Debunking Persistent Rumors Of Downtown Kansas City Renaissance

For more than two decades Kansas City has been confronted with the urban legend called "The Downtown Renaissance" that isn't just harmless chatter but a very impactful idea that has steered HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS worth public policy. 

For a time, downtown KC population growth did outpace other parts of the city, COVID changed that momentum and the hope of local leaders seems to be that the new Royals stadium will turn the tide. 

What we know for certain: After HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS worth of investment in a toy train, a convention hotel, an arena and so much luxury living space . . . Population numbers are nowhere near peak levels.  

These are all facts that close readers have gleaned through years of watching local news, special thanks to this local SubStack outlet for offering a summary that likely escaped most useless "news" feeds on social media . . . Check-it: 

"The population living in greater downtown lives in a very different building stock than it did in 1950. Very few of that era’s apartment buildings survived the turbulent five decades that followed. People living in historic buildings downtown today are mostly in converted industrial lofts or office towers. Second, household sizes have shrunk significantly from a 2.2 average in 1950 to a 1.4 average today. The number of homes has not shrunk as much as the number of people.

"Downtown Kansas City has had a genuinely impressive couple of decades of growth. But even so, it is relatively underwhelming for a big-city downtown."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

On The Population Resurgence of Downtown Kansas City

We're still closer to the bottom than the peak