Kansas City’s climate is so-so, there are no enticing mountains or ocean views, and the metro area population has climbed only modestly over the past 3½ decades. But it appears to be better positioned than many U.S. cities for future growth and prosperity.

Urban policy expert Wendell Cox counts the ways. Housing is affordable – in part, he says, because land-use restrictions are minimal – and the overall cost of living is low. With an extensive road system, people can get around. The city consequently attracts more “domestic migrants” than it loses.

Cox, the principal of Demographia, a St. Louis-area public policy and demographics firm, explores the advantages and what Kansas City needs to do to preserve them in a presentation co-presented by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.