on Paseo ave. Most of the houses in this area were built in the 1980s. The largest landmark would be Troost park, to the west of my study area. The large apartment buildings and the buildings south of 31st st. Overall, I found the history of this area interesting, it has always been largely residential, with higher density structures on the east side of Paseo ave. and along the 31st st corridor.
Figure 1. 
at 5128 Cherry St. Shown below in figure 3 is the Bloch Management School. Mr. Bloch, whom donated the money to build the facility and is also the namesake, is the co-founder of H&R Block Tax Services. (
Figure 4. 
