A high light of my brief time in Kansas City was doing a green infrastructure tour in the Cross Roads Arts district.
The first stop was a green roof, created by Maggie Riggs of Off the Grid Roof top gardens, located at the former TWA headquarters building. What a joy to move through a beautifully designed modern space, and then see the riotous textures and colors of grasses, flowers and sedums juxtaposed with weathered brick warehouses and glass towers of Downtown KC. The primary plants were little bluestem, liatris, coreopsis and sedums with mints, winecups and columbine as well. Maggie and her team have created an artful rest for the eyes and a dynamic and vibrant habitat for birds and insects. Like at the High line in NYC, the iconic buildings and vernacular city architecture played off of the dynamic quality of the plants and activated the contrast of motion and solidity. The people working there are lucky indeed.
Around the block from there is the Broadway community garden. It’s admirable that instead of developing another block of the district, there is a green space devoted to food, water cycling and education – a marvelous combination! I appreciated the system diagrams and the breakdown of how each system was working within the space. The gardens were flourishing and made even more beautiful because I had a clear understanding of the way they were being irrigated. Experiencing for myself the direct connection between learning and heightened appreciation in that garden, I am convinced about the critical nature of revealing/sharing/illustrating process (ecological, artistic, political) to get people invested and empowered to act.
