Check out our aerial video of the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood

The ripping of trace paper, the wild strokes of pens, and the bing of mental light bulbs are all sounds that are common at the Kansas City Design Center lately. For the past month, students have been further investigating the existing situations and the design possibilities for the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood in Northeast Kansas City.

The students have met up with the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association and other stakeholders to finalize their overall concept for the neighborhood. To do this, they identified six main goals that they want to achieve that would improve the neighborhood.

students asked for stakeholder feedback by actually marking their comments on maps

In order to get a better grasp of the scope of their vision plan, KCDC students identified specific areas in the neighborhood that have the most issues and therefore the most potential. Before they can get down to the nitty-gritty of architecture design, they must first figure out their urban strategies.

“To identify our urban strategies, we listed the problems and solutions that could solve the social, cultural, or physiographic issues of the neighborhood through architecture. ”

— Kylie Schwaller

URBAN NOISE IS THE COLLECTION OF INSTANCES OF DILAPIDATION, TRASH, OVERGROWN VEGETATION, CHAIN-LINK FENCES, "BEWARE OF DOG" SIGNS, ETC. — URBAN NOISE IS THE COLLECTION OF INSTANCES OF DILAPIDATION, TRASH, OVERGROWN VEGETATION, CHAIN-LINK FENCES, "BEWARE OF DOG" SIGNS, ETC.

This is just a small fraction of the numerous facets they're studying, all in order to give themselves constraints to start their schematic designing within. After conjuring up iterations of schematic designs for their chosen sites, the KCDC students will host another review with the Scarritt Renaissance stakeholders. Sparking a dialogue with the neighborhood will give the students valuable feedback to refine their design propositions.

Among other happenings at the Kansas City Design Center include a public lecture by Tom Campanella. Titled "American Curves: Nature, Race, and the Origins of the Modern Highway," Campanella spoke about his research and findings on an incredibly influential man, Madison Grant, a leader in the conservation of nature whose efforts to conserve park space created the first parkway, which was the earliest concept of a highway that we know of today.

Tom Campanella speaking of "American Curves: Nature, Race, and the Origins of the Modern Highway"

Look forward to hearing more on the students' work after their stakeholder meeting with the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association, as well as more information as they start to delve into their newest project: Creative Placemaking in the West Bottoms.

Travis SnellOctober 7, 2016KCDC, Scarritt Renaissance, Campanella, Schematic DesignComment

New Students and a New Vision for Scarritt Renaissance

Overview of the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood and Kessler Park.

The fall semester is full of possibilities as a new set of students are settling into the KCDC studio. This time, nine architecture students and one landscape student are joining forces to develop a revitalization plan for the historic Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood.

Scarritt Renaissance is home to the famous Kessler Park and Cliff Drive, which offer amazing panoramic views to the East Bottoms and ample green space for soccer, disc golf, and other activities. Among the greenery is the Concourse and Colonnade, a popular meeting ground for the neighborhood's families. Children enjoy running through the fountain or using the playground while their parents socialize.

However, it's not all fun and games in the neighborhood. Many residents have concerns about the growing number of vacancies, crime, and homes in disrepair. The KCDC students are researching the neighborhood and developing a revitalization plan by working closely with residents, the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association, the Kansas City Planning Department, and other organizations.

To finish up the month of August, the KCDC students presented their preliminary findings on the neighborhood at the Kansas City Museum. They will take the feedback from the neighborhood association and continue to identify local assets and areas in need of improvement.

Kylie Schwaller and Travis Snell present various maps and diagrams to explain the studio's data and discoveries about the Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood.

Expect a great project from these eager and fresh students! To keep updated on their progress follow the Kansas City Design Center here, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

KCDC Studio at the Kansas City Museum.Left to Right: Jessica Carson, Courtney Minter, Travis Snell, Taylor Allen, Drew Lindsey, Connor Privett, Isaiah Naives, Julia Guerra, Eric Janes, Kylie Schwaller, Kevin Madera, Hannah Hackman, and Professor Vla… — KCDC Studio at the Kansas City Museum.
Left to Right: Jessica Carson, Courtney Minter, Travis Snell, Taylor Allen, Drew Lindsey, Connor Privett, Isaiah Naives, Julia Guerra, Eric Janes, Kylie Schwaller, Kevin Madera, Hannah Hackman, and Professor Vladimir Krstic.

Travis SnellSeptember 6, 2016KCDC, Kessler Park, Concourse, Cliff Drive, Scarritt Renaissance, Revitalize, Kansas City MuseumComment

The End of the Semester

It's been a crazy semester at KCDC and just as quickly as it started, it came to an end. We ended with an incredible Open House and a professional Review showcasing both the Art in the Loop and Recycling Vision Study. Thank you very much to everyone that came out for both of those events!

The task for Art in the Loop was to design a system for selecting future art sites and it's been an exciting process. After many meetings with the artists and the advisory group, we have selected 23 sites dispersed all around the downtown loop that will increase the impact of Art in the Loop and bring art to spaces we might not have thought of before. Each site was documented extensively so that the curators and the artists have information that can determine the possibilities for the site and make art that fits perfectly into its site.

The Recycling Vision study concluded with 4 site-specific designs that address various goals we'd determined last semester in the Vision Plan. We looked at a cluster, which focuses on increasing efficiency for both the hauler and the users, an organic node which takes on organic waste as a large portion of the waste stream, a showcase node, which is focused on awareness, and the links which are about increasing access and also education and awareness. It also culminated in some pretty cool models including one with a working hand crank from the clusters group!

Both of these projects have taught us all a lot about Urban Design and what that entails in Kansas City. Art in the Loop is not a project type that we’ve encountered before. However, by using design thinking and with the help of the artists, we were able to think about public art differently in order to better serve Downtown Kansas City. For recycling, we’ve all left with an increased knowledge of the recycling process and why it is so important to recycle. Hopefully, we’ve changed some of our audience’s minds as well when thinking about recycling and its potential to create a more livable public realm in Kansas City!

Even though both projects are now complete, the work is not over yet! We’ll be working on the final studio publication as well as doing presentations to various stakeholders in Kansas City that have an interest in the project. Also, if you didn’t have time to make it to Open House, the work is still on display in our gallery!

Kansas City Design CenterMay 18, 2016Comment