The Competition

The jury for the first phase of the competition included North Kansas City Mayor Gene Bruns, Kansas City's 2nd District-at-large Councilman Ed Ford, Senior Engineer Dick Jarrold of the KC Area Transportation Authority, MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Linda Clark, and Brad Scott of the U.S. General Services Administration. Urban Society President Dave Scott also served on the panel that heard presentations by the three finalists in the competition.

The competition was organized in collaboration with the Regional Transit Alliance (RTA), and with the financial support of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, the Light Rail Task Force of the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Kansas City Homebuilders’ Association.

The Proposals

Five proposals were submitted for the first phase of the competition in mid-April, at which time the jury selected three finalists to advance to the second phase of the competition. The finalists include BNIM Architects, a planning team led by staff from the City of Olathe, and Gastinger-Walker-Harden Architects.

The jury evaluated each proposal based on its ability to overcome challenges to implementing light rail in Kansas City, the quality of the architecture and urban design concepts presented, the proposal's originality and technical merit, and its political and economic feasibility.

BNIM Architects
The winning proposal, submitted by Kansas City's BNIM Architects, proposes a light rail alignment following Main Street and Grand Blvd. through Midtown and into Downtown Kansas City, crossing just east of the Broadway Bridge to the Harlem District on the north bank of the Missouri River.

The proposal demonstrates how light rail might stimulate new private investment with less intense demand for parking at four locations:

• Midtown Marketplace at Linwood and Main could convert its large parking areas to other uses, including local retail, offices and apartments, arranged along a re-established grid of streets.



• Air rights development above a former railroad just north of Washington Square Park could support a new mixed-use development above a transit concourse connecting Grand Blvd. to Union Station.



• A downtown transportation hub could be constructed over the I-670 freeway adjacent to the Sprint Arena as an intermodal station for buses, light rail and a downtown "circulator streetcar."



• The forgotten Harlem neighborhood could serve as the landing point for light rail on the north bank of the Missouri River, and be re-developed as a high-density, mid-rise and high-rise neighborhood, complete with a central "Great Street" and a spectacular view across the river to the downtown skyline.

Click here to download the BNIM proposal [14,600Kb PDF file].

Olathe Concept
A proposal created by a team of planners envisions a transit-oriented, New Urbanist development north of 119th Street between I-35 and Renner Boulevard. Over the next 13 years, congestion in the I-35 corridor is anticipated to increase by nearly 60-75%, making suburban investment in regional public transit a high priority.

While this proposal fell outside the official mandate for the competition, the Jury felt that there was great value in recognizing the growing importance of an interconnected, seamless, regional transit system, like the Smart Moves plan proposed by the Mid-America Regional Council..

Click here to download the Olathe proposal [4,906Kb PDF file].

Gastinger Walker Harden Architects
The Gastinger scheme proposes a split light rail line in midtown, with northbound service on Broadway and southbound service on Main. The concept focuses economic development on a central "community marketplace" on Main Street, from a block north to a block south of Armour Boulevard.

The marketplace would be enclosed by a glass canopy "scarf", which would create a signature design element along the street while simultaneously generating electric power to service the development. Recommended policy changes included encouraging dense, mixed-use development along Main while preserving existing neighborhood character on adjacent streets.

Click here to download the Gastinger Walker Harden proposal [6,832Kb PDF file].

Next Steps

A summary of the proposals, highlighting key findings and concerns explored by the jury, was presented to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the Kansas City, Mo. City Council, on Wednesday, May 30, 2007. Additional presentations will be made to partnering organizations and sponsors of the competition.

A panel discussion about the competition was featured on KCUR-FM's "Up to Date", Monday, June 4, 2007.

A formal public presentation of the winning concept, along with an exhibition of all work submitted in the competition, is being planned.

About the Competition

In 2005, the KCDC, in collaboration with AIA Kansas City and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, developed a set of ten Guiding Principles for Civic Design. The Guiding Principles seek to provide a values-based framework for public deliberations about design policy issues, including public transit:

Strengthen Kansas City with integrated public transit.

Effective public transit serves the City and the region by improving access to the urban core and reducing traffic congestion and pollution. Transit also strengthens the urban fabric by supporting walkable neighborhoods, urban density, and mixed-use development. Development policies and incentives should promote transit-oriented development, and transit should be used to foster stronger connections between urban and suburban areas.

The goal of this competition is to contribute to a civic design process that helps to identify issues and opportunities for public transit to strengthen Kansas City’s public realm.

The five contributing teams proposed site-specific urban and architectural design concepts for TOD in both urban and suburban contexts, and identify the zoning tools, financial incentives, and other policies needed to support ridership, walkability, and the critical densities needed to ensure the viability of a light rail system. Collectively, these proposals demonstrate how public transit investments can work in concert with supportive local development policies to strengthen the character and vitality of Kansas City’s built environment.

The Jury

The following community leaders and transportation agency representatives served as jurors for this competition.

Hon. Gene Bruns
Mayor
City of North Kansas City, Mo.

Linda Clark, P.E.
Senior Assistant District Engineer
Missouri Dept. of Transportation (MoDOT)

Ed Ford *
Incoming Councilmember, 2nd District At-Large
Chairman, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
City of Kansas City, Mo.

Dick Jarrold
Senior Director of Systems Development and Engineering
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (ATA)

Brad Scott *
Regional Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration

Dave Scott **
Founder and President
Urban Society of Kansas City

*  Phase One only
**  Phase Two only