Downtown St. Louis at Night
The above shot was taken tonight while waiting for the bus to arrive. It was a slow Monday night but people were still milling about.
– Steve
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New South Grand Planters a Volunteer Project
After months of street work along South Grand between I-44 and Arsenal we are finally seeing plants in the massive median planters. But, this is not the work of the City’s Parks department. No, this is all done by volunteers. Here is the email I received from a property owner along Grand:
We need volunteers—-to help with planting the landscape in the medians and tree lawn spaces along South Grand from 44 to Arsenal.
Each weekend certain medians will be planted based on a schedule of volunteers.
The tree lawn area’s – between the street curb and sidewalks – are up for adoption to people who will plant, water, and maintain the area. This would certainly beautify any entrance to a business or street.
Please send this email out to any person that may be interested in helping to make South Grand look it’s best.
Did anyone else know this was going to be voluntarily planted and maintained when they started going in? I just assumed this would be done by the city. Not that volunteers can’t do a good job. It just took me by surprise. At least the center planters have irrigation hoses to keep them watered.
If you are interested in helping please email me and I will send you the phone number of the person to contact.
– Steve
Help Plan Centennial Greenway
From Maggie Edelmann at Trailnet:
The first phase of planning for Centennial Greenway, a system of parks and trails that will link Forest Park to Creve Coeur County Park to the Katy Trail, wrapped up in early April. This phase focused on analysis and inventory of the study area. Based on technical data, along with public input from five forums held in January and February of this year, the study team has identified several options for the greenway as well criteria to evaluate these options.
Attend one of the upcoming forums to review the options and to provide your input. The following forums are open houses so feel free to stop by anytime. The same information will be available at both forums, and there will also be a half hour presentation at each of the following:
* Tuesday, May 17, 5:30-7:30 p.m., presentation from 6:30 – 7:00, Craig Elementary School, 1492 Craig Road, 63146
* Wednesday, May 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m., presentation from 6:30 – 7:00, Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Avenue, 63105
For more information, call Great Rivers Greenway at (314) 436-7009 or visit www.greatrivers.info
While I am mostly an on-road cyclist I think the idea of connecting parts of the region through a linear park system is a good idea. This makes good use of existing rights-of-way, provides local parks and a legitimate means of getting from point A to point B through a park. Tax dollars at work doing good things.
– Steve
New Target Store Not As Urban As It Could Be
No doubt about it, the new Target store currently under construction is far more urban than the store it is replacing. With the bulk of the parking under the new building and a front facade closer to Hampton Avenue this is the most urban big box we will have in the City of St. Louis.
The problem is I’ve seen a far more urban target in a less urban context. A few years ago, on a visit to Seattle, I visited their newest Target store. We were in North Seattle – pretty suburban and no different than most suburban areas. Seattle’s NorthGate mall was across the street. Both the mall and Target are visible from the always congested I-5 highway.
(Note: photo by Target – my helicopter is in the shop)
I asked a friend, Seattle Architect Richard Kenney, to take pictures of the Target for me.
The NorthGate Target store is on the top two levels of the four story structure. You can enter/exit the Target from either floor and it contains internal escalators like you would expect in any department store. A Best Buy and other national chains are part of the building. Yes, this is not the most attractive structure in the world. But, compared to the typical mall across the street it is a major improvement.
Basically the building is divided into two sections – the Western section is the retail portion while the Eastern section is a parking garage. A plaza is in the middle.
Looking into the plaza you can see the retail section on the left and the garage on the right. Smaller retail spaces front the main street and the plaza space.
The Quizno’s at right makes the corner of the parking garage more friendly (and toasty…).
A closer look in the plaza you can see how plantings have been incorporated into the design to soften the concrete and steel. On my one visit to the building we parked on the top level of the parking garage. Some surface parking is also located behind the building.
As you can see, nobody is going to mistake this for a great street. Still, as big box developments go I will take this over sprawling parking lots and horizontal buildings any day.
Another view looking into the plaza area.
Looking from the plaza out toward the main street, with the typical suburban mall across the street.
When land is scarce and valued, developers and retailers will build more urban out of necessity. I’m not foolish enough to think that urbanity is their motivation. No, they are motivated by the all mighty dollar. In this case the result was far better than the sprawl surrounding it.
Better big box projects are possible. We just have to find ways to more sure they work for the developers and retailers as well as the general public.
– Steve
Saturday May 21st Will Be A Busy Day In St. Louis
From Joan Esserman, League of Women Voters of St. Louis:
Rollin Stanley, St. Louis City Development Agencies Director of Planning & Urban Design, will give an update of the city’s development efforts. He will address the obstacles and successes in revitalization, along with future directions.
This public session is hosted by the League of Women Voters on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 600 N. Euclid, 63108, (314/361-4655) in the Central West End near the corner of Euclid & Washington, one block east of Kingshighway, one block south of Delmar.
For information, call 314/961-6869.
From Lynn Josse, UMSL 2004 Public Policy Research Center Community Fellow:
4th annual Creating Livable Communities Symposium: Linking Public History and Community Revitalization
May 21, 2005, UM – St. LouisThis year’s Creating Livable Communities Symposium is a one-day program focusing on history and place as tools for community building. Twelve concurrent sessions and workshops will bring the experience of educators, community organizers, preservationists, trailblazers, oral historians, and many more on the question of how we can use public history to revitalize our towns and cities.
A few of things that are of particular interest to neighborhoods: a session on planning a great house tour (yes, Marti will be speaking); a workshop on creating and capitalizing on historic districts; and a few different things related to promoting heritage tourism and the economic development potential of historic areas. Particularly cool, I think, is our plenary speaker Marci Reaven of Place Matters (www.placematters.net), who will discuss meaningful public history processes that can empower citizens and inspire communities.
For more information, including a schedule of speakers, check out the Symposium website
Both events on the 21st of May look great so it will be a tough decision. As a side note, it was May 21, 1966 that the last street car operated in St. Louis.
– Steve