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S1 Ep5

Utility Gap

Aired: 20/01/2022

Reporter credits:

1 minute read

Between increasingly intense heat waves and freezing cold spikes, a warming planet means unexpected weather events will be more common. As demand for utility services rises during these times, so do our monthly bills.

We’ll look at why these costs affect some more than others and examines some resources available to help those struggling to keep up.

Climate Change’s Serious Effects On Kansas Citians Disproportionately Affect The Poor

The discussion about climate change often centers on what increasingly extreme weather will mean for agriculture and the environment. But what about its effect on poverty?

Flatland Follow-Up

Listen to January's Flatland Follow-Up: Your Questions on Utility Costs In A Warming Climate

Audio Coming Soon

Past Episodes

Harvesting Change | Localizing Our Food System

S3 Ep 9 - 1 minute readAs part of the Flatland series “Harvesting Change,” Flatland in Focus looks at the people and policies that influence the transition away from industrial agriculture to a more localized food system that protects and regenerates the environment.

Seeking Environmental Justice in Kansas City

S3 Ep8 - 1 minute readIn cities across the U.S., heavily polluted industrial zones are often established adjacent to communities of color and low-income residents. “Flatland in Focus” speaks with residents living in Kansas City-area neighborhoods that suffer from a history of pollution.

Healing Hate: Building Resilience Through Community

S3 Ep7 - 1 minute readIn collaboration with the Kansas City PBS special ‘Healing Hate‘, Flatland in Focus speaks with survivors of the 2014 shooting at the Overland Park Jewish Community Center to see how one act of hate has impacted their lives. […]

Stadium Subsidies and Community Impact

S3 Ep6 - 1 minute readThe Truman Sports Complex, home to KC’s Royals and Chiefs, opened to the public 50 years ago. Now the teams have a new vision for their future and voters must decide whether to support that vision with tax […]

Housing Along the KC Streetcar Line

S3 Ep5 - 1 minute readThe KC Streetcar expansion from Union Station to the Country Club Plaza will be running through midtown as early as 2025. But as ridership increases along this route, so may the cost of living for many the area, […]

Media Literacy

S3 Ep4 - 1 minute readAs media consumption continues to climb, media literacy and the ability to discern fact from fiction or opinion is more important than ever. How do we interact with the news? How do we evaluate what we share? And […]

The Future of the Country Club Plaza

S3 Ep. 3 - 1 minute readThe Kansas City PBS documentary “Nichols’ Folly: A Century of the Country Club Plaza” explores the complicated history behind the nation’s first planned suburban shopping center. This month, “Flatland in Focus” examines the future of the Country Club Plaza […]

East Side Development Sales Tax

S3 Ep 2 - 1 minute readIn 2017, voters approved a 1/8 cent sales tax with the goal of spurring economic development in disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city. So far, the Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax has awarded over $53 million and […]

See All Episodes

Flatland + KC Media Collective

Flatland and Kansas City PBS are proud to take part in the Kansas City Media Collective, a collaborative group of local, nonprofit media organizations dedicated to supporting local journalism.