Kansas City Spirit Kansas City Spirit

Richard Florida visited Kansas City in January 2017 for the first time in over a decade. As the biggest name in urbanism since Jane Jacobs, Florida’s words carry significant weight wherever he goes. KC urbanists and creatives packed into a ballroom to see Florida and fellow researcher Joel Kotkin participate in a joint interview.

Gabe Freis and his partner moved from Portland, Oregon to Kansas City in 2018. To many, the move was a strange one. Why would Freis, a writer, move away from one of the hottest creative cities in the world? "Simply put," said Freis, "Kansas City is having its moment, and we’ve made sure we’re here for it.”

Ryan Maybee—founder of Manifesto Cocktail Bar, The Rieger Grill & Exchange, and J.Rieger & Co. Distillery—has a fascination with history and a keen intuition for emerging trends. No, these traits aren’t contradictory or mutually exclusive. Maybee has proven time and again that by studying history, we can uncover inspiration for the next big thing. 

When people ask, “What makes Kansas City special?”, it can be tough to put your finger on the answer. Sure, there’s the Jazz and barbecue; the Chiefs and Royals and Sporting KC; the Kauffman Center, the nightlife, and of course, the streetcar. 

But are any of those things unique to KC? Many cities have great food, music, and sports teams. They have better theaters and public transportation. They’re bigger, or on the ocean, or in the mountains.

Yet anyone who has spent time in Kansas City knows, without a doubt, that there is something special here. The problem is identifying what that something is.