2026 Intercity Visit coverage
Day 1: Soccer stadium visit highlights Intercity Visit opening day
Day 2: Importance of investment highlights Intercity Visit second two programming
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Maintaining a regional mindset and building momentum through projects are largely responsible for Kansas City’s roughly quarter-century-old renaissance, municipal leaders told a Tulsa Regional Chamber delegation Tuesday.
A new $1.5 billion terminal opened at Kansas City International Airport in 2023. Other seminal projects completed or planned in the city in recent years include:
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A $100 million streetcar starter line established (2016)
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Hosting FIFA World Cup matches (2026)
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A new stadium dedicated to women’s soccer (2024)
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The $850 million Power and Light District, a mixed-use development that opened (2008)
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A new downtown Major League Baseball stadium scheduled for completion (2030)
Joe Reardon, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, said the airport expansion was transformational.
“Without this terminal, we wouldn’t have had the NFL Draft (2023), and I can assure you...we would have never had a single World Cup match in Kansas City. It was that critical to our future.”
Reardon addressed the 130 attendees at the Chamber’s Intercity Visit who took part in a full day of programming that featured speakers and panel discussions. City and county elected officials, business leaders, regional partners, education administrators and young professionals are participating in the three-day event, which ends Wednesday.
The smallest U.S. market to host World Cup matches, Kansas City hosted six matches this past summer, drawing an estimated 650,000 people to the city and generating an estimated economic impact of more than $650 million.
“We knew we had pretty good facilities and might get a base camp or two; that’s where the teams stay for the duration of the tournament,” Reardon said. “What we didn’t know is that we would attract four base camps to Kansas City, more than any other city in North America.”
John Moncke, president of the Power and Light District, said Kansas City’s placing “collaboration above competition” is a main reason the municipality has excelled.
This is the Chamber’s 17th annual trip to peer cities to learn best practices and hear success stories.
Tuesday’s dialogue also explored themes such as housing, tourism and how to leverage leadership.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols closed Tuesday’s programming by facilitating a formal conversation with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who took office in 2019.
“This is the moment for the mid-sized American city,” Lucas said. “...As Americans, I think mid-sized cities will be the center of productivity for the future of our country. I think they are a sign of common sense for the future of our country.
“...We all kind of get along and know that we’re trying to do better for ourselves, our community, our family long-term. So, I think we’re the actual perfect model for what the future is.”
