Lighting is necessary to visually experience and interpret our surroundings. Consideration must be given to the position of the sun to plan for lighting needs at all times of day.
Lighting elements should be contribute to a well-developed streetscape, even during daytime. Ornate lighting, like the above photo from Chesterfield, can establish a sense of place. An appearance resembling historic lighting poles and genuinely historic lighting helps pedestrians be immersed in the composite of the many elements of the public realm.
The Valentine neighborhood lacks historic lighting, with pole-mounted LED cobra lights being the most common lighting used for streets and sidewalks. These lights are directly over streets, leaving them better lit than adjacent sidewalks.
Existing Lighting in North Valentine, as depicted in the above map, is concentrated on the north side of blocks. This is likely due to the north side of structures in the Northern Hemisphere always being in shadow, requiring more light in lieu of sunlight.
The orientation of the remaining structures to face east or west provides ample natural lighting from the sun to the south, east, and west sides of the structure east.
As the sun’s position moves throughout the year, the north side of structures may be cast in longer shadows that stretch the span of the street. Ample lighting is needed on the north side of structures to establish a comfortable environment, comparable to the south facing side of the structure. The south facing side is appealing to pedestrians for the warmth, increased visibility, and intention is design given to south facing sides of a structure.
The beginning of fixed route transit service to the Valentine neighborhood began October 1, 1889 as the Washing and Summit cable car line
• Provided access from West Bottoms to Downtown and the north side of the Valentine neighborhood
• Ran from Union Depot on Ninth to Washington. Washington to about 13th-14th Streets, continuing on13th-14th Summit Street. Summit Street to 29th Street
• Service was reduced to Southwest Boulevard in early 1901
Source: KC History https://kclibrary.org/art-objects/map-greater-kansas-city-suburbs
In 1920 the Valentine neighborhood was served by the 21 Jackson-Roanoke streetcar route
• Service on the streetcar route from 1910’s
• Destination sign would read Jackson – 24th on Northbound trip
• Destination sign would read Roanoke – 45th or Summit – 39th on Southbound trip
• Streetcar service along Summit Street until widening and repaving of Summit Street in 1951
In 1944 the Valentine neighborhood was served by the 57 Jackson-Roanoke streetcar route
• Service continued from 21 streetcar route from 1910’s
• Destination sign would read Jackson – 24th on Northbound trip
• Destination sign would read Roanoke – 45th or Summit – 39th on Southbound trip
• Streetcar service along Summit Street until widening and repaving of Summit Street in 1951
Source: KC History https://kchistory.org/image/broadway-boulevard-valentine-road-0
Streetcar service along Broadway Boulevard concluded in 1940’s
• Routes 4 and 48 provided service on Broadway Boulevard from 1920’s to 1940’s
• Route 4 ran from Ward Parkway and 59th Street to Belleview Avenue, winding on Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard to Downtown
• Route 48 ran from Downtown along Broadway Boulevard to 39th Street, providing service east-west between State Line Road and Broadway
Broadway Boulevard is serviced by a single bus route, traveling from the Plaza to Armour
• Begins at the Plaza Transit Center, travelling up Broadway Boulevard and turning East onto ArmourBoulevard
• Runs on Armour Boulevard / 35th Street to Van Brunt, returning from Van Brunt Loop
• Connects St Luke’s Hospital to the Kansas City VA Medical Center along a dense residential corridor
• Route 35 has 435 daily riders in January 2026
Main MAX service was rerouted to Broadway Boulevard for nearly ten years
• Provided 20-minute headways either direction from Waldo to River Market and Columbus Park
• Travelled along Grand Boulevard through Downtown, on Pershing Road, turning onto Penn Valley Drive / Broadway Boulevard
• Ran from 5AM to 12AM from Monday – Saturday
• Reduced service on Sundays
The Main Street Extension of the KC Streetcar replaced Main Max service
• Operates at 10-12 minute frequencies
• Runs from 5 AM to 12 AM Monday-Thursday
• Runs from 5 AM to 1 AM Friday and Saturday
• Runs from 6AM to 12AM Sunday
• Connects River Market to South Plaza, UMKC
• Encourages Transit Oriented Development (TOD) on the Main Street Corridor
• 7,873 daily riders in January 2026
RideKC Route 31 provides East-West connectivity on the 31st Street Corridor at 15 minute frequencies
• 15 minute frequencies make it the most frequent bus route in the state of Missouri
• Not the most frequent bus corridor (Prospect Avenue)
• Runs from 5 AM to 12 AM Monday-Saturday
• Runs from 5 AM to 10 PM on Sunday
• Connects southern Independence to the core of Kansas City
• 1,931 daily riders in January 2026
Route 39 provides East-West transit on the 39th Street Corridor
• Operates at 30 minute frequencies
• Runs from 5 AM to 12 AM Monday-Saturday
• Runs from 5 AM to 10 PM on Sunday
• Connects KU Medical Center and Volker / Roanoke Neighborhoods to the East Side
• Deviation to VA Medical Center
• 584 daily riders in January 2026
Where access is provided, pedestrian and sidewalk infrastructure is well designed
• Southwest Trafficway has few points to cross the roadway
• Certain streets have unsafe crossings
• Road diets to Main Street and Broadway Boulevard have improved walking conditions along the respective corridors
• New tree plantings in the neighborhood will provide shade and clean air
The refined vision for the North Loop that I produced made some alterations to the original draft. Upon further investigation of certain sites, some ideas had to be scrapped or retooled, such as the rotaries connecting the east and west ends to the highway.
