Writing Sample
Xue Wood, Urban Planner/Designer
State Ave. Corridor Redevelopment Analysis
P: 646.401.4320 I E: xuechenberry@gmail.com
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded one of its 2011 Sustainable Communities grants to Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). Creating sustainable places is a regional initiative, including drafting redevelopment plans for six specific corridors in Kansas City Metropolitan area. State Ave. is one among these six. It is a major east-west road crossing Kansas City, Kansas from the eastern entrance to downtown through to the Kansas Speedway and the nearby Legends/Village West residential and commercial complex. The corridor is diverse in types of neighborhoods it supports ranging from a deteriorated downtown to a variety of residential neighborhoods to the very vibrant shopping and entertainment district associated with the Kansas Speedway. Thus, this analysis is conducted to identify neighborhoods and parcels along the corridor for redevelopment opportunities.
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THE CONCEPTUAL PROCE SS
 THREE ELEMENTS T r a n s i t P r o g r a m : State Avenue Connex is designed to be an intermediate step to a MAX Bus Rapid Transit Line. Moreover, locations of two new transit centers and plenty stops along the State Avenue are concerned as incentives for the redevelopment. N e i g h b o r h o o d C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s : The State Avenue area is compared with the average level of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Metropolitan Area as below:
E n v i s i o n To m o r r o w M o d a l : Based on the data above, the modal chooses particular parcels in the neighborhoods and calculates requirements and conditions for the redevelopment.