KEVIN MARK KLINKENBERG
Kansas City, Missouri

AFFILIATION: Principal, 180 Degrees Design Studio, LLC

AREA OF EXPERTISE: Architecture & Urban Design

BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE: Kevin’s career is based on the goal of building great places. A member of the Congress for the New Urbanism since 1997, he seeks practical applications for Traditional Neighborhood Development techniques in projects of all scales, from individual sites to neighborhoods to entire regions. With fifteen years of professional experience, Kevin has become a regional authority on planning and urban design, sitting on committees for the Mid America Regional Council, the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, and the Housing Choices Coalition. He is a frequent speaker on urban design, and is currently writing a column on urban design for the Kansas City Star. His volunteer activities include serving as board president for CUBE (Center for Understanding the Built Environment) and a board member for the Valentine Neighborhood Association. He was one of forty designers and policy makers recently invited to the CNU Transportation Summit in Oakland, California; the Summit is charged with establishing national policies and design methods for regional land use and transportation planning.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Kevin’s research will focus on finding solutions for context-sensitive school design. As suburban sprawl has separated our homes from our work and shopping, it has also created islands of large schools that children can not walk to. Kevin will examine alternatives to the current national standards, focusing on solutions that fit into walkable communities of either new or existing villages. Schools are an integral element of community building, and should not be set out on their own islands if our communities are to thrive.

E-MAIL: kklinkenberg@180deg.com