KANSAS CITY

CITY OF PARKS AND

BOULEVARDS

URBAN DESIGN  LITREATURE

STUDY
LOCATION OF THE CITY IN THE WORL
IT IS LOCATED IN U.S.A IN AMERICA
BEFORE RAIL ROADS
IN 1800
• IT WAS A SMALL CLUSTER OF VILLAGES WITH INDEPENDENCE AND WESTPORT AS
NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES.
AFTER ARRIVAL OF RAILROADS
&STREETS
IN
•
1869
IN 1860’S AND NEAR 70’S THE CITY STARTED DEVELOPING AND PROPER PLANNING OF
STREETS AND BUILDINGS STARTED HAPPENING.
IN 1880’S
• ELECTRICAL STREET CARS CAME IN PICTURE WHICH ALLOWED TOMAKE
SUBURBS AWAY OF INDUSTRIES OF THE CITY.
• BECAUSE OF WHICH THE CITY STARTED EXPANDING.
• THE DEVELOPMENT STARTED GROWING ALONG THE RAILROUTE WHICH WAS
HEADING THE SOUTH.
IN 1919
AUTOMOBILE MADE TRAVELLING SO EASY THAT PEOPLE COULD EASLIY CONNECT TO THE CENTRE OF
THE CITY AND STARTED SHIFTING TO THE SUBURBS FOR MORE PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT.
 MAN BEHIND KANSAS
• GEORGE KESSLER DEVELOPED THE KANSAS CITY.
• HE WAS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PLANNER, HE DEVELOPED PARKS AND BOULEVARDS IN
THE CITY WHICH WERE SO GOOD THAT IT SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE NEIGHBOURING CITIES.
COUNTRY CLUB DISTRICT
IT WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF PLANNED
SUBURBS WITH
-FIRST PLANNED SUBURB.
-GRID PLANNING
-GREEN STREETS
-OTDOOR PARKS
-TRANSIT SYSTEM CONNECTED TO
DOWNTOWN.
-APPARTMENTS WITH GREEN OUTDOORS.
RICHEST LIVE HERE

SPANISH ARCHITECTURE
IN 1935
• THE CENTRAL AREA DOWNTOWN STARTED FACING PROBLEMS LIKE IT BECAME TOO
CROWDED THAT PEOPLE STARTED LIVING IN THE SMALL HOUSES IN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF OFFICES AND INDUSTRIES
• AT THIS TIME URBAN DESIGNER ANDRES DUANY INTRODUCED STREET PLANS TO DEFINE
EVERY PARTS OF KANSAS CITY WHICH DID NOT WORKED PROPERLY BECAUSE RAPID
GROWTH AND CORRUPT GOVERNMENT..
IN 1950’s
• TILL THIS TIME KANSAS STARTED GROWING LIKE ALL OTHER TYPICAL CITIES OF
NORTHERN USA.
• MOST OF THE PEOPLE OWNED A CAR.
IN 1980’S
• THE CITY WAS DEVELPONG IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT WAS PROFITABLE JUST FOR THE
UPPER AND MIDDLE INCOME PEOPLE.
• HIGH RISE BUILDINGS STARTED TAKING BIRTH IN THE CITY.
• THE DEVELPOMENT WAS SO RAPIDLY THAT IT JOINED WITH IT’S NEIGHBOURING
VILLAGES AND TOWNS SUCH MISSOURI, INDEPENDENCE, ETC.
IN 1990’s
KANSAS STARTED TO SPLIT IN TWO CITIES
OLD CITY
• DOWNTOWN
-GETTING CONGUSTED BECAUSE HIGH
TRRAFIC, INDUSTRIES AND BAD
PLANNING.
-MAJORLY BUILT IN 1900-1950
-NEEDED IMPROVEMENT
-POSITIVE POINT WAS THAT ALL THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD WAS NEARBY AND
IN WALKING DISTANCE.
NEW CITY
• SUBURBAN WAY
NEW STORES, OFFICES, COLLEGES,
INDUSTRIES WERE OPENING IN THE NEW
CITY
-AS THE OLD CITY STARTED GETTING
CONJUSTED NEW CITY STARTED WITH
NEW CONCEPT OF SUBURBAN DESIGNS.
-GREEN SPACES IN BETWEEN BUILDINGS.
REBIRTH OF DOWNTOWN
• DOWNTOWN IS UNDERGONE REDEVLOPMENT WITH INVESTMENT OF 6 BILLION
DOLLORS.
• AS PEOPLE WHER SUFFERING FOR HIGH TRAVEL TIME AND EVERYTHING VERY FAR AWAY
FROM THERE RESIDENTIAL THEY AGAIN STARTED SHIFTING TO DOWNTOWN.
• MOST OF THE OFFICES SHIFTED TOWARDS THE SUBURBS, WITH 12% OF VACANCY RATE
AND OFFICE BUILDINGS CONVERTED INTO RESIDENTIALS.
• POPULATION IN DOWNTOWN QUADRUPLED IN LAST 10 YEARS(2000-2010) AND
CONTINUES TO GROW WITH 40% GROWING RATE.
• 2000- 4000 RESIDENTS
• 2010 – 30,000 RESIDENTS.

• TRANSPORTAION
• IN 2005 – BUS RAPID SYSTEM, METRO AREA EXPREES INTRODUCED.
• IN 2013 – FAST STREET CAR SYSTEM INTRODUCED WHICH CAME IN FUNTION AT 2016.