The Southwest Boulevard Transportation Plan is a community-driven effort to reimagine one of Kansas City’s most historic corridors as a safer, more accessible, and culturally vibrant public space. Developed through the Planning Sustainable Places program in partnership with the Mid-America Regional Council, the plan addresses long-standing issues of traffic safety, social equity, and neighborhood disconnection, particularly for the predominantly Hispanic Westside community.

Wilson & Company led a multidisciplinary team, including HOXIE Collective, SWT Design, and SingleWing Creative, to deliver a plan grounded in inclusive engagement, technical analysis, and culturally responsive design. A bilingual outreach strategy reached hundreds through walking tours, focus groups, surveys, and a design workshop, ensuring that the community’s voice shaped every element of the plan.

Three catalyst projects anchor the plan’s vision: a road diet with a center turn lane, a 12-foot-wide shared-use path and raised pedestrian crossings. These recommendations, supported by data and community input, prioritize safety, connectivity, and placemaking, while laying the foundation for long-term improvements.

Selected for a Reconnecting Communities grant, the plan positions the Westside to address the impacts of I-35 and reconnect divided neighborhoods. The Southwest Boulevard Transportation Plan stands as a model for inclusive planning and equitable infrastructure, demonstrating the power of public engagement, innovation, and shared vision to create lasting community value.