Riverfront Heritage Trial
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is a system of bicycle and pedestrian paths designated throughout the urban core area for scenic and recreational use that connect residential, commercial and retail activities and destinations along the bi-state Kansas City urban riverfront. The riverfront area sat idle for many years, but due to renewed interest in redeveloping brownfield properties in the urban core, the metropolitan area is working together to promote economic development and public improvements in this area. The trail is a centerpiece of this redevelopment strategy. In the Port Authority-controlled area, trail visitors can access the Missouri River, look out over an urban archeological park at the original Town of Kansas river settlement, meander through a Wetlands Restoration area, and enjoy all the amenities of Berkley Riverfront Park.
This trail system links the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri, the city’s River Market and Richard L Berkley Riverfront Park to the Central Business District, the Westside, Quality Hill, West Bottoms, Strawberry Hill and downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The Riverfront Heritage Trail has expanded the notion of art in public places by installing pieces as part of its mission of urban design. In this project, the public art as well as the trail itself, becomes a tool of urban revitalization. The trail has created a self-sufficient alternative system of transportation for this urban area, which creates a measurable contribution to regional air quality.
