Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

Two organizations hosted guided walks along Northeast neighborhood streets to invite representatives and residents to explore and discuss area history, culture and transportation needs.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC) hosted its NE Equity Walk, starting from their offices at 2301 Lexington and winding through the streets of the Pendleton Heights neighborhood to begin conversations about community involvement and engagement during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Photo by Dorri Partain

Deanna Munoz, director of organizing for LEC, asked residents Monique Limon and MJ Jones to lead this tour, from quiet residential streets to bustling traffic and businesses along Independence Avenue. At several stops, Jones talked about the architecture of century-old homes that line the streets and that while homes and buildings may now have a different look or use, they have survived and continue to have a purpose.

“I know people (on this tour) are like, we just walked down Independence Avenue,” said Jones. “But as I was pointing out, these places, they are still here, they’re repurposed- there’s history here. I hate when I see things being knocked down. Even if they’re not beautiful, it’s still a part of our history.”

This Equity Walk drew participants from Northeast neighborhoods and beyond, from those who had stories and memories to share, to some unfamiliar with the neighborhood and curious.

Photo by Dorri Partain

“It was interesting to hear everyone else’s perspective,” said Jones. “I talked with a young lady named Hannah, she’s with another organization, and she had never been over here before. And she just wanted to learn more about the neighborhood, she didn’t have a negative connotation that most people come over with. She was willing to learn, she wanted to hear about our history, our culture, and what makes our neighborhood unique.”

Munoz is planning a follow-up session with participants to reflect on observations during the walk and discuss future activities to promote connection, inclusion, and equity in Northeast neighborhoods.

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, BikeWalkKC, in conjunction with the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor project, hosted the Hardesty Area Walk Audit, asking participants to imagine a new fast and frequent transit route running up and down Independence Avenue. 

Teams composed of BikeWalkKC staff, Kansas City Planning and Development and residents from the Indian Mound, Lykins and Sheffield neighborhoods donned yellow safety vests, grabbed a clipboard, and set out on one mile routes to assess current sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, transit stops, traffic noise and more.

These five routes included crossing Independence Avenue during rush hour traffic, across neighborhood boundaries, to access area parks, schools and businesses. Teams were asked to rate the difficulty of their routes on a scale from easy to difficult and record any additional comments as well as document difficult areas with photos and videos.

Teams departed from the Historic Northeast Lofts development site and were first updated by Jonathan Arnold from Arnold Development Group regarding the conversion of the Hardesty Storage site at 5401 Independence Avenue to market-rate apartments and the need for reliable public transit as well as walkability.

Following the completion of their walking routes, teams reconvened to discuss observations and difficulties during these audits. The team that walked to Budd Park and Northeast High School mostly encountered new sidewalks and curb cuts and reported few difficulties. Walking east along the avenue to Winner Road and back, one team encountered a crosswalk that didn’t give them enough time to cross safely.

The team that walked and audited along Sixth St. in Lykins and had to cross the Avenue at Kensington Avenue had the most difficulties.

Photo by Dan Bethe

Fai Beal, a Lykins resident who sometimes uses a cane or walker, remarked that she had extreme difficulties with sidewalks and curb cuts — with sections that jutted upward or sunk downward. Beal stated that without assistance she would not have been able to walk that route on her own, much less safely cross Independence Avenue.

At press time, two more audits were planned following the same guidelines. On Oct. 13, participants audited the area surrounding Independence Blvd and The Paseo, and on Oct. 15, the Indian Springs area in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

For more information about the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor, visit: https://www.marc.org/bi-state-sustainable-reinvestment-corridor/about-bi-state-sustainable-reinvestment-corridor