Revitalization of Kansas City Series 2009
Kansas City’s downtown continues to experience a new vitality, bringing businesses and residents interested in a lifestyle that only a vibrant city can offer. During this ongoing series which is sponsored by the Central Exchange Education Foundation, individuals intimately involved with building the new and breathing life back into the old will give progress reports – and tell us how KC’s heart is once again beating strong.
Revitalization programs begin at 11:45 a.m. and are held at The CX Downtown. No charge/CX members; $25/non-members.
Blueprint for a Better City
Featuring Stephen Hardy,
Urban Planner, BNIM Architects
April 9, 2009
The downtown Kansas City area is home to diverse neighborhoods. From the West Side to 18th & Vine, and from Beacon Hill on the south to Harlem north of the river, each diverse neighborhood has its own strengths and challenges.
These neighborhoods, realizing that they are part of a greater community, have bonded together to create an Area Plan as a blueprint for their future development. This plan is being created by BNIM Architects, a firm specializing in sustainable design and planning projects of all scales on both the local and national levels.
Stephen Hardy, an Urban Planner at BNIM, focuses on urban planning projects. Learn how the long-range vision of the Area Plan will improve the quality of life, protect precious natural capital and strengthen economic vitality in our community.
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Beyond the City Center: Redevelopment Moves Outward
Featuring Greg Patterson, President, Greg Patterson & Associates and Whitney E.
Kerr Sr., Sr. Vice President, Colliers International
May 5, 2009
The growth of the Downtown area has spurred resurgence in parts of the community outside the central city. The competition from the Power & Light District has motivated businesses in other areas to develop.
Greg Patterson, president, Greg Patterson & Associates, tells how Westport and other midtown areas are working to attract visitors and residents. Patterson is a former executive director of Westport Tomorrow, Inc., a not–for–profit coalition of 27 neighborhood and business organizations.
He will focus on the area between Crown Center and the Plaza, an area which includes 15 neighborhoods, five business areas and numerous large institutions, including hospitals, colleges, museums and corporate headquarters.
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Why We Live Downtown
Panel Presentation
June 11, 2009
Our revitalized city is attracting people from all walks of life. Professionals, youth and retired are all finding it exciting and rewarding to live and work in an area that is building and growing.
Join a panel of residents as they explain why they call downtown Kansas City their home, and tell what attracted them to this lifestyle. CX member Lan Strickland, Gen X'er Alison Huber, and Rita Cauthen tell us what it is like to live in the urban core. Strickland lives with her husband in a condo in Wall Street Towers, Huber resides in the View Lofts, and Cauthen lives with her husband, city manager Wayne Cauthen, in the Library Lofts.
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New Hope for a New Year
Featuring Wayne Cauthen
City Manager, Kansas City, Missouri
Tuesday, January 20
The new year brings challenges, both old and new. With Kansas City's form of government, few people have more sway over what happens here than the city manager.
Start your year by hearing the perspectives and plans of one of the most powerful people in town. Learn how the public, private and government sectors need to work together to continue rebuilding and renewing Kansas City.
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The Chamber: Collaboration for a Better City
Featuring Anne St. Peter
President, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, February 26
Unifying for a common goal is important anytime; it's a matter of necessity during times of economic hardship.
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is focusing on collaboration to build a better community. Hear how a strong city center is essential to the Chamber’s regional approach. The new chairwoman will discuss Kansas City's unique strengths and challenges, and bother her short–term and long–term strategies to help build a better city.
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A Farmer's Market: The Healthy Heart of an Urban Core
Featuring Stephanie Spatz–Ornburn
Director of Marketing & Events, The City Market
Tuesday, March 17
Kansas City, like most communities, has had a central market since its founding as a community. A century and a half later, people still flock to our Farmers' Market in the City Market area for fresh produce–and more.
Cities like Seattle and New York, along with Kansas City, recognize the importance of a healthy urban market to community revitalization. Learn how Kansas City is keeping its historic market vibrant and fresh, with the weekend Farmers' Market, concerts and events, and shopping and dining.
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