If you’ve ever been to Kansas City or have any awareness about Kansas City, you may have heard it called the Paris of the Plains or the City of Fountains. A lot of people associate the city with its fountains, and it’s a big source of civic pride.

However, recently the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department was forced to shut down its 48 fountains, citing unmanageable operating costs. This has left residents up in arms, claiming that the out-of-operation fountains are attracting vandalism and causing issues for their neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, though, Parks and Rec has its hands tied, since the city has gone over its water budget for the year and can’t afford to keep fountains running. Today on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney and co-host Daniel Herriges analyze this story against another article, produced a few years ago by the Urban Land Institute, that discusses the issue of Kansas City’s park system, the history of its park system, the costs, and—particularly relevant to this story—the deferred maintenance issues.

• “KC Parks and Rec shuts down several fountains early due to high water bill,” by JuYeon Kim, KSHB Kansas City (September 2022).

• “Parks and Boulevard System, Kansas City, Missouri: Providing a More Equitable Approach to Investing in Parks and Recreation,” Urban Land Institute (December 2019).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Daniel Herriges (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.