Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture / Dennis L. Law / In the late 1800s George Kessler and
the Board of Parks and Boulevard
Commissioners (BPBC) developed a
Parks and Boulevard system for Kansas
City, MO laying the foundation for
the city to grow. Development of the
system is the result of the combination
of Kessler’s ideology, as well as his
planning and design practices. The
parks and boulevard system established
a framework giving due weight
to existing conditions, adapting itself to
topography, avoiding forced routes and
forced construction. This framework
based itself around the value of beauty,
the city’s duty, the effect of parkways
and boulevards on real-estate values,
and the experience of other cities.
Today, auto-centric sprawl has revealed
its limitations, bringing focus back to
the neglected urban fabric. The current
urban fabric is dominated with automotive
infrastructure responding only
to the pedestrian where convenient
or required. Results of this trend in
development are concrete jungles.
Unfortunately, the city character
developed by the expanded parks and
open space systems has been or is
in danger of being lost. Opportunities
for redevelopment are rising as these
expansive urban infrastructures are
reaching the end of their designed life
cycle. As people begin to repopulate
urban areas, revitalization of the parks
and green space is of high priority.
Adapting George Kessler’s practices,
principles, and ideals behind the
Kansas City Parks and Boulevard
System to contemporary practices,
principles, and ideals in landscape
architecture will allow a designer to
enhance urban centers. Using my
findings, I will develop a master plan for
the Kansas City Downtown Loop. By
enhancing sites with parks and plazas
connected with pedestrian friendly
greenways, the Downtown Loop will
be a safer, more pleasant place for
pedestrians and motorists alike.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/8616 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Fuemmeler, Chadd Randall |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Report |
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