Downtown Wichita Business Activity
Business activity in downtown Wichita continues to rise. (more…)
09
Aug
08
Aug
Downtown Wichita Tax Base
There's been much investment in downtown Wichita. But it isn't evident in the assessed value of property, although the recent trend is positive. (more…)
21
Feb
Naftzger Park event management agreement still ambiguous
This week the Wichita City Council will update an agreement from last year, but it appears important issues were not addressed. Last February the City of Wichita approved an agreement with a local business to manage events at Naftzger Park. With the pandemic upending public events, the business -- Wave Old Town, LLC -- was unable to program any events. Therefore, the city wants to add additional time to the agreement. During the delay, the city could have addressed problems with the original agreement. Some problems concern the bidding process. My concern was the uncertainty in the profit-sharing agreement, which…
28
Dec
Downtown Wichita jobs rise
The reported number of jobs in Downtown Wichita rose in 2018, but there is an issue with the data. (more…)
10
Dec
Downtown Wichita population is up
New Census Bureau data shows the downtown Wichita population growing in 2019. Data released today by the United States Census Bureau shows the estimated population for zip code 67202 in 2019 was 1,751, an increase of 80 from the prior year. Zip code 67202 is greater downtown Wichita, from the Arkansas River east to Washington, and Kellogg north to Central, roughly. The source of this data is U.S. Census Bureau, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. This is not the Bureau's estimate of the population in 2019. This is because for areas of population less than 65,000, the Bureau does…
18
Oct
Downtown Wichita attraction attendance
Attendance at downtown Wichita attractions presented in an interactive visualization. The Source of data is Visit Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau as presented in State of Downtown Reports published by DowntownWichita.org. Click here to access the visualization.
10
Oct
Intrust Bank Arena loss for 2019 nears $5 million
A truthful accounting of the finances of Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita shows a large loss. The true state of the finances of the Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita are not often a subject of public discussion. Arena boosters cite a revenue-sharing arrangement between the county and the arena operator, referring to this as profit or loss. But this arrangement is not an accurate and complete accounting, and it hides the true economics of the arena. What's missing is depreciation expense. There are at least two ways of looking at the finance of the arena. Nearly all attention…
13
Sep
Rethinking the city and the community for a post-pandemic world
How has the pandemic affected cities in general and Wichita specifically, and what are implications for the future? Recently Chase M. Billingham, who is Associate Professor of Sociology at Wichita State University, delivered an online lecture titled "Rethinking the city and the community for a post-pandemic world." In the lecture, Billingham covered topics such as the nature of cities and urbanism; how the pandemic has affected cities; how cities have suffered during pandemics throughout modern history, but have also led in innovation, medicine, and research.; COVID-19 will likely accelerate ongoing trends, especially economic trends; the effect of remote working on…
19
Apr
Naftzger Park on the web: Do we care?
A badly outdated portion of Wichita's website makes me wonder: Does anyone care? In the Naftzger Park Facebook group that I co-administer, someone recently posted this: Hi! I'm [not] new to Wichita and a friend told me about a quaint and lovely Victorian style park set in the downtown area. I love little parks like these as they're such an endearing surprise in the midst of old industrial buildings and warehouses. After seeing the pictures on your website, I can tell my friend understated the beauty of the park. I can't wait to visit! One problem though, I can't find…
07
Feb
Wichita taxing district to expand
The City of Wichita plans to expand a special tax district. Next week the Wichita City Council will consider expanding an existing CID, or Community Improvement District, in the Delano neighborhood near downtown Wichita. A map provided by the city is nearby. Community Improvement Districts are a mechanism whereby extra sales tax is collected within a district. For this CID, the city asks to collect an extra two cents per dollar, which is the maximum allowed in Kansas. CIDs are distinguished from STAR bonds, in which incremental sales tax revenue in a district is captured and handled differently from the…