Tag Archives: Troost

First Impressions

FIRST LIGHT ON THE LANDING

Overall Impression

The Landing is unique in its configuration. You catch glimpses of historic features of the shared motif that flows through all of J.C Nichols shopping centers. The Landing is in a perfect location to create a gathering space and congregation area as the parks and boulevards system , as well as many other transit options funnel into this area. As the heavy use of the area begins to show with the structure, the area is in line with future development and seems to be anxiously awaiting some helpful ideas to be put into action.

Photo 7- The Landing – Courtesy : Logan Sours – January 29th 2019 10:20 am

Public Realm

The initial public space that is noticed is the parking lot. As one of the earlier shopping centers in Kansas City, the automobile shaped the landscape and large areas for parking were necessary but over time more shopping centers diluted the concentration of automobiles in the area. The large open space loses a human scale in it’s vast size. The next notable public space that brings the human perspective back into focus is the interior hall of the galleria. With the storefronts facing one another across the hall it brings people into a collective space.

Where are the People?

Although our project has begun in winter there does not seem to be much human activity outdoors , and I find it will most likely be the same in the summer. The public will most likely be gathering indoors. Aside from the mall, there are several other places that people gather, such as Hogan Preparatory Academy sits just to the south of The Landing and a little further to the east is a large convent. Along with many other fast food restaurants and convenience businesses, there people frequently in the area.

Vantage Points

The topography of the area puts the site in a gully with a rise to the north and to the the south. This seems like it funnels people into the area. The hills have caused the use of retaining walls and that gives certain places such as in front of the Rent-A-Center parking lot looking south or the use of parking on top of the shops at the east end of the structure which look across to the parkway and the small wooded space on the Hogan Prep lawn.

Photo 1. View atop East lot Courtesy: Logan Sours-January 25th 2019 3:24 pm

Pleasant Scenes

Views to the north from The Landing peering up Tracy and Forrest avenue have a charm to them with the large trees creating an arboreal archway over the streets that come to an end at the landing. The trees are what give this urban space a more inviting feeling and there are none on the Landing site, they line Meyer Boulevard and crest the hills around Hogan Prep and line the gully that the Landing rests in.

Photo 2. View North on Tracy Ave. Courtesy: Logan Sours- January 25th 2019 3:23 pm

Urban Disturbances

Several garbage cans line the back of the pad site , Wendy’s and seemed to be lingering in the parking lot of the Landing. On the same note the outdoor ramp to the west of the complex is fenced off and locked up. This does not feel very inviting and being along Troost, has many eyes on it. On a more positive note the graffiti on the site was more of street art, where there is a mural of Dr. Martin Luther King .jr facing Meyer Boulevard and another mural type panting to the east, supporting local sports teams.

  • Photo 4. MLK Dream Courtesy: Logan Sours- January 29th 2019 10:36 AM
  • Photo 5. KC Knows Landing Courtesy: Logan Sours January 29th 2019 10:20 AM

Bus Stops

Figure 1. Bus Stops Within a Quarter Mile radius of the Landing – Map Created by Logan Sours

Within a quarter mile radius of the Landing there are 20 bus stops and are frequently used throughout the day. This seems to be a nucleus for transportation with so many stops in such a confined area. Several bus stops have provided benches at smaller nodes while three in the area have covered shelters on the 63rd and Troost pass.

Photo 3. Bus Stop at Troost and 63rd Courtesy: Logan Sours – January 25th 2019 3:18 PM

First Impressions

Standing at the landing

“One of Kansas City’s most identifiable locations” is now up for sale for just under $10 million. I am no realtor, but if I were, I’d agree with Block & Company Inc. The Landing Mall is an “excellent Midtown Center with easy access.” According to Emily Talen, a professor at the School of Geographical Sciences and School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, accessibility is 1 of the 5 key factors to having sustainable urban form. Located near the core of Kansas City, Missouri, is the Landing Mall. The Landing Mall has 8 entrances that are designated for consumer automobile interaction. (See figure 1.) I personally feel 8 curb cuts seem excessive for this area now, but in previous days, it may have been necessary.

Figure 1. Base map of the Landing Mall created by Cristina Aurich 01/2019

Figure 2. shows accessibility to an ADA ramp which leads to the lower level of the Landing Mall. Standing at the top of this ramp is a great view down on the Landing Mall. Currently this is a massive parking lot, with unattended potholes and little marking to direct traffic, but I envision looking down on functioning rooftops with green space and as little black asphalt as possible. Figure 2. also displays dead vines weaving through the fence. These dead vines replicate what the Landing Mall now, dead. Even though the Landing Mall is located at such as assessible and active location, on the corner of 63rd Street and Troost Avenue, there were few people using the space for its purpose, retail therapy.

