Book Recommendations!

Come here to talk about topics that are not related to development, or even Kansas City.
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smh
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Location: Central Loop

Re: Book Recommendations!

Post by smh »

I am presently reading Crabgrass Frontier about the suburbanization of the US from the mid-ish 19th Century onward. Would recommend.
moderne
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Re: Book Recommendations!

Post by moderne »

Kansas City 1940 by John Simonson. On the book table at Costco. 140 pages of vignettes based on 1940 county tax assessment photos. Some human interest stories, but mainly about racial housing divide and the transition to car oriented city. Things like the vacant lot across from Muni Auditorium where original convention hall stood being a lot overgrown with marijuana and debate whether is should become a parking lot or park. This was b4 solution to take entire block and make it both. Proposed SW Trafficway and a SE Trfwy. Survey in 1930 showing 60% of shoppers coming on transit but the 24% coming by car spending more money. 1940 survey shows drop of little more than half arriving by transit and cars up to 35%. Solutions tear down old bldngs for parking, trafficways. Trafficway proposal to turn most of Main from river to Plaza into wide trafficway, a proposal to be finance by tobacco tax for a subway from DT to Marlborough neighborhood.
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