However, some ideas were expanded. In the Infill and Realignment map below, I showcase development opportunities were the North Loop to be covered and made into a transit corridor. These expand even as far as four blocks away from the loop, where parking lots and vacancies dominate the landscape.
Some parcels were given special attention instead of the entire block. Some easements were added or redrawn to allow for better use of space, such as between the 600-602 Parking Garage and the Holiday Inn, both fronting Admiral Blvd.
Thinking about land use, most of the development closest to the transit center (which I’ve positioned on top of the present-day Delaware St. Bridge) would be mixed-use, mid- to high-rise. This would match the form of much of the area, and act as a good transition to the neighborhoods outside the Central Business District.
Some outliers to this pattern can be seen in the parks places at the west end of the corridor and between Walnut and Grand, just north of Independence. Additionally, some areas would do better as just commercial or just residential, especially as that pattern of separation starts to naturally take place in areas like the River Market or Columbus Park. Some light industrial uses would all make sense in the far eastern part of the site, where that is already a pattern. However, the Paseo West district should not remain just light industry. That’s why I’ve suggested the introduction of small apartments and dense attached and detached single family homes in that area as well.
Phases for the project should be divided into four main parts. The first would begin construction of the highway cap over the transit center, and would close the loop to bus and truck traffic. The second would finish the western development and make a conclusive decision about how to redesign the I-70 gateway. The third portion would dismantle the MO-9 highway up to 3rd street, and the 4th would finally address the behemoth of the eastern cap. Additionally, each of the phases of this project would include an effort to spur growth on adjacent lots and blocks with potential (depicted in muted version of the same color as each phase).
Below is a picture of the transit center and some of the surrounding building massing, looking north. The station itself is loosely based on the Transportation Building by Louis Sullivan that was presented at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. In addition to that inspiration, it also calls up the design of the Denver Union Station transit hub, which connects passengers from the station at ground level to a busway that passes underneath going in perpendicular direction.
The Transportation Building, designed by architect Louis Sullivan – 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
The above-ground portion of the station would have two drive lanes separated by medians on either side, flanked by two lanes for streetcar and buses. Trees, bushes, benches, and tables could fill the pedestrian plaza outside, but passengers could also take refuge under the roof of the transit center, even accessing shops, rest areas, and bathrooms indoors.
The transit center would be open-air to allow for pedestrians and vehicles to pass through it freely, but would include portions on either side that would be enclosed and air-conditioned. Additionally, it would have a vaulted skylight above.
Delaware Street looking north.
Same view as above, section diagram.
Overall, this project would be a massive undertaking, but in the words of one of Louis Sullivan’s contemporaries: “make no little plans”. Perhaps this or similar visions of the North Loop will not come to pass. Beginning big can have its upsides though, even if it means eventually arriving at something more realistic. It will take extraordinary revenue to make a return on this investment worth it, but that revenue itself requires extraordinary investment. So let us aim high in hope and in work, and build a new Northside; one worthy enough to carry on the legacy of the old.
The North Loop presents a great many difficulties in terms of how it might be redeveloped. The highway trench varies in depth at different intervals. The burms that flank it also vary, not only in depth but in length. Were they to be turned into blocks, they would be obscenely short, probably only long enough to contain one building until reaching the highway right of way. Another issue is found in the connections to the east and west, where the new development would connect to the remaining highway. Most optimistically, however, this project presents several opportunities to increase the scope from just redeveloping the trench to reconnecting several disparate communities and spurring growth downtown at large.
