What do Wichitans want downtown? Here’s what nonprofit has learned so far
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wichitans prioritize housing ownership, walkability and livelier riverfronts.
- Downtown Wichita's action plan seeks feedback at final open house August 27.
- Traffic study suggests reducing lanes on Douglas to expand pedestrian activity.
After months of gathering input, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city’s center has put together a picture of what they say Wichitans want downtown to become: a community-centric space with more housing options, better walkability, a livelier riverfront and a neighborhood that feels like home.
Now Downtown Wichita is preparing for a third open house from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at their 501 E. Douglas office. The come-and-go event will be the nonprofit’s final big push for community feedback before it assembles a new Downtown Wichita Action Plan.
“Downtown is going to develop no matter what. This gives us an opportunity to shape how that happens,” Heather Schroeder, the executive director of Downtown Wichita, said. “ … We really want to make sure that this is a destination that people want to stop (at) when they come to downtown.”
Downtown Wichita broke the planning process into three phases: Immerse, Ideate & Iterate and Implementation. Each phase features an open-house-style event for community members to voice their visions for downtown.
So far, the more than 800 participants have emphasized development of the area’s transportation, urban landscape and design, quality of life, working and living conditions and residential development — especially options for downtown housing ownership.
Feedback shows interest in owning homes downtown
The 2010 Project Downtown plan, which this plan will update, found a need for apartments above downtown storefronts. Fifteen years and nearly $2 billion worth of investment later, Schroeder said, surveying for the next 10-year plan found Wichitans want opportunities to own housing, particularly condominiums and townhouses, downtown. Subsequently, Schroeder said, new housing created a need for a 24-hour community — a downtown Wichita with enough amenities and interesting locations that residents never have to — or never want to — leave.
“You live downtown because you want to leave your apartment, not because you just want to be shut in there,” she said. “People want the living space, and then beyond that, they want excitement out their front door.”
Participants in the open houses also said they want improvements to urban walkability — how interesting, enjoyable and accessible it is to get from one amenity to another.
How many lanes does Douglas need?
Other potential changes, she said, were discovered based on data and historical patterns. For example, an analysis of walkability on Douglas Avenue — famous for Dragging Douglas car cruises and races — found that the volume of traffic doesn’t support five lanes but rather three lanes.
Instead, Schroeder said, that space can be modified to better serve those who live in or visit downtown.
“We started looking at what if we reclaimed some of the driving lanes for people, for bicycles, for cafes, for dog walkers, for strollers,” Schroeder said. “How would that make our streetscape look and feel?”
Another find, Schroeder said, was a desire for more trees downtown. During the second open house, participants were asked to look at Google Map photos of Douglas through downtown from Washington to the Arkansas River and put heart stickers on streetscapes they loved, star stickers on streetscapes that need attention and tree stickers for additional greenery. The tree stickers were soon long gone.
Making the most out of Wichita’s riverfront
But, above everything else, Schroeder said, participants expressed an interest in a refined river front.
“So whether people are talking about their leisure time or where they want to live, or where they want to exercise and enjoy time with their family, it all comes back to — we are so fortunate to be a riverfront downtown,” Schroeder said. “We have the real deal here, but we haven’t fully realized opportunities to engage with the river.”
That created an emphasis on making the most out of sites near the Arkansas River and pushing for redevelopment that’s also incorporated with the broader vision for downtown growth.
While downtown stretches from the Arkansas River to Kellogg, Washington and Central, the parameters of the project extend through Delano to Seneca. According to Schroeder, that will help create a smooth transition between neighborhoods when the plan is implemented.
Like previous open houses, Schroeder said, Wednesday’s will be interactive. Participants will be asked to follow different paths — like a downtown visitor, a member of city government, or a nearby resident. They’ll consider how the 10-year plan would affect them in those roles while looking for any potential gaps or needs.
There will also be a mock-up of what the future of Douglas may look like, as well as discussions about what implementation of the plan looks like. That insight, Schroeder said, helps everyone feel ownership over the project.
“This is our downtown … this is everybody’s playground,” Schroeder said. “We want everyone to know how the sausage gets made.”
Although this open house is the last public planning session, it’s not the last opportunity for Wichitans to contribute to the initiative. From the Downtown Wichita Action Plan website, those seeking involvement can see what the community has contributed so far and provide input by email.
Regardless of whether input is given in-person at the final open house or through email, Schroeder said community contribution is important during these last phases of the planning process.
“We want to make sure that we’re presenting the best of the best right here in the center of our city,” she said. “ ... If you want a hand in how the center of our city takes shape over the next 10 years, it’s really important to come give your thoughts. … If you don’t come, we can’t hear you.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 5:35 AM.
CORRECTION: This report has been corrected to change the number of participants in the process and to delete a reference to city and county approval. The plan does not require formal city and county approval.
