“With Placer, data goes beyond opinions, and that data helped our state representatives, state senators, city council, private and philanthropic donors to feel better about supporting this project because they can see how their constituents would benefit. I don’t know how we could have done it without Placer.”

~ Tommy Wilson, Director of Business Recruitment & Research, Downtown Council of Kansas City

The Challenge

Downtown KC launches urban regeneration project with new $200M public green space over I-670

The Downtown Council of Kansas City is driving a renaissance in its urban core. Decades of urbanization gave downtown Kansas City crisscrossing highways and office buildings, leaving neighborhoods and communities siloed and disengaged, something the South Loop Project aims to change. A four block sustainable urban park to be built over Interstate 670, the $200M South Loop Project will bridge Kansas City’s Central Business District and the Crossroads Arts District. Tommy Wilson, Director of Business Recruitment & Research at the Downtown Council of Kansas City, had one pressing question:

How could they show the public impact South Loop Project would have at both the local and regional levels, then use that to secure project funds?

The Solution

Using a similar space, Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, TX, to show year-round use and strong local draw

The South Loop Park project drew inspiration from the regional landmark Klyde Warren Park. A 5.2 acre public park in downtown Dallas, Klyde Warren Park was also built over a downtown freeway, creating a vibrant green space “out of thin air” to serve as a town square where residents could congregate and enjoy the heart of Dallas together, something that aligned closely with Kansas City’s vision for South Loop Park in downtown.

To get public buy-in and secure state and city funding to match the federal funding already received, Tommy used Placer to show that:
1. Klyde Warren Park drew an increasing number of visitors year-round, and
2. Klyde Warren park drew visitors from the broader Dallas area.

Placer’s Visits Trends report showed that Klyde Warren Park exhibited strong COVID visit recovery, with post-COVID visits 17% higher than pre-COVID (441K vs. 375K), and +95.8% in Yo2Y growth. The park and its programming attracted year-round visitation, with an average of 57K visits per month and visitors staying over an hour (76 minutes). Peaks in summer suggested that tourists and residents alike came for shared experiences and events.

Learn more about Visits Trend

Finally, Tommy looked at how well Klyde Warren activated nearby communities, a key consideration to garnering interest from city council leaders not located in or near downtown. Placer’s Visitors by Origin showed total visits by zip code and highlighted the demographic and psychographics of residents visiting the park, showing that Klyde Warren drew heavily from disadvantaged communities, a critical insight that helped the Downtown KC team secure a community benefit agreement with local leaders, further aligning the South Loop Park project with the public’s interest.

Learn more about Visitors By Origin‍

The Outcome

SUCCESS: South Loop Secures $85M, park to finish in time for Kansas City to host 2026 FIFA World Cup

Downtown KC’s use of data for Klyde Warren Park suggested that South Loop Project would be a vibrant hub for community engagement year-round, helping them to secure an additional $58.2M in funding from the state, city, and private donors on top of the initial $28.6M federal funding it had received. In total, the project is about halfway through its fundraising target, with $85M secured out of a goal of $200M. Construction will begin in Q1 of 2024, and is expected to be completed in time to be a regional hub for the 2026 World Cup.

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