Brownfields Buzz

Your hub for brownfields spotlights, tools, events, news, and more

February, 2025

Transforming Dunbar’s Stadium Drive:

Community Design and Brownfield Redevelopment in Action

The first African American suburb of Kansas City is embracing a bold vision for revitalization. Dunbar, also known as Leeds-Dunbar, was an industrial neighborhood that boomed after the turn of the 20th century when an influx of Black residents sought homes outside the city’s redlined zones, resulting in a vibrant African American cultural hub with a thriving economy. Beginning in the 1950s, harmful city policies led to the departure of many residents—historic buildings were razed, leaving behind an abundance of vacant properties and lots used as illegal dumping sites. For years, activists and former residents have been working to share the little-known story of a historic neighborhood formerly considered Kansas City’s Black mecca.  

With assistance from KSU TAB, KSU’s Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning (LARCP) department, and EPA Region 7’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TC TAC), the Dunbar community has been establishing redevelopment goals for several vacant parcels within the neighborhood. TAB, LARCP, and Region 7’s TC TAC kicked off the visioning project in August 2024, followed by a community tour and public meeting in September.  

Through interactive design sessions and community meetings, KSU landscape architecture students developed site reuse concepts reflecting the neighborhood’s history, sustainability goals, and long-term aspirations. Professors Blake Belanger and Susmita Rishi oversaw the process, ensuring the community’s vision remained front and center. Residents were engaged in multiple feedback loops on draft renderings, allowing them to shape the final conceptual designs.  

On December 3, 2024, these visionary reuse plans were unveiled at a public open house, showcasing a neighborhood vision informed by local voices. The students’ work sparked interest from city leaders, who are now actively exploring improvements along Stadium Drive—Dunbar’s main thoroughfare. 

By leveraging local voices and creative design, this initiative is laying the groundwork for the transformative revitalization of not only brownfield sites, but of a once prospering community, culture, and economy that may just be entering its second era of redevelopment. 

If you’re interested in learning more or viewing mock-ups of what community members envision for the neighborhood, check out the project website here.

Toolbox

Upcoming Webinar for Nebraska Residents: Spring Cleaning! Tips and Resources for Nebraska Communities to Revitalize Those Eyesore Properties! 

Bonus: We Want to Visit YOUR Community! Do you have specific brownfields in your community you'd like to tackle? Do you want to discover more resources and develop a “plan of attack”? From June 2nd - 11th, our experts will be hitting the road to help Nebraska communities with hands-on guidance. Request a visit today! 

KSU TAB’s Jacob Rohter Talks Brownfields Revitalization and Resources on the Missouri City View Podcast 

Jacob Rohter, KSU TAB Assistant Regional Director for EPA Region 7, was featured on the Missouri City View podcast on February 13th. He joined Sarah Darknell from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to discuss the Missouri Brownfield Redevelopment Program and how communities can access free technical assistance for redevelopment projects. The 30-minute episode is packed with excellent information for those new to brownfields and is anything but technical. Listen to the episode to learn more about brownfields funding, resources, and important steps to take when tackling a brownfield for the first time. 



Pressed on time but interested in learning about brownfields tax credits now that tax season is in full swing? Skip to the episode’s ten-minute mark to learn about the financial incentives available for taking on a redevelopment project in your community.  

Unlock Funding for Safer Streets & Active Lifestyles:

Apply for a KSU TAB Scholarship

KSU TAB is excited to announce scholarships for TWO Laneshift programs that can support your community’s active transportation goals: 

• Community Jump-Start Program: This program provides free, expert-led workshops and walk audits to help your community become more bike and pedestrian-friendly. The scholarship, valued at up to $20,850, is available to two communities in 2025. Apply by March 15, 2025 on Laneshift's website. 

• Active Transportation Academy: This 4-day program offers professional development to community leaders, engineers, and planners interested in promoting active transportation. The next session begins May 13, 2025, so be sure to apply soon! Learn more and apply here. 

Follow your KSU TAB Team on LinkedIn and Facebook!

Visit our website at www.ksutab.org.