Firstly, to tackle the problem of short blocks and uneven terrain in the trench, I resigned myself to capping the highway. While this would require considerable earth-moving and would probably count as the highest expense for this project, I believe it is the only way to maximize use of this space.
Larger blocks will allow for greater development and better connection between the communities of the River Market and the CBD. It would also help encourage developers to repurpose the vacant or underutilized sites adjacent to the loop, such as the parking lots near 7th and Main Streets.
The North Loop not only steals value from the land to the north and south, but to the east and west. To the east, to accommodate several diverging directions of traffic, more and more blocks had to be torn asunder over the years. The gash that remains creates a canyon even more massive than the difference in distance between 6th street and Independence Avenue. This radical destruction of a junction of historic neighborhoods requires a radical solution to repair it, and that means continuing the cap.
Proposing not only to cap the North Loop, but to continue the cap across to the Paseo West neighborhood is not an easy ask, but ultimately if we are to revive these once-cherished places, we have to heal the wound that brought them low. The proposed cap on the east side would go as far North as Independence Avenue and far south as 10th Street, producing between fifteen and twenty new blocks of housing, commercial development, parks, light industry, office space, and small business incubators. While the upfront cost to build this infrastructure would indeed be staggering, the long-term return on investment could be massive.
However, this cap has the potential to interrupt highway traffic, so how might it handle that? To the north, where Independence meets Troost, a rotary could be installed that allows southbound traffic to exit into downtown. This rotary could also allow for downtown traffic to use the freeway by building a flyover across it that connects going northbound. A tight half-diamond interchange at 10th street would allow northbound highway traffic to exit into downtown, and for downtown traffic to enter going south.
Example of a tight diamond interchange. Red highlights the half that 10th street interchange would use.
To the west, connecting to I-70, another rotary could be placed beneath the existing flyovers. Some realignment of highway exits would be necessary to accomplish this redesign, but ultimately traffic would be able to freely flow in all directions but into the tunnel underneath the new highway cap.
This right of way would be restricted to buses and truck traffic to accommodate the necessary flow of bus rapid transit system, which would have a station underneath the former Delaware street bridge.
In addition to these major changes to the loop, others could include: realigning Oak Street as it approaches the former Heart of America Bridge, bringing MO-9 Highway to grade (and reusing the earth for part of the infill of the loop), and adding two connections to the west bottoms via the streetcar and a funicular.
The trends and momentum of the South Loop project, the KC Streetcar, and the Bi-State Sustainable Redevelopment Corridor support this development. The success of the streetcar alone has shown the immense power of infrastructure and transit investments to spur economic growth downtown.
In the past twenty years, combined land and improvement values (measured in constant dollars) has skyrocketed in the south part of the loop. The “streetcar tax” that patrons of downtown businesses pay, has resulted in the service being free to use for everyone. Cordish has also made waves building luxury apartment properties in the form of One, Two, and Three Light. Clearly there is money to be made downtown for those willing to invest in it.
Among the new blocks produced by capping the North Loop and those vacant or underutilized parcels nearby, I envision primarily mixed-use housing, commercial, and office space, with housing taking priority. These could take the form of the contemporary platform development (five-over-ones) or they could be high-rises. As new development approaches the river market, however, massing should gradually diminish to match the scale of those buildings. The uses can still be mixed, but buildings should be no more than four or five floors tall.
Towards the east the same should be true. Closer to the government district and the east village buildings should take a greater size, but as they fan out in the directions of the Paseo West and Columbus Park neighborhoods, they should become smaller while remaining densely packed. Those neighborhoods could also see some greater separation of uses, particularly in terms of residential development. Single family detached homes, townhouses, small apartments such as four and sixplexes should dominate those neighborhoods, with compliment from neighborhood commercial.
These would give residents several different options for housing accommodations, while still all being within a few miles of the amenities provided by downtown. With luck, this would create a snowball effect of further and further development, funded by further and further habitation downtown, but in order to begin that trend, we must first make the North Loop someplace people want to live.
Board 1 of 3 showing axonometric and plan views of site.Board 2 of 3 showing section of the Delaware Avenue Bridge at three pivotal moments during development of the transit center.Board 3 of 3 showing phasing of the implementation of the North Loop Neighbors vision plan, with buildings color-coded by land use in the phases during which they are to be constructed.
