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We’ve been focusing on the Troost corridor for quite a while now, and one of the biggest stopping points for us in exploring the area and imagining “what could be” has always come back to a critical set of questions: Who would actually invest in development in the area? Can one project act as the catalyst for change? Does the size and scale of the project dictate the success of the catalyst (does it

I’ve often said that adventuring down the Troost Corridor (particularly the northern part) reminds me of some kind of post-apocalyptic movie scene. This has largely been the case because of a non-existent population, and windowless industrial buildings set far away from the street, surrounded by barbed wire fences. More recently we saw another section of Troost that isn’t plagued by far-flung buildings (t

Stop signs are gaining popularity in our little town. That is, Kansas City officials seem to think they’re doing the world a favor by replacing outdated and “under utilized” stoplights (costing approx. $250,000 each) at nearly 144 locations across the city. What incredible idea have they come up with to cut costs and make the streets safer? Stop signs. Seriously. 4-way stop signs, replacing 144 stop

I’ve been scratching my head about this one since I first saw it on the Kansas City Star’s website. The issue, at a high level, is simple: a bunch of Kansas City artists and well-meaners (okay, and some hippie-esque people) are moving into an area of town along the Troost Corridor (Manheim Park). When the group decided to move into the area, they set out to rehab some 52 houses in 52 weeks. Their goal, to

Obsessing lately about why kids belong in cities and why Kansas City should make education its number-one priority, I’ve been reading about Francesco Tonucci, an Italian intellectual that focuses on the role of children within the urban ecosystem. Tonucci is adamant about the importance of (reasonable) risk in children’s lives. Risk leads to discovery, learning, and growth, as much in children as it does in adults, a

I’ve mused about kids in Kansas City before. My point was that young people really like living in Kansas City but often feel like it’s only a matter of time before they’ll have to leave (schools, safety, backyards, yadda yadda). In that post I also very briefly mentioned the benefits that families bring to cities, although this article does a much better job of that AND it raises an important questi