UMKC research presentation

Tonight is the last student presentation of research prior to the charrette.
Here is a summary and some of the comments:
Tyler Antwerp - housing condition / architectural style / building type / historic designations
Tyler has put together a nice matrix regarding correlating architectural style and building type. further dialing in dates built may prove interesting. The neighborhoods would like to get all of the research in the form of a power point for their use. Also, looking at and drawing correlations between dates that the housing was built and the dates that the institutions were built could also be interesting.
Mike Goodman - social factors / churches / schools / institutions / crime
Mike gave a great snapshot of the racial character and heritage of the study area. He also spoke to the loss of connection to the neighborhood in regards to many of the major institutions. This is largely due to the fact that most of the children attending the schools and members of the churches come from a very wide geographical area. The same is true for the major institutions, KU Med and St.Luke's students are not necessarily residents in the area. Penn Valley's students area also largely not residents. All of these major institutions move large numbers of people throughout the area on a daily basis and have a large impact on the traffic patterns. Many of those people don't have neighborhood ties. Data is still being gathered on crime. There is likely a correlation between the transient nature of the housing and institutions and the easy access to major arterials.
Zachary Schmitz - current and historical (1951 & 1959) figure ground maps
Zach has illustrated the figure ground maps as a series of progressions which demostrate the impact the buiding and widening of Trafficway has had on the neighborhood fabric. Also the impact of building footprint size has had a dramatic effect on the pattern of development. The nature of the commercial development has changed significantly. Also, the Trafficway is a barrier in a lot of ways to both vehicles and pedestrians due to the design speeds and turning movements.
Ian Masterton - hydrology / topography / natural features / demographics
Ian presented a series of very clear maps that highlight the natural flood prevention features of the study area. Prominent sites that take advantage of the topography were also highlighted. Ian verified that a large portion of the population is transient in nature. I think we'll be able to draw some additional cause and effect conclusions as the research is combined and analyed during the charrette.
Matt Wright - land use / incentive districts / urban renewal and redevelppment areas / property values / regional context
Some additional metrics to review would be an analysis of tax exempt vs taxable parcels and value / s.f.
Aaron Baumgarden - transportation / traffic / accidents / pedestrian facilities / bicycle facilities / parking / transit
Good research and conclusions. Aaron has worked on the graphic clarity of his maps.
Alexandra Cochran - history
Lots of depth has been given to the history of the Trafficway and Alex has also put a lot of time into demonstrating the benefits of the Trafficway to the neighborhoods. The timelines are also very effective and laid out well.

I want to extend my personal gratitude to the students for all of their hard work so far and for the time that the steering committee has devoted from their busy schedules - thanks