By Kellie Houx, Editor of KC Studio
What makes a
great city? Is it the arts, the schools, the people? Probably, but at a very
fundamental level, a great city, a great community and a great metropolitan
area require great planning and understanding. KCPT and the Mid-America
Regional Council will examine the issues and elements that advance
understanding in helping the area become more vibrant, connected and green with
“Imagine KC.” This yearlong series is produced by Angee Simmons at KCPT along
with MARC. The Imagine KC series sprang up from the citizen engagement project
of the same name undertaken by the partners in the spring of 2009. Almost
100,000 people across the region participated. MARC staff now believes that the
region has a more common language and set of visions for growth.
The first show airs Nov. 18. Simmons says the program is designed to highlight the planning process of developing vibrant communities in our region. “This is going to be an education process. We have areas like the Crossroads in Kansas City or the Troost corridor – both represent a type of success, but what really happened to make the plans and vision a reality?” Simmons says another area of interest is the Vision Metcalf plan in Overland Park. The city passed the plan in 2008 to guide redevelopment in the Metcalf Corridor from I-35 to 123rd Street. The revitalization of downtown Lee’s Summit will also be examined. Other possible topics could be trails and creating “walkable” communities, transportation in all its forms, using energy efficiency, conservation, urban design and ultimately what citizens can do to affect change in the region.
Executive Director of MARC, David Warm says, “Our goal with this series is to help envision our future to help give us a sense of confidence that we can indeed articulate a coherent plan and strategy for our region, to educate people on the choices and options on how to get there and to actively engage them in the process."
“We have to offer choices to the residents of the communities that make up the region and we hope that through engagement we can be a more sustainable region,” Simmons says. The design perspective will be part of the show such as building streets and conserving green spaces and developing a regional master plan. “We are going to talk to experts, city officials and others who have the expertise to help us all build smarter.”
Dawn Taylor,
executive director of the American Institute of Architects Kansas City, says,
“The Kansas City chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA Kansas City)
is interested in collaborating with KCPT and MARC in the production of ‘Imagine
KC.’ AIA Kansas City has been discussing with KCPT staff the various ways of
leveraging AIA Kansas City’s collective wisdom, expertise, and connections to
enhance the series’ content and citizen engagement efforts. Architects and other design
professionals are uniquely qualified to assist with developing a series like
this, one that focuses on creating a more livable and sustainable metro area.”