Original vision plan courtesy of North Loop Neighbors. I classified the programmed buildings by land use, including the parks, new community center and new transit center.This is my idea for how the North Loop’s Interstates, U.S. Highways and Missouri State Highways could be realigned in the event of its removal.
Board 1 of 2.Board 2 of 2.Photo of site detailing safety fence along the Riverfront Heritage Trail preventing people from falling off the bluff’s edge at the old 4th Street Viaduct bridge terminus near 4th & Beardsley. Coordinates: 39°6’30.4″N, 94°35’27.1″W.Photo of screen wall obscuring an electrical substation on private property owned by Evergy near the Town of Kansas Bridge on 2nd & Main. Coordinates: 39°6’40.6″N, 94°35’1.6″W.Photo taken from 3rd & Main of planter-bollards. They, along with the brick planters with trees in them to the right serving as seating, constrict the flow of pedestrian traffic entering and leaving this pedestrianized section of Main Street abutting City Market to the immediate left. Coordinates: 39°6’35.5″N, 94°35’0.7″W.Photo taken at Main & Missouri of a poured concrete retaining wall separating the one-way portion of Independence Avenue between Oak and 5th & Broadway from the original street grid (as well as the original topography). The wall highlights the sheer amount of earth-moving required to ensure a semblance of adequate automobile circulation around the North Loop (let alone for the North Loop itself). The severely unactivated frontage of 529 Main across the street and the underutilized realm around the building and retaining wall create near-perfect conditions for a homeless encampment like the one obscured by overgrowth in the foreground to emerge in the intervening nooks and crannies of public space. Coordinates: 39°6’28.2″N, 94°34’58.8″W.Photo taken at Pacific & Forest of a noise barrier separating the east-southeast portion of the Columbus Park neighborhood from Interstate 29/35. While barriers such as this one may indeed spare the neighborhood from the highway’s noise pollution, it arguably ham-fistedly legitimizes the presence of the adjacent highway by making the implicit concession that the highway indeed yield harmful health effects, but in consolation for state and federal authorities making the value judgment that its perceived economic benefits outweigh its costs to one’s physiological health, the residents are effectively being told to simply forget about it behind the wall. 1958-vintage Sanborn maps and aerial photographs taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1963 show that a pedestrian bridge used to cross the interstate from Columbus Park to the Chouteau Courts housing project that once existed along Independence Avenue to the south. Coordinates: 39°6’31.9″N, 94°34’4.9″W.Photo taken at the pedestrian plaza nestled between 5th and Independence along Delaware St. This staircase railing is both wall and fence, and separates the brick alley in the public right-of-way to the left from the private plaza, facing Delaware in the bottom right, which is on the property of 510 Delaware. Although located in nominally private space, these elements of the public realm exist where they are in order to encourage public presence and use. Coordinates: 39°6’27.6″N, 94°35’4.2″W.Head-on view of the same above pedestrian plaza taken from Delaware, facing west-southwest. Another double-duty planter-bollard is seen here in the foreground, while seating, shade trees, and brick pavers are used in the middleground to inculcate an inviting feeling to pedestrians, whether tenants of the loft apartments in the left of the image or not. If not for the break in the iron railing created by the staircase scaling up the sides of the wall to meet the alley in the background, one might forget the alley is itself public space. Coordinates: 39°6’27.8″N, 94°35’3.1″W.
Figure-ground study of the North Loop area circa 1930. Source: Sanborn-Perris Map Company, Ltd. (1896/1907, 1925); Tuttle-Ayers-Woodward Company (1925).Figure-ground study of the North Loop area circa 1960. Source: Sanborn-Perris Map Company, Ltd. (1949, 1957, 1958).Figure-ground study of the North Loop area circa 1990. Source: Sanborn-Perris Map Company, Ltd. (1958); U.S. Geological Survey (1991).Figure-ground study of the North Loop area circa 2025. These are the existing conditions at the time of publication. Source: Kansas City, MO Parcel Viewer.
Most of the transit oriented development opportunities I chose to entertain as a priority for the North Loop Redevelopment Project find themselves located adjacent to the planned Transit Hub location I chose, Which is sandwiched between 6th St and Independence Ave on the Main-Delaware Bridge where there’s already KC Streetcar infrastructure built. The primary reason I made this area the focal point of my development opportunities is to ensure usage of the Transit Hub through its close proximity to high density housing developments. I also plan on implementing space housing along the proposed BRT route within the North Loop Corridor but this will act as secondary priority for the project as a whole.
