An assessment of the impact of gentrification in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri

Abstract

The term gentrification can have many different meanings. One person may think it stands for cleaning up a derelict part of a city while another may expand the term to cover everything from rehabilitated structures to improved infrastructure and a heightened sense of community.The Crossroads lies south of Interstate 70 which runs through downtown Kansas City, Missouri and south to twenty first street. The eastern extent of the area is Highway 71 and the western boundary is Interstate 35. Since the1980s, the Crossroads District has been undergoing a marked transformation. Art galleries, lofts, and restaurants now occupy several of the once-vacant buildings in the Crossroads. But has this part of Kansas City been fully gentrified or was that even the original intent? In the course of this study I will examine the results of the Crossroads gentrification process through the use of Census data, examining public policy, and by taking a look at the physical structure of the Crossroads today and how the presence of blight is affecting the area.