The 20th Street Streetscape project is about re-thinking the public right-of-way with the aim of making it a Great Street. A Great Street is a nice way to think about it because, as noted street expert Allan Jacobs suggests (to paraphrase), we all know a Great Street when we’re in one. It’s a flexible, expansive way to think about a street, or in our case, in re-defining a street.
This project will support and implement the goals of the Greater Downtown Area Plan (GDAP). They are:
Create a walkable downtown.
Double the population downtown.
Increase employment downtown.
Retain and promote safe, authentic neighborhoods.
Promote sustainability.
The official boundaries of the project are I-35 to the west and McGee to the east. However, the connectivity richness of stretching over to West Pennway and Cherry, then north to 18th Street is too much to ignore. We’ll also be thinking about how our work impacts the north/south experience of streets intersecting 20th Street. Of special consideration will be the flow of people and vehicles to and from the Kauffman Performing Arts Center at 16th and Broadway. It’s opening in September of 2011 marks a milestone in the continued revitalization of Kansas City’s urban core.
We’ll dig in a little deeper with design concepts for the stretch of 20th Street between Southwest Boulevard and McGee. It’s a roughly 100’ right-of-way and offers an incredible opportunity to stretch our attention beyond the currently plush accommodation of moving vehicles. Walking, sitting, bicycling, dog walking, First Friday-supporting, pleasant-looking, Urban Heat Island-mitigating, stormwater-slowing, oxygen-enriching space. These are but a few of the activities we’ll be exploring.
This project owes a debt of gratitude to Tom Nelson, FAIA, and the Crossroads Community Association. Tom got the ball rolling with one of his trademark colored pencil sketches illustrating what’s possible with the simple addition of street trees. It compelled the CCA to action, which then triggered enthusiasm within the City and from our good Councilwomen – Jan Marcuson and Beth Gottstein. From there the project moved with record speed to this point. And now we’ll do our best to push the project to implementation, with care and thoughtfulness.