Kansas City is a midwestern city that is very much known for its sprawl and highway system (prominent link between the two), however it is home to one of the greatest places in the country in terms of urbanism. The Country Club Plaza, found a couple miles north of downtown, provides a template for any urbanist to study and understand good urbanism. It does not have particularly large buildings, in fact, much of the retail/restaurant areas of the plaza are two stories. There are a good number of hotels, condominiums and apartments surrounding the area however. Since I hold this place to such a high standard, I make it a point to visit the plaza each time in Kansas City (usually every other year). This visit, I was very short for time, but I was able to get there around 10 am on a cold and windy Thursday morning (yesterday). Enjoy the following photos.
My wife and two daughters (5 & 2) posing with one of the many rabbits currently in the plaza for Easter.
Great stuff here John! Strong pedestrian support, attractive, and timeless.
Thanks Frank! The plaza is a beautiful place and really the pictures do not give it the justice that it deserves. It’s amazing how much of a destination that it is in Kansas City. A lot of people think that taller buildings are necessary to achieve the critical mass that make a place special. I do not believe that this is true. The plaza is a mix of one, two and three story buildings, the difference is how the buildings meet and create the public realm.