Figure 2. Photo of fence on Troost Avenue looking down at the south parking lot of the Landing Mall taken by Cristina Aurich 01/2019

Known for its Noah’s Ark theme, the Landing Mall maintains features that allow one to reminisce on the past. Upon entering the Landing Mall consumers are greeting with a farm-like sent and painted cows sculptures reside in the lower level commons area. I was caught off guard by the foul scent once entering the mall and the sculptures of cows added to mismatch interior design features of the mall. Figure 3. the storefronts of some active businesses in the Landing Mall. From looking at previous historically photos, it is evident the Landing Mall was once a strip mall with an open space in the center. These service doors, seen in figure 3., still remain and added to my confusion of where the mall’s primary entrance was located. This figure likewise shows remnants of flourishing landscape, but it can be viewed as a positive to still see the straight line of trees lining the south side of the mall.

Figure 3. Photo of stores located on the south side of the Landing Mall taken by Cristina Aurich 01/2019

With time, and change of seasons, the vines on the fence and the trees lining the storefronts will continue to grow. They will bloom and thrive, as can the Landing Mall.

Uncategorized

Impressions of the 63rd Street Corridor

Aerial view of the New Landing Mall looking north from Meyer Blvd. Taken by Block & Company Inc. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNuuokQbW7LsYCETGgr0gUiK7LQkF5EYRpHlAz4K9kZVChuaiA06tMisuxh6aFvPw?key=alpRLUpoVXBkUl84aFJHTWhlRDNwb0NlMDY4dGR3

Introduction

The historical development of Kansas City, Missouri can be framed by the Missouri and Blue rivers and their watersheds. Within Kansas City, this has created a street network of long, prominent North-South main streets and shorter, mostly numbered, East-West connector and corridor streets. The study area that I am working is framed by the 63rd Street corridor and Meyer Blvd from the south, and the north-south streets of Rockhill Rd and Paseo Blvd. At the center of this study area are important intersections and the New Landing Mall, built in 1960, at the corner of 63rd and Troost. While visiting the site and exploring it, I have identified multiple positive qualities about the area as well as opportunities for improvement. The purpose of identifying these traits and first impressions of the site is to gain a coherent understanding of what makes the landing mall and its surrounding areas successful as spaces and places; moreover, the upgrades and improvements needed to make it an efficient, sustainable, urban form.

Impressions

A circulation diagram of the site. The intersections at 63rd & Troost and Meyer & Troost are 5 hour day traffic counts. The Paseo, 63rd, and Meyer intersection is a 12 hour day traffic count. Data taken from KC Parcel Viewer, KCATA, and the City of Kansas City

The first and most glaring part of the site is the public transit connectivity and street layout of the surrounding area. There are two major bus lines serviced by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), the Troost MAX (Metro Area Express) and the 63 bus line, as well, to the east the 85 bus line that runs along Paseo Blvd. These two lines intersect at 63rd St and Troost Ave creating a major transfer point at this intersection. This hub of transportation shows not only the existing level of connectivity to the area but also the potential for the site to increase in connectivity and mobility. The street layout surrounding the site is fascinating in the way that it disrupts the existing and historical street pattern. This is due mostly to the convergence of two boulevards, the Paseo (MLK Jr.) and Meyer. In Kansas City, when two boulevards meet, it is a special event that requires special attention, and for this mall to be at the center of such a moment is quite significant. However, the mall and its parking lot has limited the number of connections through the site and instead has created termination points. This, in turn, limits the connectivity of through streets.

A map showing the topography of the site. Data taken from KC Parcel Viewer

The mall takes its name mostly from its positioning topographically. The mall is situated at one of the lower points of the city due to the proximity to town fork creek, whose terminus is to the east of the site. This topographical vantage point at the bottom of a valley creates an interesting design opportunity and has already created great views out from the mall towards buildings like the Hogan Preparatory Academy and the Convent of Christ the King. The current design of the mall negates this blessing for multiple reasons including the swath of pavement and impervious surfaces with no permeable surface to counteract the effects. As well, while standing at the corner of 63rd and Troost, it is difficult to tell what lies below, with little design guiding patrons to the lower part of the mall.

Photo of the intersection at 63rd and Troost. The photo shows the topographical advantage of the site as well as transportation connectivity; however, the amount of pedestrians is lacking

While walking around the site and the mall, while also holding a general idea about the demographics of the specific area, it becomes apparent the main patrons of the mall and surrounding businesses. Without knowledge of past customers, the current customers seem to be low to moderate income persons. The importance of this observation is that this creates a level of sensitivity during the redevelopment and redesign of the mall; so that, the asset that this mall has become stays an asset. Also, this mall does have an already established customer base that can be relied upon immediately after redevelopment.

Conclusion

RideKC Freedom is an on-demand service provided by the KCATA in order to provide an accessible transportation option to the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged. Photo taken on 01/23, a day before the KCMO city council voted to rename Paseo Blvd in honor of Dr. MLK jr.

The New Landing Mall is located at multiple decision points and intersections that are important to the connectivity of the Kansas City, MO transportation system; however, it puts the automobile over the pedestrian and lowers the connectivity of the shopping center with the surrounding neighborhoods. The boulevards coincide with the beauty of looking up out of a valley and the topography of the surrounding land. The metaphor that describes this area is one not of the top of a mountain, but as the land below. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop: “And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.” For this site is where the city comes together.