Sustainable Communities

What are the issues?

The Kansas City region is almost exclusively reliant on the automobile. Other modes of transportation are often not viable depending on where you live. Motorized transportation puts a strain on the environment and the way we use fossil fuels.

What can be done? 

Sustainable infrastructure
• Building vibrant and dynamic neighborhoods.
• Improve bicycle and pedestrian safety for the whole family and all ages.

• Promote active lifestyles, less reliance on motorized vehicles, lower the need for car parking
• Reduce the need to drive or have a car in Kansas City by creating 5 or 10 minute walkable communities (i.e. Live / Work / Play / Shop in the same community).
• Create population centers that are able to serve 75% to 90% of all daily, weekly, monthly activities and needs are met within 5 minute walking distance, encourage active lifestyles, improve overall health of the population, fight obesity
• Fight Urban Sprawl
• Promote Placemaking
• Smart Growth
• Form based code rather than just looking at land use
• Encourage cluster development (villages, activity centers)
• Shared modes of transportation are more efficient and use less energy
• Focus on existing infrastructure (infill development)
• Encourage higher density clusters
• Capitalize on local community’s assets
• Create better public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being
• Promote active lifestyles
• Reduce reliance on motorized vehicles
• Shorten distance between destinations
• Promote active lifestyles
• Create infrastructure that fills people's daily needs of living (i.e. Live, Work, Shop, Play)
• Encourage local food production (community or home gardens) 

Automotive
• Narrow road to human scale
• Road diet
• Traffic calming
• Reduce the need for car parking
• Reduce parking requirements by municipalities (some cities mandate parking)

Pedestrian issues
• Create better pedestrian environments
• Remove obstacles to walking (objects on sidewalk)
• elevate pedestrian travel over motorized travel
• Stream buffers
• Habitat preservation (fight urban sprawl)
• Connect population centers (clusters) with public transportation
• Encourage local farmer's markets
• Encourage pedestrian and bicycles rather than cars 

Bicycle issues
• Improve bicycling infrastructure in Kansas City 

Public transportation
• Improve public transportation in Kansas City 

Other
• Encourage electric vehicles in the Kansas City area