Kansas City is a dynamic city backed by a vibrant arts scene,
world-class attractions and an eclectic mix of shops. Whether this is your first visit or Kansas City is like your second home, take time to discover a blend of new and traditional favorites during your next visit.
Kansas City is a rich tapestry of Americana and the result of many different historical and regional influences. What originally began literally as a cowtown predicated upon the spread of agriculture and the railroad became a center for housing livestock and manufacturing amid a boom of industrialization. As such, postwar growth allowed Kansas City to grow exponentially, virtually unchecked, with sprawl as far as the eye can
see. Today, the Kansas City area is home to over two million residents.
Much of this sprawl which occurred during the latter half of the 20th century included suburban retail growth. While Kansas City, in many ways, pioneered the suburban lifestyle center with the 1920s opening and continued success of Country Club Plaza, explosive retail growth and enclosed malls in the suburbs also flourished for a
time. But eventually, problems arose around the turn of the millennium.
It appeared that Kansas City may have overmalled itself. Of the 16 major centers in the metro area, only two of them are successful enclosed malls today, and they are on opposite sides of the metro area: Oak Park Mall in Overland Park and Independence Center in Independence. Two malls have been de-malled completely in 2005 and
2006, respectively: Blue Ridge Mall in Kansas City and Mission Center in Mission. The remaining 7 enclosed centers are in varying condition, from just barely making it to being almost completely unviable. In fact, the idea for this case study is especially prescient. In late 2006, plans were unveiled to de-mall three more enclosed malls: Metcalf South in Overland Park, Antioch Center Mall in Antioch and Metro North
in Kansas City. If those plans go through, that would bring the total to four enclosed malls which bit the dust in only a few years' time, and that's pretty substantial. Featured below are all of the major
shopping centers in the Kansas City metro area. Lastly, we chose to include the mall in St. Joseph because it really is an extension of the northern KC Metro and less than half an hour from KCI Airport.
