Tara James-Wallace grew up in Topeka and has seen the diversity of the city firsthand, so she was upset when she didn’t see that diversity reflected in its Downtown Master Plan study.
“My block was as culturally diverse as I could ever imagine,” she said. “For that to not be reflected in the city’s plan speaks volumes.”
The city of Topeka released a 118-page draft of its Downtown Master Plan with artist renderings of the future and photos of people enjoying downtown Topeka. The photos were almost exclusively of white people.
“If I was looking to invest in Topeka and I saw that plan as it was originally published . I would not be interested in investing in Topeka,” James-Wallace said. “I didn t see anybody that looked like me.”