Inherent Attractiveness of Place:
Mobility
The relative ease of getting around is another key characteristic that makes metropolitan Kansas City a lower-stress place to live. The combination of heavy investment in freeway capacity and relatively moderate rates of growth means that area commuters typically face few travel delays.
Time lost to traffic
Weeks of Work Delayed in Traffic, Per Worker in 2003
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Over the course of a year, the average commuter in Kansas City lost an average of 17 hours, or four-tenths of a work week, to waiting in traffic in 2004. This was significantly lower — less than half the nearest competitor — than peer metro areas.
Average miles of roadway
Miles of Urban Centerline per 1,000 People, 2003
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Congestion is low because the region contains more miles of roadway than any of it peers — 5.3 miles of roads per 1,000 people, or 30 percent more than the average of its peers.
Stated differently, if the Kansas City region had built roads at the average rate its peers did on a per capita basis, the region would have 1,800 fewer miles of roadway today.
Travel times
Average Distance from Downtown Drivers Can Travel in 20 Minutes, 1957-2000
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This is not to say there is no congestion anywhere in the region. Roadway investment has lagged behind growth on the north and east sides of the metro. In 2000, the distance one could travel in those directions in 20 minutes during rush hour was significantly less than it was in 1993.
Still, the level of transportation investment has generally opened up large amounts of land for development, supporting a low-density lifestyle.
Automobile dependence
Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Capita, 1982-2003
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Another aspect of our low-delay, low-density lifestyle is that the Kansas City area is highly auto-dependent. Residents drive about one-third farther every day than residents of other regions do, indicating that the pattern of development is generally not highly walkable or supportive of transit.
Pedestrian and transit travel modes thrive when activities are concentrated. The Kansas City region has been structured to spread people out rather than bring them together. While the former makes it easy to get around, the latter is more important for creating the diversity and exchange of ideas at the heart of innovation.
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