Kansas City's downtown is "sticky." It's a good thing.
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Kansas City's downtown is looking golden. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
Kansas City has one of the top "stickiest" downtowns in the nation, per a new report by Gensler Research Institute, and it's not because it's hot and humid.
The big picture: KC ranked No. 10 for U.S. cities in the Gensler City Pulse 2026 report, a combined measure of how often people say they visit a place and how long they stay there.
Zoom in: KC's downtown got its highest marks for being authentic, walkable and memorable.
- Kansas City's downtown population is booming, new streetcar and pedestrian connections are making it easier to get around, and vibrant districts are attracting visitors who then stay a while.
What they're saying: "We ranked pretty well, and I think it's because we have good lifestyle offerings" in the River Market and Crossroads, John Waller, managing director of Gensler's Kansas City office, tells Axios. "If you don't have vibrancy on the streetfront, it's not a place people want to be."
Yes, but: Nearly 80% of respondents said Kansas City's downtown offers a great experience, but less than 40% visit at least weekly and stay longer than necessary.
- That gap isn't unique to KC — the report found that across all surveyed cities, fewer than half of residents visit their central business district weekly, while less than a third spend recreational time there.
- The low-hanging fruit to close that gap: "making sure we have well-lit streets, making sure we have strong, beautified pedestrian walkways," plus outdoor dining and ground-floor activity, Waller says.
What's next: Waller says the Royals' plan to build a baseball stadium at Crown Center will increase the downtown area's vibrancy.
- "I'm super optimistic about the next" 10 to 20 years, he says.
What we're watching: How several other upcoming projects — the new Barney Allis Plaza, the planned Roy Blunt Luminary Park and riverfront developments — might change downtown KC.
How it works: The research wing for Gensler, a design, architecture and urban planning firm, gathered feedback from 35,000 residents of 75 cities worldwide via an online survey conducted from July 8 to Nov. 4, 2025.