Redesigning Kansas City's Government District Using the Urban-design Approach of Responsive Environments

Redesigning Kansas City's Government District Using the Urban-design Approach of Responsive Environments
Author: Jose P. Abraham
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

This thesis presents a redesign of Kansas City's downtown Government District, making use of the conceptual approach provided by Responsive Environments (1985), a manual for urban design written by architects Ian Bentley and Alan Alcock, urban designers Sue McGlynn and Graham Smith, and landscape architect Paul Murrain. "Responsive environments" are those urban places, the physical settings of which maximize usability and social value by offering a wide range of day-to-day user choices within close proximity. The authors of Responsive Environments identify seven hierarchical qualities--permeability, variety, legibility, robustness, visual appropriateness, richness, and personalization--that are said to be vital in creating responsive environments within the city. Through a literature review and critique, chapters 1 and 2 of the thesis overview Responsive Environments in terms of several major theorists of urban place making, including urban theorist Bill Hillier (1984), urban critic Jane Jacobs (1961), and urban designer William Whyte (1980). In turn, chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 investigate the practicability of Responsive Environments as an urban design approach by applying its three larger-scale qualities of permeability, variety, and legibility to the Government District, an existing urban area in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, presently underdeveloped in terms of environmental responsiveness and a strong sense of urban place. As a means to identify strengths and weaknesses of Responsive Environments, the last chapter of the thesis critiques the resulting Government District design. The thesis concludes that Responsive Environments is a valuable design approach that offers much for strengthening the quality of urban life and urban sustainability.

Kansas City Urban Design Guidebook

Kansas City Urban Design Guidebook
Author: Kansas City (Mo.). City Planning Department
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 1978
Genre: City planning
ISBN:

Guidebook also contains information on: neighborhood planning;building renovation; open space development.

Reconnecting

Reconnecting
Author: Kansas City Design Center
Publisher:
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2012-08-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9780989362009

The Responsive City

The Responsive City
Author: Stephen Goldsmith
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2014-08-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118910907

Leveraging Big Data and 21st century technology to renew cities and citizenship in America The Responsive City is a guide to civic engagement and governance in the digital age that will help leaders link important breakthroughs in technology and data analytics with age-old lessons of small-group community input to create more agile, competitive, and economically resilient cities. Featuring vivid case studies highlighting the work of pioneers in New York, Boston, Chicago and more, the book provides a compelling model for the future of governance. The book will help mayors, chief technology officers, city administrators, agency directors, civic groups and nonprofit leaders break out of current paradigms to collectively address civic problems. The Responsive City is the culmination of research originating from the Data-Smart City Solutions initiative, an ongoing project at Harvard Kennedy School working to catalyze adoption of data projects on the city level. The book is co-authored by Professor Stephen Goldsmith, director of Data-Smart City Solutions at Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor Susan Crawford, co-director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg penned the book’s foreword. Based on the authors’ experiences and extensive research, The Responsive City explores topics including: Building trust in the public sector and fostering a sustained, collective voice among communities; Using data-smart governance to preempt and predict problems while improving quality of life; Creating efficiencies and saving taxpayer money with digital tools; and Spearheading these new approaches to government with innovative leadership.

Northeast Kansas City

Northeast Kansas City
Author: Konner Pendland
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020
Genre:
ISBN:

New Urbanism is a planning and design approach that opposes the idea of urban sprawl, a migration pattern that is very prominent in large cities, such as Kansas City. Its purpose is to combine many aspects of daily life into a singular network that enhances accessibility and quality of life. New Urbanism consists of many components that create a successful community. This study focuses on walkability and safety, two aspects of New Urbanism, that can be implemented and analyzed in any community at any scale. These principles were analyzed within the neighborhoods of Lykins and Sheffield, located east of Downtown Kansas City. These neighborhoods currently suffer from high crime rates, heavy industrial uses, and urban blight. They also lack easy access for pedestrians as well as safe and secure neighborhood environments for their residents and visitors to the area. These factors lead to the question: How can safety and walkability be analyzed and implemented in two neighborhoods within Northeast Kansas City, Lykins and Sheffield, to influence New Urbanist development in the area? This report aims to answer the preceding question by assessing the physical and perceived aspects of walkability and safety. This was achieved by using Google imagery, GIS analyses, and photo questionnaires distributed throughout the two neighborhoods. Sidewalk width, the existence of sidewalks, distances to community amenities, pavement conditions, visibility, lighting, the existence of vacant lots, and topography are the variables that have been examined throughout the study. These factors were first analyzed using GIS and Google Imagery and then were combined with the results from the photo questionnaire (n=43) to see what elements people prefer in their neighborhoods. The results from the survey and the site analysis influenced the selection of areas to implement New Urbanism design interventions. Three sites were selected that scored low in the photo survey and are considered dead zones. The design works to link these three sites together by applying similar design approaches the each location. Additional considerations were also given to walkability and safety based on survey responses to create unique experiences. These design interventions can promote New Urbanist principles and inform future development within Lykins and Sheffield as well as their surrounding neighborhoods near Downtown Kansas City.

A Description of the Projects Undertaken by the First Kansas City Design Center Urban Design Studio and Recommendations on how to Improve the Student Experience

A Description of the Projects Undertaken by the First Kansas City Design Center Urban Design Studio and Recommendations on how to Improve the Student Experience
Author: Clark Griffiths
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

The Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) Interdisciplinary Urban Design Studio is one of a myriad of design studios throughout the country, which seek to bring students of differing educational backgrounds together in an urban environment. In this setting they collaborate with each other, faculty, and outside professionals in an effort to stem many of the problems associated with urban America today. While these design studios have made their goals and objectives clear to the public and their studio participants, what are they offering in terms of a quality interdisciplinary educational experience? How interdisciplinary are these urban design studios? Are students receiving the same educational experiences? The above questions can only be answered by documenting the processes involved as well as looking to the students for their insight and feelings of their own individual educational experiences while taking part in the studio. The Kansas City Design center builds its educational endeavors around its interdisciplinary design studio. The goal of this studio is to "strengthen the educational experiences of future planning and design practitioners by engaging university faculty and students with real world issues facing Kansas City's built environment." Through this studio, faculty and students are able to work closely with local client groups working towards improving the built environment in Kansas City. If Kansas State University and the University of Kansas continue to send students to KCDC to study each year, it only seems appropriate that their faculty and potential students understand what is taking place at this particular studio. Therefore, the goal of this research paper is to describe the projects undertaken during the inaugural Kansas City Design Center Urban Design Studio and to analyze the interdisciplinary environment of the studio.

Redesigning Cities

Redesigning Cities
Author: Jonathan Barnett
Publisher: American Planning Association
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2003
Genre: Cities and towns
ISBN:

"Of course, to be influential, design must be incorporated into the everyday routines of urban development. Barnett explains how to create institutions - both inside and outside of government - that will help make the "designed metropolis" a reality. He also reveals techniques, materials, and technologies that should be known (but often aren't) to planners, public officials, concerned citizens, and others involved in the business of development."--BOOK JACKET.