Environment for People of All Ages Goal

Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place


Policy decisions related to the built environment should be sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians. It’s anticipated that Kansas City will see significant growth in its elderly population in the future. At the same time, the city has communities filled with growing families and young professionals, plus many higher education institutions that attract students of all ages. The city must fully support all Kansas Citians so they can move through the stages of their lives with the housing, economic opportunities, and social enjoyment they need.

Kansas City must ensure it has sufficient housing stock to meet the housing needs of people in different life stages. A built environment that is sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians fosters social connections between different age groups, resulting in thriving, intergenerational communities. The city must also ensure that all people have access to healthcare, public transportation, education, life-long learning opportunities, recreational activities, and other programs that support aging in place.

Cities that are designed to cater to peoples’ needs at different life stages attract more economic development and employment opportunities by fostering a diverse workforce with a wide range of experiences and skill sets. This enables young people to put down roots in the communities where they grew up, reinvesting their energy and incomes in their neighborhoods. It also enables senior citizens to age in place in their community, comfortably and securely.


RELATIONSHIP TO VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has fifteen Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents.
Affordability at a variety of ages allows people choice and security in how they organize their lives long-term.
Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.
Parks and open spaces offer people a variety of benefits at all ages, such as low-barrier opportunities for activity and social connections and a location for cultural expression in the form of festivals and events.
Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.
Kansas City must attract and retain residents throughout their lives by developing and sustaining desirable communities for people of all ages to live, work, raise their families, retire, and then continue to socially and economically benefit their communities.
Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.
Equitable and fiscally sustainable growth will result in better city services and maintenance for neighborhoods and reinvestment in distressed areas, making all areas of the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles.
Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.
A degraded environment negatively impacts the most vulnerable populations, which typically include children and older people. These age groups are disproportionally sensitive to exposure to poor air or water quality or to extreme weather linked to climate change. Actively pursuing a healthy environment improves physical and mental health for people of all ages.
History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.
Preserving Kanas City’s historic landmarks and celebrating its culture and history contributes to the city's authenticity and sense of place. Historic places connect people to the past and make Kansas City a more compelling, attractive place to live.
Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.
Better access to technology, especially emerging technology, benefits all people by connecting them with helpful resources in all aspects of their lives, from education to health to employment to daily needs and services.
KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.
Kansas City is built around its midwestern heritage; blues and jazz roots; picturesque parkways and boulevards; and its agricultural and automotive origins. This heritage is preserved and embraced by Kansas Citians of all ages today, and it is important to continue to retain and celebrate the city’s character as it develops into a modern city.
Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.
The core of a robust neighborhood is a diverse, multi-generational population of people who support each other. That’s possible when there is affordable housing in a variety of types that accommodates people of various ages and lifestyles. This allows people, throughout their lives, to support younger and older neighbors and family members.
Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.  
Ensuring there are mobility options that serve people of all lifestyles, incomes, ages, and physical abilities is a core component of creating a community for all ages. A person’s mobility needs shift throughout their life. The city must plan a transportation system that accommodates those changing needs, and the needs of their caregivers, in all neighborhoods.
Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.
A physically beautiful city with boulevards, parkways, fountains, and historic landmarks will attract people of all ages and will help Kansas City attract and retain residents.
Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.
As Kansas City implements strategies to make the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages and needs, it must collaborate with regional partners to share ideas and strategies.
Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.
A resilient city will be better prepared to mitigate potential impacts of climate change and the disproportionate impacts it has on vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.
Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.
A local economy that provides economic opportunity for all residents is a critical for a city that supports people of all ages.
Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.
Neighborhoods must first be clean and safe to accommodate people of all ages and lifestyles. Walkable communities promote active lifestyles, foster social connection, and are generally more desirable places to live for everyone.


RELATIONSHIP TO EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.
Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.
Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.
Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.
Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.
Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.
Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.
Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.
Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.


RELATIONSHIP TO BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies five Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life
Ensuring Kansas City neighborhoods have housing options and mobility options that give access to daily needs, so that people of all ages, incomes, abilities and lifestyles are accommodated, is perhaps the most important Big Idea related to this goal.
Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements
A beautiful city will be more attractive to everyone, especially those considering this factor in their decisions about where to live, work and learn.
Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner
Equitable and fiscally sustainable development directs investment to areas where it’s needed and ensures the city can provide high-quality maintenance and services. The result will be more livable neighborhoods citywide that are attractive to people of all ages.
Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system
Ensuring safe and convenient mobility options are available for everyone is needed to create neighborhoods that support people of all ages.
Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions
The city must ensure vulnerable populations are not disproportionately disadvantaged by future trends and events such as climate change. The city must also ensure everyone benefits equitably from new technologies by promoting inclusivity and equal access to opportunities and innovation.


