As a studio, we’ve been developing proposals for different segments of the Greenline, organizing our work into four key areas: North, East, West, and South. This structure has helped us break down the larger system into more manageable pieces while still thinking about how they connect as a whole. This week, we focused on connecting our design work to real people and real places across Kansas City.

Rick Usher, Crossroads Community Improvement District

We welcomed Rick Usher from the Crossroads Community Improvement District to our studio. He spoke to us about the ongoing work in the Crossroads and other neighborhood developments. He talked about new bike lanes along Southwest Boulevard that could possibly be integrated into the Greenline and efforts to increase the number of trees in the Crossroads. He gave feedback on different ideas for alignment along the southern portion of the Crossroads. The Southern segment team is currently looking at two different streets for their segments, one of them being a commercial trail along 18th street. Hearing directly from a neighborhood leader like Rick gave us a clear understanding of the potential impact of our project and how to incorporate other community efforts.

Later in the week, we took a short studio trip to the Berkley Riverfront. Walking the site allowed us to see recent developments firsthand and observe how public space, infrastructure, and recreation come together along the river. The visit wrapped up with a stop at Two Birds One Stone, giving us time to reflect as a group in a more casual setting. 

Overall, this week was about learning from the community, experiencing sites in person, and continuing to develop our Greenline proposals with a stronger connection to context.

Written by Brian Medina, Architecture Student

This week, KCDC toured Zahner’s offices and fabrication facilities and broke out into our Greenline segment teams. Zahner is a Kansas City local business that is globally renowned for their innovative custom metalwork. We began the tour outside, where to-scale mockup models are built for clients before a final contract is signed. Their work is displayed throughout the property, inside and outside, at various different scales, patinas, and forms.

Matthew Sutton, who founded the Industrial design department at Zahner, shared that the company is now able to produce products that can be ordered online because of the creation of this new department. He also explained what the logistics of working with metal are to create site furnishings for the Greenline. Danielle Luyet, a product designer and fabricator at Zahner, shared her interest and design ideas with us for site furnishings that could be implemented in the Greenline. We will hopefully meet with her again soon at KCDC to discuss further.

After the Zahner visit, we walked to the east segment of the Greenline on the Paseo. We experienced the lack of accessibility to the greenspace in the middle of the Paseo. Designing a safer pedestrian crosswalk with higher visibility for vehicles will be a vital consideration in the design process for the eastern segment team. The site features beautiful architectural features, such as fountains and a pergola, but it lacks supportive amenities that encourage gathering. This could also be a design opportunity for the eastern segment team. Each segment team will soon be conducting site visits and a site analysis of their specific section of the Greenline.

Written by Ella Figgins, Interior Architecture Student

This week, KCDC took the streetcar down to BNIM to present the past few weeks of research that we have done for the Greenline. Architects at BNIM provided great sources for us to better understand climate change in Kansas City and challenges that are specific to our area. This research will inform how we will be designing the Greenline Project, as well as concerns that need to be addressed to make the future a reality.

The total research for the project was split into five different groups: Community Connectivity, Social Equity, Environment and Ecology, Urban and Economic Impact, and Public Space and Characteristics. Community Connectivity would focus on the interactions between the larger transportation networks plus the historic parks and boulevard system. This would inform us how many people travel in Kansas City and the possibilities that we are looking forward to. Social Equity would focus on the social differences between the neighborhoods that make up Downtown KC and what their needs and wants are. Environment and Ecology focused on the current and future environmental impact that Kansas City has. Important things that they are asked to consider is the importance of water drainage and migratory species. Urban and Economic Impact would look into the gentrification that has and could occur within Kansas City. Additionally, taking on the question of reversing historic redlines. Public Space and Characteristics would study the common use of buildings and noteworthy aspects of our city.

With this information, we will be moving into the initial design phase and making use of our research. We are splitting into four teams based on segments of the Greenline, with groups focused on the North, East, South, and West segments to address the distinct alignment opportunities and challenges within each area.

Written by Brady Smith, Architecture Student