A Neighborhood on the Periphery: Cultivating Growth on Central Avenue
While downtown Kansas City and its southern corridors experience continued growth, peripheral neighborhoods often face persistent disinvestment. A Neighborhood on the Periphery addresses this disparity through a hands-on revitalization effort in the Central Avenue business district of Kansas City, Kansas - a historic, vital, and culturally rich community.
This disinvestment stems from a legacy of redlining and racially discriminatory policies that shaped Kansas City’s urban development, systematically depriving areas like Central Avenue of infrastructure and opportunity. By acknowledging this history, the project aligns with the 2025 NOMA Conference theme, KC Future Unfolding - a call for an equitable future rooted in justice, inclusion, and community-led transformation.
In partnership with the Central Avenue Betterment Association (CABA), this project will transform a highly visible but underused site at Central Ave. and S. Pyle St. into a welcoming community patio and gathering space. Enhancements include an elevated deck, planting buffers, and a community mural designed with local artists - marking the most prominent of several sites CABA has actively restored and maintained.
This collaboration between CABA, NOMA, and other stakeholders aims to enhance the streetscape, foster community, and support local businesses through increased pedestrian activity.
Conference attendees are invited to join one of three activities:
1) Assist a local artist with painting the mural
2) Help build and install the community patio
3) Provide site clean-up, weeding, and planting
Morning and afternoon shifts are available. Please wear comfortable workwear and closed-toed shoes. Eye protection, masks, and gloves will be provided. This project is a catalyst for lasting change. By working directly with the community, we aim to cultivate ownership, pride, and momentum - and to model how targeted, community-led interventions can begin to counteract years of disinvestment across Wyandotte County and beyond.