Sofia Ball

435 to Broadway. A twenty-minute drive from Lenexa that once featured a picture-esque view of the Kansas City skyline, now ruined by the glowing sight of the “KC Wheel.” Placed around 50 feet away from the edge of the interstate, the attraction features a 12-15 minute, heated and cooled $17 ride, creating a dynamic view of KC for first-time visitors and obstructing the same view for thousands of residents. 

The same can be said for pretty much every big-dollar investment in a new KC attraction. Invest millions of dollars in potential visitors, to neglect residents and essential urban infrastructure like public transportation and adequate housing accommodations, hiding the real KC behind a curtain of shiny new places.

Rock Island Bridge Entertainment District. 

An innovative and expensive use of the historic Rock Island Bridge, turning what was once an abandoned and near-useless monument into the world’s first entertainment district on a bridge. The developers at the forefront of these big-dollar tourist investments seem to be on a constant chase of those luxurious labels and headlines. 

Berkley Riverfront.

What was once ignored has become the new focus of many private developers, like Marquee Development and Palmer Square Real Estate Development.

After finishing the construction of the CPKC Stadium and the skill of the KC Current as a team and franchise, the developers of the riverfront did not hesitate to capitalize on the area’s previous success. KC Current is embarking on a $1 billion expansion of the riverfront district, constructing over 400 multi-family homes, 48,000 square feet of retail space and 2+ acres of public gathering space. In a recent article on cpkctadium.com, the franchise said, “With a focus on local chefs and restaurateurs, this district will become the new culinary epicenter of our region.”

That constant chase for impressive headlines and records to break leaves the thousands of residents of KC neglected, and feeling the numerous effects of the government’s shift in infrastructure focus.

Over 15 new developments are breaking ground within the next few years in an attempt to put Kansas City on the map. They add a shiny new layer of luxury to mask the run-down infrastructure of the metro area, putting tourists in a rainbow unicorn bubble to try to hide the pot-hole ridden roads they are on.. New renderings of these districts and attractions flood social media and local news outlets, warm lighting, animated people walking throughout these new spaces. 

Have you ever once noticed a parking lot? Or even a car driving?

Kansas City, in these images, presents itself to be an accessible and walkable city for tourists to fly in and fly out, without ever needing to rent a car or call an uber. But, with over 250,000 regular riders of the streetcar and less than 20 stops in the loop and even fewer miles covered, Kansas City lacks accommodation for not only the tourists who may rely on public transportation but the long term metro residents, and not to mention the large homeless population.

In 2026, Kansas City was declared to have the largest homeless population per capita in the country. With over four thousand unsheltered people, there are less than 40 homeless shelters across the metro area, including Lenexa and Shawnee. 

This kind of label doesn’t matter to the KC government. As long as they can cover it in a new headline about their new stadium move or new entertainment district, the kind of action necessary to help the homeless population will not be taken.

Issues like potholes, population increase with no housing to accommodate and an outdated transportation system plague the long term residents of the metro area. These issues for residents will continue to show through the shiny attractions for tourists, which will prevent KC from ever being a ‘destination.’ 

The KC government needs to redirect their focus, and their money, onto improving the city through baseline improvements, not billion dollar ferris wheels and anti-parking lot entertainment districts.