@BlogKCIf you aren’t reading Urban Times, you should be. It often has some good stuff about helping Kansas Citians becoming reacquainted with the City part of our name. The March issue has a column criticizing an unnamed City Council member for saying that “Downtown is not a neighorhood.”
It’s a cheap political shot that is often taken when politicians want to pander to voters out in the provinces. You might also hear the slightly more veiled version of “I’m a neighborhood person” or “I support the neighborhoods.” Either way, it is a too common strategy to pit parts of the city against each other, just as is done with north vs. south or east vs. west. It also ignores the fact that Downtown is made up of many unique neighborhoods like the River Market, Columbus Park, Quality Hill, etc. – all home to over 15,000 Kansas Citians.
Unfortunately, Downtown residents don’t vote in the same numbers as other more engaged parts of the city. Comments like “Downtown is not a neighborhood” is a consequence of not participating in the political process, so maybe this will spur folks get more involved in choosing the next City Council in 2011.
I’ve heard that Urban Times was a mag funded by a condo real estate company – So this “downtown as a neighborhood” rhetoric certainly has a financial benefit for the publisher. This still seems like the same gentrification debate that KC mostly ignored in order build the debt ridden (Discriminatory) P&L District.
As far as “Downtown doesn’t vote” that’s 100% correct and might also be a reflection of the fact that population numbers for Downtown have long been exaggerated and propagandized by (you guessed it) people selling (expensive) real estate.
As of now the “Downtown is not a neighborhood” side stays winning because neighborhoods have residents and Downtown still seems abandoned after dark (5 days of the week) to me. Meanwhile, so many are still engaged in the kind of Downtown cheerleading that has led to so much attention directed away from other parts of the city at the behest of real estate developers and other luxury living profiteers.
As someone who lives in the Crossroads, I believe it IS a neighborhood. Every day when I walk my dogs I see many others walking their dogs, sitting outside on their patios, and eating at the local restaurants and bars. It’s a shame that Kansas City still has the “midwest mentality” for suburban life.
Oh get off it, Tony. Downtown is a neighborhood. River Market is my neighborhood. I know my neighbors, not just in my building but in nearby buildings. We say hi when we walk down the street, we celebrate together, and we see each other at neighborhood restaurants, bars, and parks. I dare say we’re more neighborly than many suburban communities.
The fact that we don’t have a bunch of retired folks living in our districts to puff up our voter turnout shouldn’t mean we’re not real.
Downtown still seems dark to you because we don’t have enough density yet to really pump up constantly active streets. Give us a break; just a few years ago, nobody lived down here, for fear of their lives and possessions. KC cleaned up the downtown, and now we’re coming. We still need many more residential units to be constructed before we can achieve the density needed to keep the streets active. Also, don’t ever expect we’ll be NYC. This city should sleep for at least a few hours each night.
Downtown has more street life than any neighborhood in Kansas City, hands down. Westport and the Plaza come *close*, but they don’t have the level of activity, seven days a week.
That said, no neighborhood in KC comes close to the street life of Williamsburg, Hollywood, or Lincoln Park, and probably never will.
i have lived in downtown kansas city for 7 years. downtown is a neighborhood. before that i have lived in downtown milwaukee for 5 years. it too, is a neighborhood.
i talk to my neighbors, walk to work, exercise outside, have block parties, etc. All of these things constitute a neighborhood.
when asked “where do you live?” downtown is an accepted answer just like saying brookside, waldo, columbus park.
is 95th & sprawl, I mean nall a neighborhood?
If anything, downtown is far more a neighborhood than most suburban areas.
When I lived in Olathe, after 3 years I barely knew any of my neighbors. There were no gathering places, everyone pretty much kept to themselves.
Living downtown I see the same people all the time. I know people in my building and in surrounding buildings. I run into people I know at coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. We pass each other on the sidewalks and say hello. Even the homeless people are part of the neighborhood, I see the same ones every day and we exchange friendly hellos.
I NEVER experienced that in the suburbs. The only suburbs that I could imagine comparing would be Parkville, North Kansas City, and parts of Prairie Village. Within KCMO proper, probably only Brookside and Waldo might compare.
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