Kansas City celebrates new connections and continued transformation through 2026 and beyond.
Words
Matt Smithmier
@mattsmithmier
ike the recent Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup 2026 brings with it a spirit of connection and friendship, a coming together, as Kansas City prepares to extend a welcoming spirit to neighbors from around the globe.
While residents are excited to show off our finest attractions and recent additions, the momentum driving the region’s revival and reinvigoration will continue long after the final whistle. In fact, it wasn’t long after Kansas City was selected as a host city that community and business leaders began discussions about leaving a legacy—using the energy of the experience to create a more vibrant city for the future.
“That’s a very Kansas City attitude,” says Dawn Taylor, executive director of AIA Kansas City. “We want to make the place better than we found it. That includes taking this monumental, global event and using it as a catalyst to create something special that has that Kansas City stamp on it. I think that’s something we can all be proud of.”
In many ways, the World Cup win is due in large part to the legacy of former mayor Kay Barnes, who made the initial investment in downtown and the urban core, beginning with the Power & Light District and the Sprint Center (now T-Mobile Center). As locals returned and tourists arrived, the ripple effect led to a surge in housing and work opportunities that continue to grow. Just last October, for example, One Light Luxury Apartments celebrated its 10th anniversary by unveiling a $3 million reinvestment and renovation plan—a direct response to the incredible growth of downtown.
“One Light will always be the building that set everything in motion,” says Emelyna Aurich, director of property management for Cordish Living. “This reinvestment reflects our continued belief in the property and in downtown Kansas City.”
The strategy that led to One Light and the other major downtown developments was the catalyst for so much more progress, adds Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council of Kansas City.
“The strategic plan we did back then was, if you save the center, you create a ripple effect,” he explains. “We’re seeing that happen, and that investment continues to expand out.”
And with that expansion is the opportunity to reunite neighborhoods—to create new links—for the benefit of all residents.
“Now, it’s all about reconnecting neighborhoods that were torn apart by traffic engineers back in the ’60s,” he says. “One of the exciting stories is that the new strategic plan we put in place four or five years ago is working. If you can be focused and intentional and thoughtful on the type of development you want to see, you can make it happen.”
With more than $3 billion in current investment projects, Dietrich says, that’s exactly what’s occurring across the city, with some of the most transformative projects already underway.
Barney Allis Plaza Redevelopment
With a rich history dating back to 1955, Barney Allis Plaza has been a central public space in the heart of the convention district. After closing in 2024 due to safety issues, construction is underway for a complete redevelopment, led by McCownGordon Construction and HOK Architects, set to open in December 2026.
The new plaza will now be set at street level and feature a dog park, play space, and a variety of event spaces, including two lawn areas, a paved event plaza for large events and festivals, and a pavilion plaza for food trucks and pop-up events.
The entire area will transform into a thriving, arts-focused greenspace and urban park, with new public artwork, including an installation entitled Kansas City Spirit: Memory and Resilience.
Oh, and you’ll still be able to park there: A new garage will hold approximately 580 vehicles and include upgraded infrastructure around the site.
Roy Blunt Luminary Park
For decades, the I-670 South Loop through downtown has created both a physical and psychological barrier through the urban core. That division is about to disappear under the new Roy Blunt Luminary Park, a 5.5-acre sustainable urban park that effectively puts a “lid” over the interstate and stitches formerly separate neighborhoods back together.
With everything from play areas and entertainment amenities to more than 300 trees, the new park promises to transform the corridor that stretches from Grand Boulevard to Wyandotte Street into a vibrant public space.
“We want to use Luminary Park to tie those beautiful neighborhoods back together again,” Dietrich says. “It becomes that Monday Night Football shot—the heart of your city.”
A collaborative effort of the City of Kansas City, the Downtown Council of Kansas City, and Port KC, the park is expected to be completed by 2028.
Greenline KC
Just named the signature project for the spring semester at the KC Design Center (a nonprofit design program that partners with Kansas State University), the 10-mile Greenline KC urban loop trail around greater downtown is well underway, with two-thirds already completed.
The recreational and outdoor amenity space will encourage residents to get outside, meet their neighbors, and enjoy the city from an entirely different perspective—a goal, Dietrich says, that aligns with the spirit of the World Cup.
“We can leverage the experience of FIFA to help us appreciate the importance of pedestrian and bicycle mobility … and the importance of connecting these fun assets together for locals as well as visitors,” he notes.
Whether it’s a stroll from CPKC Stadium to Rock Island Bridge, or a longer trip past Union Station and next to The Paseo, residents will soon be able to explore the core of the city in a new way when the trail is fully completed sometime this year.
RideKC Streetcar Expansion
Last fall’s opening of the Main Street streetcar extension to UMKC led to record-breaking ridership, with daily average traffic more than doubling.
“The response … has been extraordinary,” says Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority. “Ridership has already exceeded system forecasts and is a testament to the value of this newfound connectivity.”
The 0.7-mile Riverfront Extension of the streetcar line is also nearly complete. Installation of more than 8,300 feet of new track is now complete, and the new line will include a stop at the CPKC Pavilion, a $5 million outdoor public space providing seating and cover while serving as an artistic landmark at the line’s northern terminus.
The streetcar investment is not only a boon for economic development, Dietrich says, but also a way of uniting our various neighborhoods.
“When you build fixed infrastructure like that, national investors and developers will come and take a look at you,” he says. “Plus, the more it gets used by the communities, the more connected we are.”
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion
That new streetcar line now makes it easier to access one of the city’s crown jewels, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. And visitors will soon be able to experience the museum in a new way, following an upcoming expansion and transformation project that includes a 61,000-square-foot addition, a partial renovation of the original building, a photography center, a black box theater, a new restaurant, and more.
“With welcoming entrances, intuitive pathways, and drop-in spaces, our redesigned campus will prioritize ease, openness, and accessibility,” the museum wrote on its website. “We’re evolving the museum experience to better reflect how people engage with art today—not just as viewers but as participants.”
While the museum reports construction will not begin for several years, it did unanimously choose WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism in 2025 as the lead architect on the project.
“WEISS/MANFREDI’s concept … captured the spirit of the museum while offering a bold vision for our future,” notes Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “Central to our competition was the need to respect the Nelson-Atkins’ original, neoclassical building, as well as our beautiful Bloch building, while also bringing something new to our campus. This concept delivers all of that.”
Other neighborhoods to watch
West Bottoms
A $527 million five-phase, mixed-use redevelopment is now underway to potentially add 1,200 apartments, new retail storefronts, a public park, a luxury hotel, and more over the next 15 years.
18th & Vine
More than $400 million of combined public and private money is being invested into the city’s historic neighborhood, beginning with the expansion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum campus, including a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel, an expanded museum, a new parking structure, and future multifamily development.
Crossroads Arts District
After many delays, the long-awaited Grand Place, the reincarnation of the old Kansas City Star building at Grand Blvd. and 18th Street, is seeing construction activity again. The mixed-use project occupies a full city block and will eventually include more than 250,000 square feet of office space, a market, private dining, spa, and more.
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