Like the rest of the world, we are emerging from the greatest public health emergency in a century. Lives have been lost, livelihoods have been destroyed, and it’s imperative that we do all we can to recover from COVID-19. But even further, we must work to address our longstanding and emerging health challenges, and make sure we’re prepared for the next pandemic.

Kansas Citians want and deserve to live in safe, vibrant neighborhoods. To that end, we must work to shelter and protect our unhoused neighbors, create housing which everyone can access, and ensure that what we’re building is maintained and adaptable for the various needs of the people who call our city home.

What we’re building in Kansas City is important, but we need to think more about who we’re building our community for. That means keeping basic services going, like road maintenance and public utilities. It also means improving our city services to reach our neighbors who are consistently left behind.

The science is clear: climate change is real; it is man-made, and it is accelerating. To meet the moment, we need to work to rapidly lower our greenhouse gas emissions, particularly with transportation. We must also work to increase our tree canopy, improve our stormwater management and take additional steps to strengthen our resiliency to better withstand extreme weather. And we must work to improve energy efficiency to ensure our transition to sustainable living leaves no one behind.