Unified Government Economic Development Strategic Plan Project (2023)

Unified Government Economic Development Strategic Plan Project (2023)

Planning for Economic Development in Kansas City, Kansas

Project Overview

The Unified Government (UG) of Wyandotte County-Kansas City, Kansas, has embarked on a multi-faceted planning process that involves the development of a Comprehensive Plan, an Economic Development Strategic Plan, and a Historic Preservation Plan. The UG purposefully initiated these three planning processes concurrently to enable a unified and collaborative approach to planning for future development. Future iQ, in partnership with Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A), have been contracted to create an innovative economic development plan that will reposition Kansas City, Kansas, within the broader State of Kansas and the global community beyond. The planning process will help lead Kansas City, Kansas into the future with inventive thinking, new ideas, economic strategic tools and approaches, and implementable policies and action plans.

Wyandotte County supports a community of 165,447 and is situated along I-70 and the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, just west of Kansas City, Missouri, The County boasts one of the most racially diverse populations in the country. Wyandotte County is home to educational institutions, international manufacturing companies, high-tech research facilities, the metro’s most prestigious medical center in the University of Kansas Hospital, and the number one tourist destination in the State of Kansas with a shopping district, NASCAR Speedway, and MLS stadium.

The intended outcomes of the Economic Development Strategic Plan are to:

  • Produce an economic development strategy that is geared towards action.
  • Identify the existing and potential nodes throughout Kansas City, to determine where the City has the greatest potential to develop great quality of place within its neighborhoods in all parts of the City that can attract talent, host new retail, and other small business growth.
  • Recommend strategies for Kansas City to best leverage its diverse work force and small businesses assets.
  • Identify strategies for guiding downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and generally east of 635 to maximize potential.
  • Increase the population of the County, the County’s tax base and the wealth of its residents and businesses in an equitable manner.
  • Create a plan that aims to bolster all neighborhoods and engender economic prosperity throughout Kansas City, Kansas.

Future iQ®'s Role in this Project

    • Stakeholder engagement and input are the foundation of this planning project. The project team will engage stakeholders via initial interviews, surveys, a scenario planning Think-Tank, Focus Groups, and a Future Summit.
    • Future iQ and JS&A will work closely with the Unified Government core team on a bi-weekly basis, as well as on a monthly basis with the greater comprehensive planning team.
    • Future iQ is producing a project portal which will be linked to the Unified Government’s go-to website for project information and survey data visualization.
    • The final deliverables for this project will be the production of a Benchmark Report that examines current economic conditions Kansas City, Kansas, a Think-Tank Report that will articulate the vision for economic development in Kansas City, and an Economic Development Strategic Plan that will inform the concurrent comprehensive planning process.

Additional Resources and More Information

Learn more about this Project. Visit the Future iQ Research Laboratory.