Downtown Council Internships: Investing in our Future
By Sean O’Byrne, Vice President, Downtown Council; Executive Director, Community Improvement Districts
Each year, the Downtown Council (DTC) offers a series of internships. Whereas some are designed towards arts and programming, some are targeted towards blight remediation and economic development. This year, the Downtown Council was fortunate to bring in Andrew Bui. Andrew is a 4th-year Architecture student at Kansas State University. Additionally, Andrew was enrolled with the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) and worked on projects for the Downtown Council. With his eye toward architecture, Andrew worked with staff to look at Kansas City through a design lens and to bring new ideas to the streets.
Working closely with DTC Staff, Andrew was added to the Grand Boulevard Task Force. Grand Boulevard has continued to decline due to many of the buildings remaining vacant and lots remaining empty as parking lots, leading to building degradation and blight. To streamline the process of design and development, Andrew created a virtual model tool. This allowed users to walk and fly around Grand Boulevard and view site information, future developments, and current conditions within Grand while remaining easy to use and update. In the future, development of this tool would provide a foundation for quicker program activation and design sketches for potential construction and experience, and can be expanded to other streets in Kansas City.
Alongside the Grand virtual model, Andrew was involved in a smaller project that was also produced with KCDC for a new proposal for a part of the Greenline’s path connecting the West Bottoms to the Westside neighborhood. The Westside, having multiple storefront businesses along Southwest Boulevard and its close proximity to the railroad, serves as an excellent stop for anyone on the Greenline. This proposal allows for this urban connection between all of these parts of the Westside through the Greenline, and can be a medium for city and neighborhood history education and support.
Andrew stated, “Working with the DTC was an honor, and I enjoyed my time learning more about downtown KC and community-focused work. With my studio work from KCDC and my experience with the internship finishing up, I found a new appreciation for the community and the people who upkeep it.” Andrew will continue to work on his Master’s in Architecture and looks forward to integrating his experience in Downtown into creating a better environment for all.
