Open Data KC

The resource that has been most useful for me while working with KC Tenants has been OpenDataKC, which is led by Kansas City’s various governmental boards. While developing the feasibility study along with the social housing toolkit, many of the datasets found on OpenDataKC along with the spatial tools needed for geographic understanding of tenant related issues in Kansas City are found at this resource. Furthermore, when researching other organizations that have conducted similar research in order to better understand the current makeup of landlord-tenant relations and housing affordability in Kansas City, MO, OpenDataKC is often referenced.

 

While preparing for the social housing feasibility study using Meservey and Askew Elementary Schools as potential sites for construction, it has been important to identify the current living conditions of residents in the East Side neighborhood of Kansas City. Through OpenDataKC, I began to research code violations, land bank properties/vacancies, and transportation in the area. I hope to continue to develop more avenues of addressing the current conditions of the neighborhood, particularly amenities for constituents in order to better understand the scope of community needs coupled with ongoing outreach to community members through canvassing. 

 

It is evident that not every topic can be addressed through OpenDataKC. For example, the team at KC Tenants has determined that researching tax abatements would be beneficial to the feasibility of social housing in Kansas City, particularly to note how much abatement is going towards housing development. While some figures are public knowledge, such as the proposed $500 million in abatements to the Kansas City Royals for a new downtown stadium, much of this information is difficult to track. There are sources such as the forgone tax abatement tracker by GoodJobsFirst, but I am currently working in collaboration with the data team at KC Tenants to develop more avenues to collect tax abatement information.

 

Outside of OpenDataKC, I am looking at U.S. Census Data, which is also covered in OpenDataKC as well but not entirely. This crossover has developed my further understanding of data collection for the area. For one, much of the data in counties such as Jackson or Clay where most of my research lies is unaccounted for by the U.S. Census Data. Therefore, the data provided on OpenDataKC, while slightly better for those counties, is quite minimal. This leads into further questions such as why are the counties that make up Kansas City Metro not researched thoroughly? Who does this affect negatively and positively? How are the independent municipalities within Kansas City, such as North Kansas City, accounted for? 

 

I hope to develop a better understanding of these questions and develop even more as my time with KC Tenants progresses.