The perception of Kansas City’s affordability is changing. After years of stagnant wages and skyrocketing rents, many metro residents are not able to find affordable housing.
Starting in 2018, KCPT and its digital news team at Flatland are “raising the roof” in a reporting series featuring in-depth videos, online stories, and broadcast town halls.
From evictions, to gentrification, to the fight over apartments and rent, we take a closer look at how housing issues are impacting health, education and the long-term viability of neighborhoods. If you have a story to tell or a tip for us, we’d love to hear from you. Tweet at us @flatlandkc and like us on Facebook.
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Last spring, we dug into the state of metro roads, highways, sewers and public transportation in a project called Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure. We’ve continued to follow the topics to see if anything has changed in a year’s time. Our weekly public affairs shows, Ruckus and Week in Review, track progress —…
Part 1: The State of Our Infrastructure
The Cost of Our Water | Episode 1
If you’ve ever wondered where your water comes from, how it gets there, and what shape those pipes are in, “The Cost of Water | Episode 1 ” opens a five-part digital series giving an overview on our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement to tackle the…
The Cost of Our Sewers | Episode 2
If you’ve ever wondered about the inner workings of our region’s sewers and how the city is working to stop raw sewage from leaking into area waterways, “The Cost of Our Sewers | Episode 2” goes underground in the second of a five-part digital series looking at our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure…
The Cost of Our Bridges | Episode 3
If you’ve ever wondered about the safety of the bridges you drive across everyday, “The Cost of Bridges | Episode 3” looks at what’s being done to preserve the life of the city’s bridges in the third of a five-part digital series looking at our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath…
The Cost of Our Roads | Episode 4
If you’ve ever wondered how Kansas and Missouri maintain their roadways, “The Cost of Roads | Episode 4,” looks at what’s being done to fund the roads Kansas Citians rely on everyday in the fourth of a five-part digital series looking at our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement…
The Cost of Our Public Transit | Episode 5
Get an insider’s look at what’s being done to improve the region’s public transit system and increase access to jobs in “The Cost of Our Public Transit | Episode 5,” the final of a five-part digital series looking at our city’s aging infrastructure. Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement to tackle the state of…
It’s the Journey: A Slice of Bus Life
Climb on board as we follow three Kansas City residents as they navigate daily life on our regional bus system. One surprising point agreed upon from both those who need to use it and those who want to use it: It may be the key to a stronger community. Public Works? The Cost of Our…
Downstream
Downstream As Kansas City Grows, Rivers Become Increasingly Urbanized By: Jesse Howe Kansas City is served by multiple watersheds, the Blue River being the largest. (184,998 Acres) The watershed runs through four counties before it reaches the Missouri River. 54 percent of the watershed is in Kansas 46 percent is in Missouri Approximately 63 percent of…
All Public Works Posts
The Faces of Eviction
In January, together with the Kansas City Public Library, we hosted a live public town hall to talk about evictions, gentrification and affordable housing in the metro. The standing room only-crowd heard from and asked questions of the six panelists, Tara Raghuveer, eviction researcher; Terrence Wise, community member; Jacob Wagner, co-founder of Center for Neighborhoods…
Five Things You Can Do To Protect Your Rights As A Tenant
Flatland sat down with Gina Chiala, executive director and attorney for the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, to see what advice she offers to rental tenants in Kansas City as part of Public Works? A Level Foundation, our in-depth series on eviction, gentrification, and affordable housing in the metro. This is the transcript for…
The Cost of Churn: Evictions Hinder Classroom Progress for Kids
Tameko Davison’s children were well into the routine of a school year when turmoil intervened in the form of an eviction notice. Davison fell behind on payments, and the gas was shut off to her government-subsidized apartment in Kansas City. That violated a Kansas City Housing Authority rule and caused her to lose her rent…
Vote! What Would You Like Us to Cover in Our Reporting?
As we dig into housing issues in our months-long Public Works? A Level Foundation reporting initiative, we want you to share your questions with us and weigh in on what you think we should tackle. Below is our first voting round with three questions from curious Kansas Citians. Tricia Bushnell asked what percentage new developments…
What Do You Want To Know About Housing in the Metro?
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No Public Inspections for Our Rail Bridges
The old Broadway Bridge, built in 1956 when Dwight Eisenhower was president, is “structurally deficient,” according to publicly available reports, and needs critical repairs. But right next to it stands a much older bridge for which detailed public records are not available. The rusty, century-old Second Hannibal Bridge, finished in 1917 when Woodrow Wilson was…
It’s the Journey: Biking in the Metro
Kansas City has one of the highest rates of automobile commuting in the nation. So, what does that mean for the cyclists sharing the road? Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure is a months-long project taking you underneath the pavement to tackle the state of our water and sewers. We track the state of highways and…
Downstream
Downstream As Kansas City Grows, Rivers Become Increasingly Urbanized By: Jesse Howe Kansas City is served by multiple watersheds, the Blue River being the largest. (184,998 Acres) The watershed runs through four counties before it reaches the Missouri River. 54 percent of the watershed is in Kansas 46 percent is in Missouri Approximately 63 percent of…
Ever Thought of It? Sidewalks Play Big Role in Community Health
Let’s say you buy a new home in Kansas City, and several months later, the city blindsides you with a $4,000 bill for sidewalk repairs you knew nothing about. Seriously? City Councilman Scott Wagner encountered just that scenario the other day. “This isn’t fair,” the man complained to Wagner. “I told him, ‘Yeah, that stinks….
Water Rates and Rivers
Water Rates and Rivers explores the reasons behind the steep climb in Kansas City water rates and asks “Was this inevitable and is it fair?” The hike in prices is largely explained by a federal mandate requiring KCMO to upgrade its sewage system and to reduce pollution of the Blue River watershed. But to what…
The State of Our Metro Bridges? May Not Want to Shut Your Eyes
When it comes to the sorry state of Kansas City bridges, City Manager Troy Schulte says the one that keeps him up at night is the old Broadway Bridge over the Missouri River. But a Flatland analysis of bridge inspection data reveals that there are enough problem bridges in the metropolitan area to keep Schulte…
Testing the Water in Our Watershed
From road salt to pet waste to runoff when it rains, the Blue River and its tributaries have been polluted over time. So much so that in 2010 the EPA gave Kansas City 25 years to reduce the amount of raw sewage dumped into the watershed. Lynn Youngblood, executive director of the Blue River Watershed Association,…
It’s the Journey: A Slice of Bus Life
Climb on board as we follow three Kansas City residents as they navigate daily life on our regional bus system. One surprising point agreed upon from both those who need to use it and those who want to use it: It may be the key to a stronger community. Public Works? The Cost of Our…
It’s the Journey: A Slice of Bus Life | Preview
If you’ve ever wondered how people navigate the city using public transportation, watch “The Bus Riders,“ the first in a three-part series on the quality of the city’s infrastructure and how Kansas Citians use it. Here’s a preview in advance of Monday’s Episode 1. All three episodes culminate in a documentary at 7:30 p.m., March 30 on KCPT. — Follow the entire…
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