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. 

Figure 2. https://www.bizjournals.com/#

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.