Expanding the streetcar to UMKC would connect all of Kansas City
My goal for Kansas City’s university — the University of Missouri-Kansas City — is for UMKC to be woven deeply and broadly into the very fabric of this great community.
So what better way to do just that than by bringing the community to our very doorstep by way of the city’s newest and most popular public amenity?
That’s why all of us at UMKC are so excited by voters’ strong statement in June when they approved plans to extend Kansas City’s streetcar line another four miles, from Union Station to the edge of our Volker Campus.
Voters supported this great idea by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. And UMKC fully intends to support it as well, in every sense of the word — including financial support. We are working closely with our partners in city government to determine an appropriate level of financial support. While state law exempts us from the taxes to be levied within the expanded Transportation Development District, we fully intend to voluntarily contribute to this progress in a tangible way.
Why wouldn’t we? The streetcar is an unqualified success, having provided over 2 million rides last year. And our students are already one of the biggest user groups of mass transit in the city. About 20 percent of our 16,000 students are regular transit riders, averaging about 100 boardings a year per person.
Now, with the streetcar extension, we can make our campus front door a grand portal with constant streams of students, faculty, staff and community members going back and forth to take advantage of the myriad artistic, cultural and entertainment offerings of a city — and a university — on the rise.
As Kansas City continues into the second phase of its Smart City plan, UMKC continues to play a significant role in connecting people and neighborhoods through innovation and technology. Our faculty is working alongside city representatives to expand our view of what the future of Kansas City can look like. The streetcar is an integral part of that vision. The extension will further connect the community to the resources it needs, both on campus and inside the doors of our neighboring businesses and organizations, to advance our pattern of growth.
Before my first visit to Kansas City, I had no idea what a gem this place is. There is so much happening here — so much to see and do and explore. The streetcar, along with other amenities such as city portals and Wi-Fi connectivity that help to support it, has helped to solidify the city’s status as a talent magnet, attracting students and young professionals interested in catching the wave of entrepreneurship and arts culture here.
The streetcar will become Kansas City’s ticket to the hundreds of performances staged on campus every year by our world-class music, dance and theater programs — many of which offer free admission; speeches, lectures and discussion forums featuring faculty, students and thought leaders from near and far; exciting men’s and women’s Division I sports; plus Kansas City Repertory Theatre performances and shopping at the Whole Foods Market in our Brookside 51 project. At the same time, the streetcar will give our students, faculty and staff even easier access to great living, dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities stretching from the Plaza to the River Market.
A recent New York Times article about our streetcar called it “the perfect way to explore modern Kansas City.” We can’t wait for it to become the perfect way to explore Kansas City’s university as well. All aboard.
C. Mauli Agrawal is the chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.