Park(ing) Day is September 17

This Friday is Park(ing) Day an "annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good." Kansas Citians will be reclaiming parking areas at 11th and Grand downtown at various parking lots at UMKC, and at Independence Center and  Independence Square in Independence.

Here's a great video showing how a car-dominated area can be converted to a much more enjoyable people-dominated area.


PARK(ing) Day: User-Generated Urbanism from Brandon Bloch on Vimeo.

Emmanuel Cleaver Boulevard to Become More Pedestrian-Friendly?

Kansas City, Missouri will begin public hearings to discuss design improvements for Emmanuel Cleaver Boulevard between Rockhill Road and The Paseo to improve streetscaping. Improvements may include better sidewalks, trees, enhanced crosswalks, improved pedestrian-level lighting, traffic calming, road diet, and bike lanes.

The strikes me as a rather significant opportunity. One of the complaints about the Plaza is that it pretty much sits as an island that doesn't mesh well with surrounding areas.  Connecting the Plaza to UMKC, Theis Park, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum together would do wonders for tying the area together and extending the vibrancy of the Plaza further eastward and would help develop areas east that have become neglected and blighted.

And imagine the foot traffic to Gates Bar B.Q.!

The first public hearing will be Tuesday, September 14 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center at 47th and Troost.