RELATIONSHIP TO TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:







RELATIONSHIP TO OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies twenty-one Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal:




Create a better environment that will attract and retain young people and allow residents to age-in-place


Policy decisions related to the built environment should be sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians. It’s anticipated that Kansas City will see significant growth in its elderly population in the future. At the same time, the city has communities filled with growing families and young professionals, plus many higher education institutions that attract students of all ages. The city must fully support all Kansas Citians so they can move through the stages of their lives with the housing, economic opportunities, and social enjoyment they need.

Kansas City must ensure it has sufficient housing stock to meet the housing needs of people in different life stages. A built environment that is sensitive to the needs and experiences of all Kansas Citians fosters social connections between different age groups, resulting in thriving, intergenerational communities. The city must also ensure that all people have access to healthcare, public transportation, education, life-long learning opportunities, recreational activities, and other programs that support aging in place.

Cities that are designed to cater to peoples’ needs at different life stages attract more economic development and employment opportunities by fostering a diverse workforce with a wide range of experiences and skill sets. This enables young people to put down roots in the communities where they grew up, reinvesting their energy and incomes in their neighborhoods. It also enables senior citizens to age in place in their community, comfortably and securely.


RELATIONSHIP TO VISION STATEMENTS

The Playbook has fifteen Vision statements for Kansas City. The Playbook’s Vision describes what we want to be and outlines how we want our city to develop in the future, in line with community values and priorities. Those that are closely related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Affordable Community: We will create and nurture an affordable community and strive for abundant opportunity and employment at a livable wage for our residents.
Affordability at a variety of ages allows people choice and security in how they organize their lives long-term.
Cultural Amenities: Our diverse cultural amenities, parks, and open spaces will provide a rich variety of experiences and vibrant environments.
Parks and open spaces offer people a variety of benefits at all ages, such as low-barrier opportunities for activity and social connections and a location for cultural expression in the form of festivals and events.
Desirable Place: Our community will attract people and employers through being a desirable place to earn, learn, live, and thrive.
Kansas City must attract and retain residents throughout their lives by developing and sustaining desirable communities for people of all ages to live, work, raise their families, retire, and then continue to socially and economically benefit their communities.
Equitable and Fiscally Sustainable: Our capital investments and growth will be equitable while maintaining the fiscal sustainability of the city.
Equitable and fiscally sustainable growth will result in better city services and maintenance for neighborhoods and reinvestment in distressed areas, making all areas of the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles.
Healthy Environmental Systems: We will promote and value the health of our environmental and natural systems and protect them from degradation.
A degraded environment negatively impacts the most vulnerable populations, which typically include children and older people. These age groups are disproportionally sensitive to exposure to poor air or water quality or to extreme weather linked to climate change. Actively pursuing a healthy environment improves physical and mental health for people of all ages.
History and Heritage: We will preserve places that celebrate all facets of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage.
Preserving Kanas City’s historic landmarks and celebrating its culture and history contributes to the city's authenticity and sense of place. Historic places connect people to the past and make Kansas City a more compelling, attractive place to live.
Innovation and Creativity: We will cultivate innovation and creativity in our governance, business, and educational practices related to smart city technology and physical development.
Better access to technology, especially emerging technology, benefits all people by connecting them with helpful resources in all aspects of their lives, from education to health to employment to daily needs and services.
KC Uniqueness: We will preserve and enhance those things that make Kansas City unique – the small town feel with big city amenities and the wide range of diverse environments and neighborhoods.
Kansas City is built around its midwestern heritage; blues and jazz roots; picturesque parkways and boulevards; and its agricultural and automotive origins. This heritage is preserved and embraced by Kansas Citians of all ages today, and it is important to continue to retain and celebrate the city’s character as it develops into a modern city.
Livable Neighborhoods and Diverse Housing: Our neighborhoods will be strong, livable, and authentic while ensuring diverse housing opportunities.
The core of a robust neighborhood is a diverse, multi-generational population of people who support each other. That’s possible when there is affordable housing in a variety of types that accommodates people of various ages and lifestyles. This allows people, throughout their lives, to support younger and older neighbors and family members.
Mobility Options: Our well-connected and accessible neighborhoods and districts will be walkable and served by reliable, safe, and convenient mobility options.  
Ensuring there are mobility options that serve people of all lifestyles, incomes, ages, and physical abilities is a core component of creating a community for all ages. A person’s mobility needs shift throughout their life. The city must plan a transportation system that accommodates those changing needs, and the needs of their caregivers, in all neighborhoods.
Physical Beauty: Our city will be renowned for the physical beauty of its streets, buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure.
A physically beautiful city with boulevards, parkways, fountains, and historic landmarks will attract people of all ages and will help Kansas City attract and retain residents.
Regional Collaboration: Our city will continue to be the heart of the region. We will remain collaborative with our regional partners with a renewed focus on building partnerships to achieve the aspirations of this plan.
As Kansas City implements strategies to make the city more attractive and livable for people of all ages and needs, it must collaborate with regional partners to share ideas and strategies.
Sustainable Growth and Resilient City: Our community will grow in a sustainable manner and be resilient and adaptable to future changes.
A resilient city will be better prepared to mitigate potential impacts of climate change and the disproportionate impacts it has on vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.
Thriving Economy: Our economy will be resilient, inclusive, diverse, and thriving and will position our city competitively against our national peers.
A local economy that provides economic opportunity for all residents is a critical for a city that supports people of all ages.
Walkable, Clean, and Safe: Our community will promote the health of our residents and visitors through being walkable, clean, and safe.
Neighborhoods must first be clean and safe to accommodate people of all ages and lifestyles. Walkable communities promote active lifestyles, foster social connection, and are generally more desirable places to live for everyone.


