Kansas City

The Kansas City streetcar

How Kansas City quietly built one of the best streetcars in America

A detailed and completely unbiased history of one of American transit's greatest comebacks.

August 25, 2026 - Joshua Woods

Womontown historical plaque next to houses in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the 1990s, Kansas City's Womontown offered queer women community and independence

A group of women created a safe space that gave them the opportunity to buy homes and build wealth in a supportive community.

June 30, 2026 - Rewire News Group

Red and blue World Cup 2026 sign inside Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri.

World Cup crowds offer 'stress test' for Kansas City transit planners

Transportation officials are closely monitoring travel patterns during the World Cup to understand how the city's transit system can be improved as the population grows.

June 25, 2026 - KCUR

Green Kansas City streetcar driving down street next to brick building with vintage-style 'Tom's Town Distillery' sign.

Kansas City completes riverfront streetcar extension

The streetcar line carries a third of the region's transit riders.

May 21, 2026 - KCUR

Blue Kansas City RideKC bus.

Kansas City Will Start Charging Bus Fares in June — With no Plan in Place for Low-income Riders

Service providers say they haven’t been told how their clients can access free or reduced fares after the agency starts charging again this summer.

March 8, 2026 - KCUR

Teal Kansas City streetcar on downtown street.

Kansas City Announces Another New, Fare-Free Streetcar Line

The once-derided transit system continues to add new lines as ridership grows.

February 26, 2026 - Streetsblog USA

Kansas City, Missouri skyline at dusk.

Kansas City Adopts Milestone Data Center Zoning Rules

A new zoning ordinance classifies data centers as industrial facilities, triggering stricter zoning and permitting requirements.

February 8, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Crowd of people stand at station in front of blue and green Kansas City streetcar.

Kansas City Streetcar Doubles Ridership After Expansion

Daily weekday ridership on the system jumped from 4,000 to 10,000 after the Main Street extension opened in October.

December 16, 2025 - Progressive Railroading

Colorful pink Kansas City streetcar.

Kansas City Set to Open Main Street Street Car Extension

The city’s streetcar system is expanding in advance of 2026 soccer World Cup.

September 29, 2025 - KCUR

Blue Kansas City transit bus on Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri.

A Brief History of Kansas City’s Microtransit

The city’s costly experiment with on-demand transit is yielding to more strategic investment.

December 6, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

Close-up on yellow sign with black 'BUMP' letters indicating speed bump ahead.

Kansas City Adding Speed Bumps for Traffic Safety

The city is adding the traffic calming measures at 50 high-risk intersections.

August 15, 2024 - The Kansas City Star

CPKC sports stadium under construction in Kansas City, Missouri.

New Kansas City Stadium Offers Limited Parking

Unlike many sports arenas surrounded by seas of concrete, the new CPKC Stadium has parking for just 2,000 vehicles, hoping most sports fans will arrive by transit.

February 27, 2024 - The Kansas City Star

City bus in downtown Kansas City with brick buildings in background.

Kansas City Approves Transit Funding

Voters approved a ten-year extension on a sales tax that provides roughly one-third of the local transit agency’s revenue.

November 13, 2023 - KCUR

Blue RideKC bus in Kansas City with trees in background

Transit Advocates Fear On-Demand Microtransit Undermines Bus Service

A new on-demand transit service is meant to fill gaps in Kansas City regional bus service, but some transit supporters worry the service is drawing funding away from fixed-route buses.

July 14, 2023 - KCUR

Rendering of proposed South Loop Link Park over I 670 in Kansas City, MO

Kansas City Requests State Funding for Freeway Cap Park

The city has been working to raise $200 million to create a 5.5 acre park spanning a portion of Interstate 670.

April 13, 2023 - KCUR

An image taken from the point of view of a driver on a mostly empty freeway, with large overpasses overhead.

Induced Demand Be Damned: Missouri Governor Proposes I-70 Expansion

Highway widenings still attract support from both sides of the political aisle, despite the inadequacies of the approach in solving the problems it intends to solve.

January 23, 2023 - The Kansas City Star

Red "Vote Here" sign with white text and arrow pointing left on green lawn next to curb

The Crucial Role of Suburban Voters in the Midterms

Suburban voters were instrumental in preventing a 'red wave' on Election Day and on December 6 in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election, enabling the Democrats to win a 51st Senate seat.

December 25, 2022 - CNN

Kansas City electric streetcar

The Limits of Kansas City’s Fare-Free Experiment

For the Missouri city, the economic and social benefits of eliminating transit fares outweigh the costs, but can their success be replicated in bigger cities more dependent on farebox revenue?

December 1, 2022 - Governing

Kansas City streetcar with colorful wrap at Union Station

Kansas City Streetcar to Extend to Rockhurst

A new extension to the Kansas City Streetcar will open up the free transit line to Rockhurst University students.

November 18, 2022 - The Rockhurst University Sentinel

Nighttime shot of decorative fountain with horses and Country Club Plaza tower in background

Three Planning Innovations, a Century Later

Three events turning 100 this year have had a long-lasting impact on the shape of American urban design and land use.

October 3, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.