Documenters in Focus looks at how an online dashboard provides a window into the concerns, observations and suggestions being submitted by Wichitans to inform the development of a new Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Residents of the Longwood neighborhood can’t easily traverse Kellogg to get to College Hill Park. They have to cross at either Oliver or Hillside. What could be a 0.3 mile walk ends up taking three times as long.
K-96 divides Chisholm Creek Park in half. Anglers striking out at North Chisholm Creek Fishing Lake have to exit the park, walk along Woodlawn, and then re-enter to try their luck at the South Chisholm Creek Fishing Lake.
Linwood Park is adjacent to Interstate 135. As a result, according to one resident, the park “is ruined by highway noise.” They offered a solution: “there needs to be an earth berm, concrete wall, or hedge row installed to protect the park from noise pollution.”
Imagine ICT! is the nickname for the City of Wichita’s development of a new Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Approved in September 2025, the project aims to engage residents and identify their priorities for parks, community centers and recreation programs in Wichita and Sedgwick County. So far, there have been steering committee meetings, open houses, pop-up events, and an online survey to solicit public feedback.
A link to the survey can be found on the Imagine ICT Master Plan website:
Take Our Survey!
Take 15 minutes to complete this survey so we can learn your priorities for parks, community centers, and recreation programs. Your input will guide the city, county and elected officials in prioritizing projects in the future. The survey will close on Friday, March 13.
There is also an online dashboard offered by the software company Social Pinpoint. Directly on the City of Wichita’s site, users can click on a map of the city and type in some of their concerns and ideas.
When I downloaded the dashboard’s data on Feb. 16, there were 88 submissions. They ranged from fears about the city’s homeless population to suggestions about where to construct new dog and skate parks. Some respondents provided thoughts on man-made dams along the banks of the Arkansas River, which would reduce erosion and make the river more manageable. Others felt that Pawnee Prairie Park “has very little prairie left.”
Comments about the city’s zoning, automobile infrastructure, and general land use also appeared frequently. The quality of biking and walking paths were, by far, the most mentioned.
“There is too much free and open parking downtown,” one Wichitan pointed out. “We should convert these ugly concrete blocks into more urban parks. People want to be by trees, shrubs, flowers, and statues, not concrete vomit.”
While one resident proposed a pedestrian bridge connecting Chisholm Creek Park, another suggested “upzoning” the area. The neighborhood south of the park, bounded by 29th, 21st, Oliver and Woodlawn, is about .821 square miles. Multi-family housing construction is prohibited in 70% of it. Make it so that “more people live in the area,” they suggested, and “make sure these areas are covered by transit too.”
Another respondent suggested that similar upzoning be done across the city and argued that “restrictive zoning around all parks should be changed to increase desirability, livability, and usability of parks.” They proposed removing parking minimums, single family zoning, and set back minimums, and concluded that “if you want people to use parks, change our current way of living that incentivises being inside as opposed to outside.”
Other residents took the survey as an opportunity to raise awareness about pedestrian safety. “Kansas Avenue is used as a high speed street” for drivers wishing to avoid traffic lights at Harry and Lincoln, one resident noted. “Please add a yield sign,” they asked, which would help accommodate kids walking to and from Linwood Elementary.
Douglas was also cause of concern. One Wichitan felt that the pedestrian crossing at Douglas and I-135 was “dangerous.” The signals are difficult to see and “cars routinely run the light at full speed.” Another recommended slowing traffic on Douglas around Hillside to 25 miles per hour. Oliver was also a cause of concern, and one respondent felt that it was dangerous to cross at 1st, 2nd, and Central. “Please consider red light and speed cameras.”
The city and its consultants will collate public feedback and are expected to provide a master plan draft around October 2026. As of writing, there are now 89 submissions on the Social Pinpoint dashboard. It will remain open for public comment through this month.
This is part of a series of stories focusing on items of interest emerging from notes being taken by Wichita Documenters, a program that trains and pays residents to take notes at government meetings. In just over a year, Wichita Documenters has dispatched nearly 50 documenters to cover more than 350 meetings, building a better record to keep the public informed. Wichita Documenters is funded through grants from the Wichita Foundation and the Trust for Civic Life as well as contributions from local donors.
This article was republished here with the permission of: KLC Journal