RELATIONSHIP TO EQUITY STATEMENTS

The Playbook also has a series of statements focused on equity. Those that are directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Addressing Disinvestment: Direct investment to communities that have been abandoned or have experienced long-term disinvestment.
Citywide Accessibility: Ensure services, utilities, and transportation options are provided to everyone.
Community Collaboration: Empower people from different parts of the KC community in working together to solve problems.
Community Engagement: Empower people to shape their communities and recognize that communities value things differently.
Complete Communities: Ensure that people can meet their needs in their own neighborhood without having to travel long distances.
Housing Affordability: Ensure everyone has access to safe and affordable housing.
Inclusive Design: Ensure that development incorporates design features that consider people of all abilities.
Providing Services: Commit to taking care of the built environment and providing the same quality of maintenance and services citywide.
Welcoming Spaces: Ensure that public spaces and amenities are designed to support diverse, culturally authentic, and family-friendly activities, no matter how much money a person is able to spend.


RELATIONSHIP TO BIG IDEAS

The Playbook identifies five Big Ideas for Kansas City. The Big Ideas are the essential themes of the plan. They underpin all that the plan aims to do. Those directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:

Fostering neighborhoods that accommodate all ages, lifestyles, and incomes by diversifying and densifying housing choices and creating complete communities that facilitate a high quality-of-life
Ensuring Kansas City neighborhoods have housing options and mobility options that give access to daily needs, so that people of all ages, incomes, abilities and lifestyles are accommodated, is perhaps the most important Big Idea related to this goal.
Creating a physically beautiful city by promoting high-quality design in public spaces, parks, private development, and capital improvements
A beautiful city will be more attractive to everyone, especially those considering this factor in their decisions about where to live, work and learn.
Respecting land as a limited resource by balancing outward growth with infill development, preserving natural resources, and developing in an equitable and sustainable manner
Equitable and fiscally sustainable development directs investment to areas where it’s needed and ensures the city can provide high-quality maintenance and services. The result will be more livable neighborhoods citywide that are attractive to people of all ages.
Maximizing connections and mobility options by bridging or eliminating barriers and creating new physical connections and a robust multimodal transportation system
Ensuring safe and convenient mobility options are available for everyone is needed to create neighborhoods that support people of all ages.
Creating a future-proofed city by better anticipating and reacting to new technologies and evolving conditions
The city must ensure vulnerable populations are not disproportionately disadvantaged by future trends and events such as climate change. The city must also ensure everyone benefits equitably from new technologies by promoting inclusivity and equal access to opportunities and innovation.


RELATIONSHIP TO TOPICS

The Playbook is also structured around five Topics that organize the plan’s recommendations around specific subjects. Those topics directly related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal are highlighted in grey below:







RELATIONSHIP TO OBJECTIVES

The Playbook identifies twenty-one Objectives for Kansas City. The Objectives are the nuts and bolts of the Playbook. Each one contains detailed recommendations, strategies, and initiatives for a specific topic, framed by the overall direction the plan sets for that topic. The Objectives also set priorities and metrics for their implementation and provide supporting context, including relevant data and public input. A single Objective often supports multiple Goals and Topics.

Objectives primarily related to the Environment for People of All Ages Goal:




Page last updated: 10 Apr 2023, 08:57 PM