Kansas City

Shaping a Sustainable Vision for Kansas City’s Twin Creeks

CitiesKansas CityShaping a Sustainable Vision for Kansas City’s Twin Creeks

Bloomberg Associates helped Kansas City plan for the sustainable development of 15,000 acres of largely undeveloped land north of the city center, including a 1,000-acre park and residential and commercial development.

This is going to be significantly different from your typical park. We want the Twin Creeks Linear Park to reflect the creativity and sustainability we see in Kansas City today, while also creating an exciting addition to our nationally recognized parks and boulevards system.

Sylvester ``Sly`` James, Former Mayor of Kansas City

Relevant Expertise

Implement Sustainable and Resilient Solutions

Green Space and Infrastructure Enhancement

Improve Public Space and Neighborhoods

Parks Maintenance and Beautification

Challenge

Kansas City had a vision for the 15,000-acre Twin Creeks area to create a unique development that would capitalize on the natural features of the area and build new civic space for residents. With a focus on sustainable design, development and construction, the Mayor invited Bloomberg Associates to help develop a plan for this massive and complex undertaking.

Approach

Bloomberg Associates helped conceive and launch an inter-agency working group to coordinate more than $50M in future infrastructure investments in Twin Creeks. As part of this effort, the team helped facilitate regular meetings that convened City leaders from the departments of City Planning and Development, Parks, Public Works, and Water Services, and from the City Manager’s Office.

To help inform the design and development of the site, Bloomberg Associates surveyed 30 cities to identify zoning and design standards and development incentives that could be applied in Twin Creeks. The team also identified nine model developments that helped shape the city’s vision for Twin Creeks and the linear park.

Following these extensive research and planning phases, the Bloomberg Associates team worked with Kansas City to create and launch an international design competition for Twin Creeks to provide inspiration and unique options for the area’s development. The competition generated interest from leading design firms and attracted submissions from seven countries.

Impact

The Twin Creeks Linear Park Design Competition helped generate international attention within the design and planning community for the exciting growth happening in Kansas City and resulted in over 20 submissions from seven countries. The winning teams were featured in an exhibition, which further showcased Kansas City’s forward-thinking approach to this project. With support and advocacy from our combined efforts, Kansas City secured $3.1 million to construct the first phase of the Twin Creeks Linear Park.