Led by the Downtown Council (DTC), business, civic, and neighborhood leaders joined together over the last two years to imagine the future of greater Downtown Kansas City. With the guidance of the steering committee chair, Warren Erdman, Kansas City Southern, the planning process attracted both long-time stakeholders and emerging voices across greater Downtown to work together.

This was no small feat considering the plan came together amid a global pandemic and a national reawakening to racial injustice and social inequality. These events, and the realizations that followed, highlighted the need for an ambitious and forward-thinking plan for Downtown to improve upon current conditions and chart a more inclusive and prosperous future.

The resulting Imagine Downtown KC 2030 strategic plan will serve as the primary vision-setting and policy blueprint for shaping a stronger, better, more resilient urban community – a mosaic of neighborhoods – bound by an unflinching commitment to a better Downtown Kansas City.

This plan intentionally aligns with the KC Rising Shared Vision. Together, they create a blueprint for a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable urban community.

We envision an equitable, inclusive, and vibrant Downtown Kansas City that will thrive in the coming years and decades. Dynamic. Connected. Affordable. Authentic. Resilient. These qualities describe how Downtown Kansas City – complete with its diverse neighborhoods and districts – aspires to look, feel, and function.

Imagine Downtown KC required extensive outreach and engagement with leaders and residents of the many unique and diverse neighborhoods and districts of greater Downtown KC.

The plan creates a framework of confidence and certainty for future investment by setting the direction and priorities for the next decade. The plan’s goals describe what the community strives to achieve for Downtown by 2030. The goals address and build upon the challenges, assets, opportunities, and priorities defined by our downtown community during the planning process:

Ensure a livable city for all
Connect Downtown neighborhoods
Nurture a prosperous, innovative, and creative economy
Preserve and enhance our unique assets
Make Downtown sustainable and green

The plan will be carried out through five transformative strategies and eight catalytic projects. The strategies will shape decision-making and guide the work of the DTC, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and their many partners.

An Imagine 2030 Implementation Committee, led by Jason Parson, Lynn Carlton, and Dr. Kimberly Beatty, has been established with content experts and neighborhood representatives.

The plan also includes a comprehensive implementation matrix that will act as a tracking tool for initiatives and a project management framework for the committee. Each area of the plan has a detailed set of recommendations, timelines, and process detail. A robust, easy-to-use interactive dashboard with key metrics will be used to track progress and support data-driven decision-making.

Learn more about the plan at www.downtownkc.org/imagine; to request a presentation or get involved in building the future of Downtown email imagine@downtownkc.org.