Morning rush-hour traffic flows east and west on Interstate 435 at Quivira Road. Since 1950, the population of Johnson County - home to much of Kansas City area's swelling suburban population - has soared from 62,783 to 451,086 in 2000, pushing the borders of towns like Olathe ever-outward and toward Lawrence.

Every year, it seems, the borders of Kansas City and its suburbs move a little closer to Lawrence.

Since 1950, the population of Johnson County – home to much of K.C.’s swelling suburban population – has soared from 62,783 to 451,086 in 2000, pushing the borders of towns like Olathe ever-outward.

And there’s been spillover to Lawrence. The U.S. Census Bureau in October released estimates that roughly 11,700 Lawrence residents here -about 14 percent of the city’s population – leave town during each weekday to work elsewhere, including Kansas City and Topeka.

“That’s going to increase,” predicted Frank Lenk, director of research services for the Mid-America Regional Council, which coordinates planning efforts among Kansas City and its suburbs, not including Lawrence. “There’s lots of folks who want to live in that more small-town feel and don’t mind commuting into Kansas City.”

The growth of Kansas City, then, has profound effects on growth in Lawrence and Douglas County, which grew from 34,086 residents in 1950 to nearly 100,000 in 2000.

“It definitely makes (Lawrence residents) more upper-income based,” said Jim Mayo, chair of the urban planning program at Kansas University. “You have to consider the people who can make the commute.”

Johnson County’s growth hasn’t just been a spark behind Douglas County’s growth. Kansas City’s suburban communities – criticized for having big-box stores and malls, but without Lawrence’s distinctive downtown and arts culture – serve as an example for planners here to avoid.

But Ron Durflinger, a Lawrence homebuilder, said he’s not worried about Lawrence losing its character as Lawrence’s and Kansas City’s borders grow closer.

“I think Lawrence should concentrate on taking care of business, and its character will take care of itself,” Durflinger said, adding: “One thing that makes Lawrence unique in Kansas is it walks a little bit left-of-center, so it’s going to attract people who find that walk to their liking.”

Gwendolyn Klingenberg, president of the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, said that she, too, isn’t worried about Lawrence protecting its identity in the throes of growth.

All the commuters, she said, are “a good sign for Lawrence, because they’re not living in Kansas City or Topeka. They’re living here.”

City Hall has taken steps to preserve the city’s character, Klingenberg said: Plans in place or in process that work to preserve downtown and open space around town will let Lawrence retain its identity while accommodating new construction that accompanies the growth in population.

“We’ve got plenty of time to protect Douglas County,” she said.

Mayo agreed, saying the presence of KU in town would help the city stay distinctive. It was university faculty that helped lead resistance to a downtown mall in the 1980s, he said.

“You consider all the intellectual power on this hill to shape ideas and events,” he said. “I don’t want to just put it on KU. But ultimately, a university creates other types of spin-offs that create (a distinctive culture) that as well – from research institutes to other types of things that play a role.”

Meanwhile, Kansas City’s suburbs are trying to become a little more like Lawrence. Lenk said MARC had started a “First Suburbs” program for Johnson County towns to restore and retain the downtowns that communities like Merriam, Mission and Prairie Village had in the first years after World War II, when they were distinct towns and before they shared common borders.

“They’ve been swallowed up, if you will, but they haven’t lost their character,” Lenk said.

It’s easier to retain that character, he said, if it’s there in the first place.