We’re excited to introduce three new fourth-year students from K-State joining us on our Prospect Nodal Study! Meet Tayvia Navy, Jason Ingram, and Caitlin Seal:

TAYVIA NAVY

Tayvia comes to the KCDC with a goal to pursue a career path in commercial architecture. She is excited by how engaged the KCDC is with the community of architects, planners, and designers in Kansas City and hopes to become more connected with the community. When she isn’t in studio, you can find her on a basketball court. She is currently joining the Prospect South team. Welcome, Tayvia!

JASON INGRAM

Jason joins our team excited by the change of pace from a traditional learning environment and intrigued by the unique learning experience of the KCDC . He looks forward to working on a wide range of architecture types in both the residential and commercial sectors. When he’s not putting his energy into designing, you can find him playing soccer. He has become part of the group taking a closer look at Brush Creek. Happy to have you, Jason!

CAITLIN SEAL

Caitlin joined the KCDC team with a desire to explore design in the urban environment and a love for Kansas City. Her passion is for small-scale residential and commercial architecture. When she isn’t focusing on her studio designs, she relaxes by sketching and drawing people. Caitlin has joined the team that is looking at Prospect Ave between 25th and 39th Streets. Welcome to the KCDC, Caitlin!

We are looking forward to getting to know our new studio mates throughout the semester as we work with them on this exciting project!

After returning from holiday break, the studio split into groups and began defining urban nodes to be investigated. By looking at the key issues and existing conditions of each area, we are excited to share the selected nodes that we’ll be investigating for the remainder of the semester.

The first is an area that we’ve termed Prospect North which runs from Independence Ave to 12th Street and Truman Rd. You can see in the diagram below that we are focusing on four strategies in this area with a goal to use what's already available in addition to increasing density in a way that will define Prospect Avenue’s distinct character as a strong urban element.

The second node is the Prospect Corridor from 31st Street, Linwood Blvd. to 39th Street. In this section, there are three major points of East-West connections that we have the opportunity to activate. Check out the image below for details— our goal in this area is make this corridor more consistent, both visually and physically, in order to strengthen existing character in the area. This section would become a major bridge between the more industrial area of Prospect North and Brush Creek.

Next, we have Brush Creek. This area runs from 45th Street to 51st Street and is focused on the north/south gateways (especially addressing the huge barrier of Highway 71) and the waterfront. This area has a ton of potential with the opportunity to create a functional green space, redesigning the bridge, and taking care of all those flooding problems due to stormwater run off. In the images below you can see how these we hope to address these issues by reclaiming urban spaces, addressing the space around the bridge, and creating strong gateways.

Directly south of Brush Creek we have the Prospect Hospital Area which runs from 51st Street to Meyer Blvd. In the image below you’ll see that this area shifts from a residential/small business corridor to the Research Medical Center complex very quickly with causes a big disconnect. This area also has a ton of un-featured views to the downtown area, the Plaza, the Stadiums, Waldo Water Tower, Starlight Theater, East Bottoms and the Cerner Campus. The goal here is to encourage design that orients development to Prospect Ave or 63rd Street and creates a consistent street edge and facade system. Plus, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of those amazing views!

Our last (and southern most) node is Prospect South from Meyer Boulevard to 75th Street. This area runs parallel, right next to Highway 71— this results in a huge infrastructural barrier that causes a disconnect between the east and west sides of Prospect. In the diagrams below you will see that we utilize a permeable green space buffer on the east side of Prospect and a well defined street edge on the west as a result of infill density. This helps restore a well defined character and gets rid of un-needed parking lots and buildings.

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As we continue developing ideas and meeting with our advisory council, watch our for our public meeting dates where we will engage with the communities and leaders that live and work in these areas!

Students have been staying busy as they prepare for the end of the semester. KCDC has welcomed many visitors over the month. It was nice to welcome both new and familiar faces into the studio space. This month KCDC held:

1. Advisory Meeting

   The Advisory Meeting that was held on November 5th was a very important day for students. A large review of the Prospect Avenue Nodal Study was held for our gracious advisory board. This was the last review before students roll into final review production. The advisory board gave us insights as students began exploring strategic design concepts. Our advisory board includes the following professionals:

   • Jeffery Williams - Director of Planning and Development KCMO

   • Brien M. Starner - Vice President or Regional Community and Economic Development KCMO

   • Beth Edson - Branch Manager, The Kansas City Library

   • Angela Eley - AICP, Planner - 3rd District

   • Kyle Elliott - AICP, Division Manager, Long Range Planning and Preservation

   • Kate Bender - Deputy Performance Officer KCMO

2. Kansas State and University of Kansas Collaboration

   Also on November 5th, a fun collaboration was held between visiting studios, Kansas State and University of Kansas. The Kansas State studio is led by Professor Gibson and the University of Kansas studio is led by Professor Colistra. KCDC’s advisory group stayed for the collaboration, sharing their insight on Kansas City.

3. Populous Visit

   Another eventful day students had was on November 16th. It started with a visit by two architects John Shreve and Alex Ogata from the Kansas City firm Populous. Populous is a global architectural design firm specializing in the design of sports facilities, arenas, and convention centers. Shreve and Ogata stopped by to give a brief introduction on the upcoming course that will be offered to KCDC students in the spring. They were also generous enough to leave a basket full of fancy cheeses and d’oeuvres.

4. Preparing for Finals

   On November 16th, the day before Thanksgiving break, the class held a progress review. Professor Krstic provided direction and advice on how to more forward on the project. Students are now in the schematic phase of the Prospect Avenue Nodal Study and have selected five key elements of the study corridor and will provide design iterations for each.

5. Goodbye Sarah

   We are saddened to report our project coordinator, Sarah Kraly is leaving KCDC to pursue new career opportunities. Sarah has left a large mark on the program. She has always a provided positive energy in the studio and greeted everyone who walked in the door with a “good morning” no matter what day it was. Students wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Students hung around KCDC after studio on that Friday, enjoying time before she departed.