Ward Parkway begins in the Plaza and moves traffic south through various neighborhoods. The street was named one of the ten great streets in the United States by the American Planning Association this week.
Each year, the American Planning Association (APA) puts out a list of streets as part of their Great Places in America program. This year, Ward Parkway makes the list. According to the APA’s website:
Ward Parkway is Kansas City’s eminent thoroughfare, a right-of-way that begins at Country Club Plaza and transitions to a grand boulevard with manicured lawns and gardens as it follows sweeping curves southward. A commitment by both citizens and city government to maintain the parkway has allowed it to remain one of the area’s most coveted addresses with historic homes, neighborhood parks, picturesque fountains, ornamental monuments, and rolling landscapes.
See the American Planning Association slideshow
Streets can be nominated for the program, and they are evaluated on criteria such as: how well the street encourages social integration, pedestrian activity, or a social network; how well it reflects social history or culture; and green infrastructure or other sustainable strategies.
Other streets making the list included: Duval Street in Key West, Florida; Main Street in Bozeman, Montana; Wall Street in Kingston, New York; Fifth Avenue in New York City; Broadway in Sarasota Springs, New York; Shaker Boulevard in Cleveland, Shaker Heights, and Beachwood, Ohio; Grant Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina; and Gay Street in Nashville, Tennessee.
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