Living Cities says World Cup could build local wealth in Kansas City

Living Cities is using Kansas City’s World Cup spotlight to push a bigger question: whether global attention can translate into lasting gains for local businesses, workers, and neighborhoods. The group says the tournament’s legacy should be measured by who gets contracts, customers, capital, and ownership after the visitors leave.

Why it matters: - Kansas City is set to receive global attention, visitor spending, and new business opportunities from the FIFA World Cup. - Living Cities argues the real test is whether that activity reaches local entrepreneurs, workers, and neighborhoods instead of stopping at hotels, stadiums, and fan zones. - The outcome could shape how other host cities think about turning major events into long-term community wealth.

What happened: - Living Cities launched a Capital + Culture series focused on how major sporting and cultural events can strengthen local economies. - The series uses Kansas City as a case study for how local entrepreneurship, workforce participation, neighborhood investment, and community wealth can grow alongside global attention. - Joe Scantlebury, president and CEO of Living Cities, said the key question is whether local people and local businesses are positioned to participate in the World Cup opportunity and carry the benefits forward after the final whistle.

The details: - Kansas City has already made small-business participation part of its World Cup preparations. - Local leaders have launched tools and marketplaces designed to connect entrepreneurs, makers, artists, and vendors to tournament-related economic activity. - Living Cities says the city’s legacy will depend on who receives contracts, who gains customers, who builds business relationships, who accesses capital, who expands operations, and who hires. - Scantlebury said a true legacy is measured by whether entrepreneurs gain a foothold, small businesses grow, and more residents have a chance to build wealth. - Living Cities says the better measure of success is whether Kansas City’s entrepreneurs become more visible, more connected, and more investable. - The group also says success should include workers gaining pathways to mobility, neighborhoods capturing value, and culture becoming a pathway to capital. - Living Cities says the event should be judged by more than visitor counts, hotel bookings, and projected economic impact. - The company’s announcement includes a link for more information: Learn more.

Between the lines: - The message is a critique of the usual scoreboard for mega-events, which often focuses on attendance and tourism spending. - Living Cities is reframing the World Cup as an economic equity test, not just a sports and tourism event. - That framing puts pressure on host-city planning to produce ownership, access, and durable wealth, not just short-term revenue.

What's next: - The World Cup matches will bring visitors and headlines to Kansas City, but the longer-term question is whether local businesses and residents capture lasting gains. - Living Cities will continue using the Capital + Culture series to examine how host cities can convert global attention into local economic power. - Kansas City’s post-tournament legacy will depend on whether the opportunities created now translate into stronger businesses and more resilient neighborhoods later.

The bottom line: - Living Cities says the World Cup’s real value in Kansas City will be measured after the crowds leave: by who grew, who owned, and who built wealth.