March 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 41

The project spans 15 miles and 20
neighborhoods.

about where specific projects will
begin, Reed admits he doesn't
quite have an answer. " What I can
tell you is [that] the project is very
resolute in going both east-west
and north-south - and doing that
simultaneously, " he asserts.
Reed says the team is focused
on tearing down racial barriers in
the city and, in particular, breaking the Delmar Divide. The term
refers to African American neighborhoods situated north of Delmar
Boulevard and represents the dividing line that stretches east and
west through St. Louis City and St.
Louis County. Its historic past is
plagued by racial segregation and
economic inequality.
What's more, Reed notes that the
Stoss team has been very careful in
making sure the greenway's design
has a clear, physical identity " as it
passes through an incredibly diverse
set of neighborhoods and industrial areas in downtown and in all of
these different kinds of places.... "
He adds that it's very important
for people to understand that when
they see it, they know right away
that it's Chouteau Greenway.
" The other thing we did is really
think about open space programming and ancillary projects that
might...create nodes of activities to
complement some of the other activities, amenities and destinations
that we're connecting, but also to invite new audiences to different places within the city, " Reed says.
For example, one of the most significant projects is proposed at the
west end of the mall downtown that
leads to the Arch. " We're proposing
with artist Damon Davis, the Mill
Creek Valley Project - which memorializes, in an open space, the African

American community that was torn
apart for highway construction and
redevelopments during the 1950s, "
he explains. " And in doing so, we're
giving African American history an
equal place...to all the other histories
that are represented on the mall. "

Investing in the Greenway
Since embarking on this ambitious
project, Trautman admits that the
easiest part so far has been the transportation component of the plan.
" Great Rivers Greenway can build,
maintain and operate a green line,
but it's going to take critical partners
to address affordable housing, recreation and vacant land, " she says.
Trautman notes that within
a quarter mile of the greenway,
" we're likely to have the most investment and the most return on investment. " Working with their partners,
the GRG team has identified vacant
lands and thought about what could
be done in the short run. " Maybe
it's an orchard, farmers market,
playgrounds or a quality open space
area to be defined by the community, " she says. " But, we continue to
work with affordable housing partners, institutional partners, schools,
colleges, health organizations. "

Where Do They
Go From Here?
Now that the Framework Plan is
complete, Trautman says: " The next
step is to really break the project and
geography up into the neighborhoods and work much more closely
with the residents who live there. "
Reed says the order of the projects is something that his team and
GRG continue to work through.
" There are still a lot of questions to
be answered because even though
we've developed ideas about design
and economic developments and
where the greenway might go, there
are still many, many rounds of community engagement to happen and
that's going to take a while. "
While GRG and Stoss agree that
more planning and community discussions are needed before moving
full steam ahead on constructing the
Chouteau Greenway, they remain
laser-focused on bringing equitable
design to the people of St. Louis.
To hear Susan Trautman, CEO of GRG,
talk more about the Chouteau Greenway
project, tune in to the March bonus episode
of Open Space Radio at openspaceradio
.com.(SLVRGHUHOHDVHV)HE
Vitisia Paynich is a Freelance Writer
based in Southern California.

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | M A R C H 2 02 0 |

Parks & Recreation

March 2020 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020 - Parks & Recreation